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THE KALIMPONG ASSOCIATION ( |
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“A Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year to all” GOD’S
GIFT He
did not use s silvery box
God
laid his precious gift to men Within
a manger bed No
silken cord was used to bind The
gift sent from above. ‘Twas wrapped in swaddling clothes and bound In
cords of tender love There
was no evergreen to which His
precious gift was tied. Upon
a bare tree on a hill His
gift was hung … and died ‘Twas taken down from the tree And
laid beneath the sod But
death itself could not destroy The
precious gift of God With
mighty hand He lifted Him From
out the stoney grave. Forevermore
for every man A loving gift he gave * * * * * JUST
A THOUGHT! This
year 2007 has gone by so fast and I receive letters from many people
expressing the same words. December is
the month when all of us are involved in so many of the year's programmes, which make December a very busy month, but at
the same time giving us a tremendous opportunity to celebrate and remind
people of the reason for Christmas. For so
many, Christmas just means gifts and good food, great excitement as to what
gift one would receive! Christmas to my husband and myself
means much more than that. It means
"Peace on Earth, goodwill among men". That was what the angels sang on the first
Christmas night. When we look at the
things happening around us, what we see is the absence of peace and
goodwill. Over
the past many years, we hear of wars, terrorist attacks, and from
one day to the next we never know what the news will be. I do not know whether you read the
newspapers every day, but if you do, you will know it is not always
pleasant reading. There are so
many horrifying headlines that sometimes one feels it is better not to read
the newspapers. Isn't it wonderful to
know that all nations in the world can genuinely have peace and harmonious
living if Jesus Christ is Lord and King of the nation and the world? The challenge to us is that we, as
Christians, must preach the message of peace and goodwill. If you look in the word of God, we read
that after Jesus was born there was bloodshed, as Herod ordered the
killings of all male children less than 2 years of age. All promises of peace seem to have
vanished. The Jews who had
waited for political freedom were disappointed as their hopes faded with every
message that He preached. The peace
and freedom that Jesus had to offer was unlike anything that people
anticipated. While all
Margaretta Purtill,
President SEPTEMBER
2007 “This
was the best It was
wonderful to see so many familiar faces and to meet a number of OGBs who had not attended for many years. Many came with their families, some of
whom were third generation. It was
also lovely to see so many overseas OGBs. Reverend
Clifford Taylor opened the meeting with a prayer. He gave a brief address on his visit to Kalimpong, when he accompanied Margaretta
for the internment of Sister Cassidy’s ashes. Both Reverend Taylor and Reverend Pereria, the Homes’ Chaplain, conducted the service at
the Homes’ cemetery. Senior pupils
and staff attended the ceremony. Reverend
Taylor circulated amongst the OGBs and was
extremely impressed with the fact that so many school friends had kept in
touch with each other and were present at the
As
usual, the ‘buns and jelabies’ tea was
plentiful and very much enjoyed by all present. We did justice to the excellent spread,
which included many homemade savories and a beautiful Birthday cake. The ladies in the kitchen worked their
socks off! There
were many raffle prizes and we would like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to all who
donated so generously. The Homes’ old
Rallying Song was sung with great gusto, followed by the new version sung
mainly by the younger generation. The
Committee sincerely hopes that this happy occasion will be duplicated at
future Reunions. Members receiving
this Newsletter should encourage other OGBs to
become members and join us at these sociable events. * * * * * NEWS FROM THE DGH COMMITTEE -
For the
last eighteen months the NSW Committee has been in a state of limbo. We are currently in a long running dialogue
with the Board of Management (BOM) in Kolkata on
the status of this Committee. The BOM has recognized the NSW
Committee and its activities since its inception in the 1930s. They now question our eligibility to be
a DGH Committee!!! Just to
bring everyone into the picture of our Committee - we have 6 active members
on the Committee as follows: ·
President - Ivan
Holland ·
Treasurer - Peter
Macey ·
Committee Members - Glenda
Walters, Henry Chapman and Alan Carey ·
Secretary - Dawn
Van Steensel ( nee The
history of this Committee stems way back to the days of Dr. Graham himself. The Initially, these were formed to receive Homes children
being sent to the 'Colonies’ for employment. Later the Committees were involved in
recruiting missionary staff for the Homes and also raising funds mainly from
Church groups. As a result of the
International Conferences in the 70's and the Principal's tours, all
Committees came to accept the 'Canadian system' of sponsorship as the most
effective form of fund raising. Until
that time, sponsorship in Continuing with the 'history' lesson the Victoria
Committee was founded some forty years after NSW. In the early 1980s, it was decided the
sensible thing to do was to channel all monies through one Committee
and Victoria (“thank you” good people!) took on this
responsibility. We function as a
separate Committee finding sponsors and raising funds in other ways, but all
monies are sent to For all
intent and purposes the NSW Committee is a thriving and resilient group of
people; we encourage and motivate and never give up. Nothing has diminished our spirit
during this challenging period and we have continued to work hard and raise
funds to support the Homes. Two of
our recent endeavours have been the Jumble Sale Stall and the OGBs Momo-Thukpa Lunch. Jumble Sale Stall The second
day of winter ie 2 June 2007 saw the NSW Committee
loading up the cars and vans and setting up a Jumble Sale Stall at our Local
Council City Annual Street Fair. The
troops marshalled out on to the street at 6.00 am on a cold dark
morning. We had four cars and a
vanload of donated goodies to sell.
Most of the cartons of goodies had not even been opened until we were
setting up shop and the merchandise for sale was as much a pleasant surprise
to us as it was to the potential shoppers. Once the
sun came up around 8.00 am and we had shed our winter woollies, the shopping
crowd started to arrive. We were all
hands on deck and busy until 4.30 pm when the Council Rangers finally moved
our shoppers away and got us to shut down!!!! It was a
long hard day but along the way we had encouraging feedback from the shoppers
and we were able to raise some well-needed funds for no outlay - except our
spirit and effort. Momo-Thukpa Lunch The Jumble
Sale Stall was closely followed by a Momo-Thukpa
lunch held at the Van Steensel’s home in
August. Over 50 OGBs
and friends paid a small fee to come and have a good feed and took the
opportunity to meet and greet other OGBs. The day was a perfect winter day,
sunshine and warmth with no wind, to sit in the backyard and eat hot momos with red-hot chilli chutney. The Committee rolled out nearly 700 momos and at the end of the day; we even sold packs of momos as takeaway!!
Carl and
Linda Chater made “katti-rolls”
(anyone from The NSW
Committee in Dawn Van Steensel,
Secretary, DGH NSW Committee, * * * * * NEWS FROM THE DGH OGBs –
There are not many OGB's in This year we met on 23rd September and those who came were
Lionel Landale, Charles Jordon, John Langham and his wife, Nancy Haliday,
Rima and Ashima Lama and
their family, Tashi Hishay and his wife. It was very nice of Charles
Jordon's neighbour to drive him up from his place,
which is about three hours drive from Everyone brought something for dinner and there was so
much food left over we had to ask them to take some home with them. The
evening was enjoyed by us all talking about the old school and I showed them
the DVD that Margaretta had send
me about the Homes Choir tour of the For me this year has been a great year as we have been
planning for the visit of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, for a few years and
in June this year, His Holiness came to New Zealand and it was a privilege
for me to accompany him every where he went. All his public talk and
teachings were well attended and his message of Love and Kindness hit a cord
with New Zealanders. The tour was very successful. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.
I am happy to hear from any OGB's especially
from those of my own era 1955-1962.
Best wishes and Tashi Delek. * * *
* * Congratulations to all the OGB’s NEWS Jean and During the early 60s the Homes selected Jean and Florence Harrop to be sent to the Dooars
to spend their school holidays with an English tea planter Bill Milne, his
wife Susan ('Aunt Susan and Uncle Bill') and their two young boys, Alistair
and Graham. This became an absolute blessing as the wonderful couple
treated them like their own children and the two sisters spent many a
carefree holiday with the family.
Later, in the late 60s, the family returned to Jean and her family decided to visit One evening, as the Harrop
sisters and their families were relaxing at home, there was a phone
call - from the Ludhiana Police! They said they had with them a
"foreign lady" who was enquiring the address of "a
Once Aunt Susan had settled in she then related
her story. Determined to visit At the hotel reception, a local councilor and her husband
overheard the police. They
therefore asked if they could help, as they knew a Poonam
Kalra who also worked with sick animals and
children and, if anyone should know this Footnote: The above story was reported in the Sarah and Bernard Roxburgh My brother, Bernard Roxburgh,
and I visited the Homes especially for the Birthday celebrations. We stayed at Ahava,
where we felt very much at home. The
Sunday Church Service brought back memories and the choir was just so
beautiful. The buns and jelabies - a little different but equally as tasty and
plentiful!!! Much credit goes to the 82 batch of OGBs
for their hard work in organizing some very entertaining and fun events. It was good to be back and a pleasure to
meet Mr Bernard Brooks (still a “cool dude”) and
other OGBs, Freddy Menzies,
Don Oakley, John Nuttall, Ganesh
Mani Pradhan, Rajendra Chowdry, Richard Shelverton and Peter Sargent. Our only regret was that the weather was
not permitting so we did not see the Himalayan mountain range. ** * *
* Gerry and Pat Arnold We would like to offer our congratulations to our Auditor,
Mr Gerry Arnold and his wife, Pat, on the occasion
of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Gerry and Pat were married in * * *
* * Since she left school in the early 1950s A Visit Remembered February 2007 seems a long time away as I recollect my
thoughts on what happened while we were in Kalimpong, We flew from our home in Goa to In February with clear blue skies and clean fresh cool
air, Kalimpong is the place to be in. The School buildings and some cottages
looked fresh and clean with coats of paint and new steel roofs. Children had just returned from their
winter vacations and there was a keen sense of anticipation in the eyes of
the students as they met up with their cottage and class mates. While we were in DGH we once again met up with our good
friend and OGB, Christine Guest (nee Harris), ex-Elliott cottage who informed
us that a Remembrance Service with the laying of a memorial plaque at the SMH
and the internment of Sister Cassidy’s ashes in the cemetery was to take
place. We quickly rescheduled our
plans to visit Shillong and So off we go to Guwahati on the
famous ‘Rajdhani’ train - en-route to Shillong where we are guests of In the past, whenever I called Robert over the phone from
the On entering Robert’s palatial home we were shown to a
doubled size bedroom, which became ours for the three days we spent in Shillong. Robert introduced us to a familiar face, George Prike, a great guy who spent a lot of his precious time
taking us around Shillong. We visited Shillong
Viewpoint, We were invited one evening to Elmie
(nee Francis) and Jim Elkins’ home where we met Prof. David Reid. After several rounds of drinks and canapés
we were treated to a most sumptuous dinner.
It was nice to hear that the Shillong OGB’s Association was being regenerated with a healthy
new membership. It was unfortunate
that I could not meet Gregory (Elmie’s brother) who
was a good friend and fellow Assam Cottage boy who I have not seen since
1969. However, I did meet Mickey
Palmer and Loki Mitchell. On our final day in Shillong,
Robert took us to his school, The children were getting ready for their breakfast and
were very happy considering some renovation was taking place. The class rooms were bright and airy with
quality desks (Robert has his own sawmills and most of the furniture is built
in- house). There is a well furnished reception area where parents of
students are able to meet the School Management Team to discuss any issues
that they or their children have. The
children’s bathrooms and toilets were extremely clean which should be as this
is the base from which healthy children grow.
We said our goodbyes and left Shillong
for Guwahati where we boarded the Rajdhani Express and headed to Tinsukia. We spent a further three days in the Tea
Gardens of Talap near Doom Doom
Ma. This was a very tranquil and
peaceful place with fields and fields of tea bushes. I stayed with Mary Duckworth, my new
Sister-In-Law, who is the widow of George Duckworth, OGB. George was well known in this Tea Estate
for his honesty and methodology in managing the Stores Department. I was
fascinated with the many stories I heard about George’s endeavours
in trying to speak Assamese (Acomie). The whole community were very friendly and nothing was too much for
anyone to do for us. However, due to
the ‘free We returned to Guwahati to catch
up with many of Flora’s friends who were unable to attend our Wedding in A few days later we returned to Kalimpong
and paid our final respects to Sister Cassidy. An article on this subject was printed in a
previous News Letter so I’ll not repeat the events that took place. Whilst, in Kalimpong we held a
small reception at ‘Cloud 9’ for our friends, OGB’s
and Ex Teachers. We were privileged
to have Mr Brooks, Mr
& Mrs Lowon Lama, our
good friends, Sakshi
and Praman Pradhan,
Christine Harris, Robert Street, Loki Mitchell, George Prike,
Mickey Palmer, Lawrence and Dalen Pereira, Shane Saviel, Miku Foning, Sonam Gampo, Capt. Prakash Pradhan, Anglo Alva and family, Te, Margretta,
Norma-Jean Peck, Sam Tsering and several others
whose names I can’t quite remember. The next day and after Sister Cassidy’s memorial service a
sumptuous lunch, which included the famous Gompu’s ‘pork momos’, was
afforded to us at the Gumpo’s Restaurant by the Kalimpong OGB’s. Speeches and votes of thanks were
exchanged and it was soon time to leave Kalimpong. A group of us, including Mr
Bernard Brooks, Margaretta Purtill,
Norma Jean Peck, Te, Flora and I, were invited to A quick re-shuffle of our baggage had to be made after
receiving even more wedding gifts from fellow OGB’s. By 3 O’clock that afternoon our group in
two vehicles set of for Gangtok. Our hosts and companions for the two hour
trip to Gangtok were Karma Bhutia,
Sonam Tsering and Dr and Mrs Shiva Kumar Rai. Flora and I had no idea of what was in store for us as we
took in the beautiful scenery as the ‘Mahindra
Bolero’, On arrival at Gangtok Mr Brooks, Margareta, Norma
Jean and Te were dropped off at the Mountain Tree Hotel and Flora and I
continued to the residence of our host, Karma Bhutia. We were met by his wife, Gaki Chowden, Sister-in-Law, Deki Chowden, his nephew and
niece. Karma has a splendid home which
is on four floors and contains an enchanting Buddhist prayer and meditation
room with unique wood carvings and Sikkimese and
Tibetan religious artefacts. A calm and serene atmosphere surrounded us
as Karma explained the significance of this prayer room where he finds
solace. For the next seven days we were treated to hospitality
that one only dreams of.
Transportation, Sight Seeing Our hosts Karma, Gaki and Deki were so good to us; we even had lessons in ‘momo’ making. I
still have not mastered the neat and delicate tucks with the thumb and index
finger, to make the intricate design, but I’m sure I’ll get there one day as
it is Flora’s dream to open a Momo Restaurant in We were privileged to meet Yonten
Pratt’s (nee Doma) mum, Alma, and her sister, Yangchen, and we spent a pleasant afternoon at the New
Castle Hotel & Restaurant. Te - in between our singing during our travels spent a lot
of time on photography and videoing and we can’t wait to see the finished
product. I’m sure this trip will be
fondly remembered by the six of us and I take this opportunity on behalf of Mr Brooks, Margareta,
Norma-Jean, Te, Flora and myself to say a great BIG THANK YOU to all the OGB’s in Shillong, Kalimpong and Sikkim. In doing
this I sincerely hope that no one will be left out. However, it would not be right if we did
not say our special thanks to:
·
Sonam for
arranging the use of the ‘Mahindra Bolero - 8 seater - Go anywhere vehicle’. Sorry we did not have the opportunity to
formally thank you and hope your trip to And our special thanks to: ·
Mr Bernard Brooks, Margaretta, Te and
Norma-Jean for
your companionship and for keeping us in tune with the many songs we tried
singing as we travelled through the beautiful hills
of You guys were great; our love to you all and please
continue the good work for DGH. “Tashi Delek” Flora & Des
Meyers * * * * * LOST AND FOUND Would any reader who may know Helen Mowatt,
who was in Birissa Cottage period 1948 - 1959
please contact Louis Mowatt, her brother, at 155
Gloucester Road, South Kensington, London SW7 4TH. Telephone number is
02073734781. Louis would be very pleased to hear from you. Helen
may now be known as Helen Gill and would be approximately 67 1/2 years of
age. Helen apparently worked as a care nurse in Lucia King, Kalimpong. Louis
would appreciate any information on Helen, please. Thank you. KPG News
………… The celebrations are over, and yes we did remember Mr Banerjee very much as he
made us all laugh with his anecdotes when Thank you for your greetings too which arrived in time to
be read out at the gathering. Mr. Simon Wilson,
* * * * * SCHOOL CHOIR
Excerpts from a speech made by Mrs
N Gurung at the Morning Assembly on 21 May
2007-11-08 The Choir was invited to perform by the UK Committee, to
generate awareness about the Homes and for fund raising. We were able to achieve both with a remarkable
degree of success. Twelve performances took place throughout the
People from all over What stands out in my memory was our visit to the Primary
Schools at Stockbridge and Barassie. These two schools fund-raise for the
Homes, primarily through weekly donations.
At What the children have achieved for the Homes, the Congratulations to * * * * * Just a reminder … Many DVDs
of the school choir are still available at £10 each. The full
set includes the Home's Tour - the Opening concert at They
will make a wonderful Christmas Present for any DGH friends who weren’t able
to attend any of the Concerts. Please
send your cheque to Donald Edwards, OBITUARIES Mr Monomy Banerjee,
1936-2007 Managing
Member and Secretary to The Board of Management Dr Graham’s Homes Monomy Banerjee, who died in hospital
in Kolkata on 21 August, was born in his family Mono
and I both began work in Dr Graham’s Homes in 1964 and we remained firm
friends ever since. Apart from a
period as Principal in Daulatram Nopany Vidalaye school in Kilkata he served Dr Graham’s Homes all his working
life. Appointed as teacher of Bengali
and History he was in turn Cottage Parent, Boys’ Cottage Superintendent,
Senior Master and, finally, Headmaster.
As a member of the Board of Management, Mono returned to The Homes, a
few years ago, in a supervisory and advisory capacity. He died, as he has wished, still in that
post. Monomy was in love with all that Dr Graham’s Homes stood
for. He was both knowledgeable about,
and understanding of, its history, its ethos and its raison d’etre. It was a
miracle, surely of God, that he fitted in to Dr Graham’s Homes. He was born in the plains, a villager, a
Bengali and (Hindu) Brahmin. He came
to the hills, with their Nepalese tradition, to an Anglo Indian Christian
residential school. Everything was in
total contrast to his upbringing and background. He even had to cope with a Scottish family
as his immediate neighbours! Yet
very soon Mono became an integral part of the Homes’ family. He realized that Dr Graham’s Homes stood
for the total (complete), education of the whole child in a Christian
environment of Love. Here children
from depressed and underprivileged backgrounds were given security, the sense
of being wanted and were thus enabled and encouraged to achieve to the
maximum of their ability. He entered
fully into this concept. Monomy was a Brahmin by birth but not by nature. He exhibited love in action and knew the
dignity of service. Status and
privilege was unknown to him. Mono
was a regular visitor to Bell House, our home in Kalimpong. We invariably heard his salutation before
was saw him! In Bell House, over tea
or coffee, we shared much about the Homes and planned debates, sponsored
walks and “Quest” activities. We
laughed, we talked and we prayed. I
was privileged to be invited to his wedding to Tina and it was a job to
welcome her to the compound and, years later, to our home in the Both Mono’s parents died before he
was 12 and perhaps the blessing in that tragedy was his ability to care for
and to understand those equally less fortunate. Monomy was an
intensely religious person. His day
was rooted in private prayer and grounded in the morning worship of Dr
Graham’s Homes Chapel. He read both
the Hindu and Christian Scriptures on a daily basis and in the strength of,
and sustained by scripture reading, prayer and worship he pursued his daily
tasks. Mono led by example and,
today, Dr Graham’s Homes run the risk of forgetting this example at their
peril. Monomy Banerjee was a part of two
families – the one composed of Rina and Raja, the
other of the staff and children of Dr Graham’s Homes. He was part, too, surely of that greater
family, the family of which God is Father and it is into that family we allow
him to pass. Surely for Mono the Trumpets
have sounded on the other side and he has heard His Master’s words “Well done
good and faithful servant, enter into the job of your Lord”. John
Webster had the privilege of attend the Memorial Service held for Mr Monomy Banerjee
in Dr Graham’s Homes Chapel on Monday, 3 September 2007, and the Internment
of Ashes afterwards in The Homes’ John
Webster A
Tribute - Terence Ernest Monteiro
I was
met at the Main Office by then Cottage Superintendent, Miss Daisy Fowles, who handed me over to a young, impeccably dressed,
Bernard Brooks, who immediately put me at ease with his friendly
approach. One question kept bothering
me as to what sort of a person the Principal was. I put this question to my escort and was
surprised and much relieved to know that he was indeed the Acting Principal,
as Dr. Minto (the Mr JR Minto), was away in That
first evening I had tea at Graham House with Mr
Brooks. I was briefed about the
school and the backgrounds from which many of our less fortunate children
came. I was also told in no uncertain
terms that I was never to humiliate a child and never to refer to a child’s
background. If ever I was found
wanting this, I should be prepared to leave in twenty-four hours. Having been given the eleventh and twelfth
commandment I braced myself to face the challenge before me. The
following day was bright and clear and as I made my way along the winding
paths to the School buildings and some of the cottages I was truly amazed at
the scenic beauty, which began to unfold before my very eyes. This setting amidst the majestic grandeur
of the There
are so many fond memories of this place that it is difficult to pinpoint a
few. The homely atmosphere has to be
experienced to be believed. The
rapport between the staff and the students is such at the students never
hesitate to confide in or to seek guidance and counseling where necessary. The
cottage system, I found to be a real ‘home away from home’. Children of all castes and creeds coming
from different background live in perfect harmony with each other and no
distinction has ever been made between those who have and those who do not. My work
was mainly in the The
early years were turbulent ones as we had just got over the Chinese incursion
of 1962. Many staff had left and the
School had to be evacuated to Gopalpur on Sea for a
while. In 1965 there was the
Pakistani threat of war from Northwest.
Schoolwork was frequently disrupted and plans for evacuation were
always in progress during those troubled times. Then came the disaster of 1968, which I
have covered at length in an article in Simon Mainwaring’s book, ‘A Century of Children’. The natural calamity caused immense
suffering and it took a very long time for normality to return. The war
for the liberation of In my
long association with the Homes, I have naturally worked under several
Principals, Headmaster and with numerous colleagues. It has been a wonderful experience and I
have cherished every moment. I have
found immense satisfaction in working among the underprivileged and less
fortunate children and I know that the Homes will grow from strength to
strength. A
century of Caring for Children will go on for Centuries to come. Long live the Homes!!! Late
TE Monteiro, Head of Jr. School - excerpt from Thorough magazine
2000. * * * * * “Pip”
Graham Dear Council
Members and Overseas Committee members, please be advised that Arifin's father, affectionately known as "Pip"
Graham, passed away this weekend.
He was a lovely man, very interesting life. He was a grandson of
Dr. Graham. I had the fortune of meeting him in 2005 when I was
in I shall
be sending Arifin and Wiluya
a sympathy card on behalf of the Council. For anyone else who
wishes to send their condolences you can email Arifin
at arifin@alarisdesign.com or mail a card to Arifin Graham, Jacqui
Hibbert * * * * * Denzil Van Haeften It is with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Denzil. His
daughter, Gloria, teaches in the Homes.
We would like to send our sincere condolences to his family and
friends. * * *
* * Ashley Peters, 1946 - 2007 Ashley passed away suddenly in Shillong
on the 9 November, following a heart attack. He was a Heathland boy and after
he left school, he worked briefly in the Kalimpong Homes'
Bakery in Kolkata. Then, aged 20, he joined
the Indian Air Force, where he was a Medical Assistant for the next 23 years. In his retirement, Ashley and his wife, Rani, cared for their 3 children and 5 grandchildren in Shillong. He was much loved and respected in his
home environment. He was known as the Medicine Man locally, as he used
to dispense medicines to those who were ill and unable to afford to buy
them. He will be greatly missed by his family and large circle of
friends. We offer our sincere condolences to Ashley's family in Shillong and to his sisters, Evelynne
and Mavis, in FUND
RAISING EVENTS Anglo-Indian New Year's Eve Ball The Live Band "Magic Moments" and "Disco" -
Please bring your own food and drink NO Licensed Bar. Tickets £20 - before 15th December - thereafter £25 No Children under the age of 12yrs. RAFFLE 1st PRIZE - 2 WEEKS ACCOMODATION IN OUR Website address: www.allandenise.com
* * * * * 2008
‘Fun Raisers’ - Run, Walk, Cycle Although
numbers were far below those hoped for “Run Scotland” in May 2007 raised over
£5000 for “Homes Funds”! This made the
very considerable preparation and planning worthwhile and has encouraged us
to attempt a repeat! Once
again, next year, we would want to enlist those prepared to participate in
the entire trip but those able to join the group of even part of one day and
do a 10 mile stint in their own locality would be very welcome. You can run/walk or cycle your own
section. Sections
are as follows: Day one (8 May) Mull of Galloway to
Abington Day two Abington
to Day three Kenmore to Day four Monday, 12
May Return home. This is
great fund for ALL ages. You pay your
own expenses and enlist “sponsorship”.
Come and join us. Phone
John Webster on 01770 700 747. * * * * * November
Tour 2008 This year
27 of us go to * * * * * Full
details and an application form is now available from Rev. John G Webster,
Planetree, King’s Cross, Isle of Aran, KA27 8RG, telephone 01770 700 747, and the
Committee Secretary, Miss VW Cassie. Positively
last call! * * *
* * Thank you to the Treasurer and Members of the Vincent Purtill Update
on CALCUTTA TILJALLAH RELIEF, INC, article appeared in the Summer 2007
Newsletter Let me
review the highlights of this year, our seventh, in helping Anglo-Indian in “Voices
on the Verandah - An Anthology of Anglo-Indian Prose and Poetry,” continues
to attract readers and we are in the process of selecting submission of our
next publication - “The Way We Were” - which promises to be our singular
publication (due in 2006). The entire
proceeds of all sales go to CTR. We have
a new branch in Our
support to the underprivileged continues to grow. In Kolkata we
have over 150 seniors on pensions, 36 children as day scholars and 34 girls
as “Entally” boarders. In Chennai we have opened up another
project “Smile Cares” and have 15 seniors on pension in addition to
another 65 seniors with “Anglo-Indian Concern”,
we also have 15 boarders and 15 day scholars. In Bangalore/KGF we have 20 seniors on
pension and finally in Thank
you to so many donors, in so many countries for keeping the faith with
us. We operate as a volunteer
organization, without a single person getting paid, either in cash or in
kind, in $5.00
covers the expenses of a day scholar for a month $7.50
feeds a senior for a month $15.00
pays the board, lodge and tuition of a boarder for a month It
takes so little to make such a huge difference - to make a life. Bookmark on our website at: http://www.blairw.org/index.php
“Help us help others”. Ellen and
I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. Blair
Williams INTERESTING
ASPECTS OF LIFE - FOOD FOR THOUGHT! There
was a one-hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man
who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very interesting
aspects of his life: - He bought his first share
at age 11 and he now regrets that he started so late! - He bought a small
farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers. -
He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town - He drives his own car
everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him. - He never travels by private jet,
although he owns the world's largest private jet company. - His company,
Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only
one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them
goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls
them on a regular basis. He has
given his CEO's only two rules: Rule
No. 1: Do not lose any of your shareholder's money and Rule No. 2: Do
not forget Rule No. 1. - He does not socialize with the
high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make
himself some pop - Bill Gates,
the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5
years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had
anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his
meeting only for half hour. But when Gates
met him, the meeting lasted for
ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet. - Warren Buffet does
not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk. His
advice to young people: “Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself
and remember: a)
Money doesn't create man but it is man who creates money. b)
Live your life as simple as you are. c)
Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do
what you feel is right. d)
Don't go for brand names just wear those things in which you feel
comfortable. e)
Don't waste your money on unnecessary things just
spend on what you really need. f)
After all it's your life why should you allow others to rule your
life.” Nine Golden Rules * Before
you speak, listen * * * * * QUIZ
CORNER 1) How long did the Hundred Years' War
last? 2) Which country makes 3) From which animal do we get catgut? 4) In which month do Russians celebrate
the October Revolution? 5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? 6) The 7) What was King George VI's first name? 8) What color is a purple finch? 9) Where are Chinese Gooseberries from? 10) What is the color of the black box in
a commercial airplane? ANSWERS
TO THE QUIZ - Passing requires 4 correct answers 1) 116 years 6) Dogs 2) Ecuado 7) Albert 3) Sheep and Horses 8) Crimson 4) November 9) 5) Squirrel fur 10) What do
you mean, you failed? Me, too. (And
if you try to tell me you passed, you lie!)
Pass this on to some brilliant friends, so they can feel rotten, too. * * * * * |
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AN
ITEM OF INTEREST ………. My
daughter, Barbara, who was a teenager when the "Beatles" became
famous, was reading a book published is year by Pattie Boyd, and was
surprised to note that a doctor, who once worked at Dr. Graham's Homes, was
mentioned in her story! Pattie
Boyd was a high-profile fashion model in
Those OGBs who were in Kalimpong in
the 1950s will remember Dr. Margaret Patterson. She was one of
the best doctors who worked in DGH. Her husband, George
Patterson, worked as a missionary in Some
years later, in the 1970s, Margaret and George Patterson spent some time in Pattie
Boyd is now an acclaimed photographer and lives in West Sussex, In her
book, she mentioned connections to
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I hope
you will find the above article interesting.
I have used quotation marks for excerpts from Pattie Boyd's book.
* * * * * A FEW TIPS TO
HELP YOU COPE WITH THE BUSY DAYS AHEAD AND CHRISTMAS JUST AROUND THE
CORNER!!!
Tension
Buster
Raise
your shoulders up to your ears and hold for a count of four. Press your shoulders down towards the
floor, and release. Repeat as
necessary. Stressed? …
Just Breath Breathing
is something that we take for granted and yet by becoming aware of your
breathing and practicing deep breathing exercises you can bring about health
changes in the body. When we
are stressed our breathing becomes rapid and shallow. By breathing deeply we relax the body and
calm the mind. Dia-kath Breathing 1
Sit comfortably with your back straight. 2
Imagine your kath point, which is located 4
finger widths below you belly button.
As you inhale feel your belly expand from the kath
point and your lungs fill up from the bottom to the top. 3
As you exhale, relax you belly and diaphragm, allowing air to leave
your lungs from the top to the bottom. Aches and
Pains?
Try a hot bath and with a mug full of Epsom salts in it. This helps the muscles to release toxins
and relaxes them.
Add a few
drops of essential oils to the bath, such as lavender or frankincense to make
it even more relaxing and fill the bathroom with a wonderful aroma. Afterwards
wrap up warn and relax for fifteen minutes.
HEAVEN! Memory
Booster Treat
your brain like a muscle that needs a daily workout to keep it functioning
well. Do crosswords, sudoku and arithmetic.
These mental tasks will help to keep the brain in peak condition. REMEMBER - Use it or lose it! IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY, YOU’RE FEELING ULTRA FIT, HEALTHY AND
HAVE REMEMBERED TO BUY ALL YOUR PRESENTS AND COOKED THE
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