Cricket Matches Remembered

 

I really enjoyed reading Paul’s article on a “Cricket Match to Remember” and the comments by both of you guys on the cricket  matches between CHS teachers and students. I was not much of a cricketer during my CHS days but used to attend many matches between CHS and other schools to lend support to our players. I still attend any major matches whenever being played in the Toronto area as I really enjoyed the game and usually take part in the social activities during and after the games.

 

My guru on cricket during our CHS days was no other than my friend and classmate, Roy Girdharry, who played the game throughout his student days at CHS and was also one time captain of the CHS team. I met with Roy over the weekend and also spoke with him for sometime today to clarify some of the issues raised by you two guys.

 

Roy did recall participating in a few cricket matches between the teachers and students duing the late 1950’s before the new school was built. I think these were the games Julius was referring to. Roy mentioned  a few games were played then on the cricket ground behind the Roman School in Port Mourant which was not far away from where the new school was built later. A few times, some of the students had to team up with the teachers as they didn’t have a full compliment. Salim Khan was the captain and primary organizer of the matches while Julius was one of the best batsman and consistent high scorer for the teachers. Most of the times, the students were victorious but what counted more was the comradice and sportsmanship of the games.

 

Some of the other players in the student team in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s included Ralph Armogan of Nigg, Basdeo Mangru (KG) of Albion, Ivan (Subaridu) Potiah of Chesney, Barlow Roopram (Jasmatty’s uncle) of Albion Front, Mohan Bissoon, Reds Mahase and Amzad Rahaman all of Port Mourant. I knew all of these guys and some were our classmates but a few are no longer with us

 

Julius would know all or recall most of these guys as he would have  taught them and also played with or against them. In fact, some of these guys continued playing the game after they graduated from CHS. When we resided in Georgetown, myself and Roy, used to attend matches where Ralph Armogan played for the Police Sports Club and Mohan Bissoon played for East Indian Cricket Club. Ralph was a hard hitting batsman and it was a pleasure seeing him in action against some of the best bowlers from the other clubs in the Georgetown area. He took care of them very well and one could always count on him for some sixes and fours.

 

Paul, I did’nt realize you were such a great batsman and bowler and cricket enthusiast. However, this was all after my time at CHS and hopefully will see you in action in New York this summer. One can never under-estimate our Professor, a man of many accomplishments.  In the early and mid 1960’s, I recalled seeing you playing volley ball at the Lutheran Church’s ground next to our home at Fyrish.

 

Syd Latchana

Toronto, Canada

February 15, 2009

 

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My Experience at Albion CM School

 

Paul (Erriah), my mischievous friend, I really enjoyed reading your vignettes and nostalgic series on your experiences at Plantation Albion estate and its school and they surely bring back lots of memories. I knew most of the teachers you mentioned but only experienced one, that is, your nightmare and dreaded woodwork teacher, Mr Sookhan. His correct name was Mr Balkisson Sukhan aka as “Teacher Ball” from my neighbourhood of Fyrish Road.

 

As you were aware in the 1950’s, all the male students from standards five and six from the surrounding area primary schools such as Cropper, Fyrish and Courtland/Gibraltar were required to attend woodwork class at Pln Albion school, one day per week. Our day from Cropper was Wednesday.

 

Mr Sukhan, a strict disciplinarian,  was a very conscientious, dedicated and capable woodwork teacher who knew his stuff and was ably assisted by Mr Kit Singh. Most mornings, he was noted for telling us some funny stories and anecdotes before the commencement of  classes. He will then lectured us on the theories of woodworking before we moved on to the practical side of things. One of his famous theories was “ always measure twice but only cut once”. One day, when he observed a particular student was not paying attention, he called on the student to repeat the theory. The student responded “ always measure once but cut twice”. Mr Sukhan then challenged the student to explain why he has to cut twice if the first cut was too short. The student was at a loss for an explanation and ended up on the receiving end of two of Mr Sukhan’s famous machine belt with a stern reminder to pay attention the next time.

 

Mr Sukhan was absolutely right about handling a chisel the right way to someone else. I paid the ultimate price for not following Mr Sukhan’s instructions. One day as another student  attempted to pass the chisel to me by the sharpened end, somehow it slipped and came plummeting on top of my left foot. I received a gash about an inch long, was bleeding profusely, and had to be rushed off by Mr Kit Singh on his bicycle to the Estate Hospital. The cut was stitched up by the male nurse on duty and I was given some medication and sent home. This was the end of my sojourn at Pln Albion School but I still have the scar as evidence.

 

Some of the theories and concepts I learnt from Mr Sukhan still apply up to today. One of my favourite hobbies is woodwork/carpentry and I have successfully  completed many projects in our home in Canada. Lots of credits have to be given to our famous woodwork teacher for providing us with the basic foundation..

 

Paul, consider yourself lucky that you got six with the cane from Bullit instead of three from Mr Sukhan’s famous machine belt. Ever had a close look at Mr Sukhan’s hands and fingers. They were surely a good indicator of what to expect when you were on the receiving end. Let the “Brothers” from Fyrish and Courtland /Gibraltar primary schools relate to us about some of their experiences with him. By the way Paul, Mr Sukhan was also a part time lay preacher.

 

Sydney

Toronto, Canada

December 18, 2008

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Son of Guyana

 

Walter Ramlakhan Mohabir (1932 – 2007)

A Tribute

By Sydney Latchana

 

Last summer, when Dan Sukhu CHS student(1962) and former teacher got together with some other older teachers in Toronto for a social evening, some names of CHS teachers from the 1940’s and 1950’s surfaced who were previously unheard of. One such name mentioned was Walter Ramlakhan Mohabir who was a student and also taught at CHS in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. A suggestion was then made for those of us who knew these older teachers should write something about them so that the younger generation can be aware of these CHS stalwarts and their accomplishments. I have decided to start the ball rolling by blogging this article on our Website about my friend, Walter Mohabir (Deceased in Year 2007).

 

Walter was born in Courtland Village in 1932 and attended both Fyrish and Cropper primary schools. In the mid 1940’s, Walter attended Victory High School located at  Fyrish Public Road  about three houses from our home. The principal of this High School at that time was Shalford Changur, brother of the famous Guyanese singing cowboy, Nesbit Changur. Walter’s teachers at Victory High School included some famous CHS graduates and stalwarts such as Edwin Abdulla, Reginald Rawana and Brudder Nathoo.

 

Walter was an exceptional brilliant student at Victory High School and sat and passed the Junior Cambridge Examination with flying colours. He then proceeded to attend CHS and graduated with matriculation at the Senior Cambridge Examination, the equivalent of Grade1. In the late 1940’s, J C Chandisingh hired him as a teacher at CHS and most likely the subjects he taught included English, Latin and Mathematics and could very well be others as he was a very versatile individual. He spoke Latin fluently. In the early 1950’s, he departed CHS and joined the Colonial Civil Service starting out at the Public Works Department in New Amsterdam. Subsequently, he moved on to both the magistrate and high courts and worked throughout most of Guyana. In the 1980’s, Walter attended Purdue University in Indiana, USA, and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours majoring in Information Technology and Applied Mathematics after which returned to Guyana and re-joined the Supreme Court.

 

I knew Walter and his family members very well in my youth days growing up at Fyrish. One of his brothers, Deno, used to be a regular visitor to our home. One of Walter’s  favourite hangouts was the home of the owners of Ohab’s gas station at Fyrish. He was a very close friend of the Ramroop brothers who lived next to the gas station. I had the privilege of travelling with Walter a few times in the same vehicle to and from New Amsterdam when we both used to work in the Civil Service in the early and mid 1960’s. Also, we had travelled occasionally together in the train from Georgetown to Rosignol when we lived and worked in Georgetown and used to return home to visit our respective family members on the Corentyne.

 

Those of us who had the privilege of meeting or knowing this individual were imbued with his knowledge and words of wisdom.  It was amazing and a privilege to carry on a conversation or just listen to this learned individual sharing his knowledge on any topic. He was a widely read individual and an icon in the world of information. He was a role model, always had words of advice to the youths in the area and always encouraged them to stay in school and the importance of education. Walter had cultivated a variety of friendship throughout his life that  transcended class, race and religions in his role as an educator and public servant.. He had a passion for land law and most likely in his days as Registrar of the Supreme Court, he knew this subject more than anyone else in Guyana.

 

After a dedicated an illustrious career of over 40 years, Walter retired from the Guyana Public Service in the 1990’s from the position of Registrar of the Supreme Court. After retirement, he  worked for a few years with a Financial Institution in Georgetown. When I visited Guyana in June 2007, I enquired about him but was saddened to hear that this devoted bachelor had passed away a few days earlier at  Pln Merville in the Number 19 area where the family had moved to in the 1970’s.

 

I will not dwell too much more on the accomplishments of this CHS stalwart but refer our readers  to a letter below published in the Guyana’s Stabroek News in June 2007 just a few days after Walter passed away. This letter was written by one, Toussant Boyce, from the Harvard Law School (President Elect Obama’s alma mater) of the USA. In year 2007, Toussant Boyce a Guyanese student attending Harvard had won the  Harvard Law School’s prestigious Program on International Financial Systems Prize while earning himself an LLM honours degree. Toussant, an academic genius, made all of Guyana very proud of his accomplishment. This letter says it all and please read what Toussant had to say about our own CHS student and teacher, Walter Mohabir, a rare and unique individual.

 

I deeply appreciate the contributions made to this article by my friends Harold Parvattan of New York and both brothers Martin and Len Ramroop of Maryland, USA who were very close friends and colleagues of Walter when they lived at Fyrish. I am also attaching a picture of Walter in his younger days sent to me by his friend Len Ramroop..

 

Now let us hear from some of our own CHS alumni who may have experienced Walter Mohabir as a teacher, a co worker or even a close relative or friend.

 

Syd Latchana

 

Administrator’s note: The Toussant Boyce article will be published at a later date.

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Syd Remembers Reg Rawana

 

Beauty, your initiative supported by others, to implement an essay writing competition among the current JCCSS students as a way of paying tribute to honour my late cousin and former best friend, Regie Rawana, is highly appreciative. This is quite an honour by the Rawanas to recognize the sterling contribution made by  this distinguished CHS graduate who went on to qualify as a lawyer and practiced law, both in Guyana and Canada. 

 

Regie was one of my mentors and played a big role in the moulding of myself to become a professional accountant.. I was very fortunate to have the privilege of experiencing and working alongside him in the court system where he was defence counsel and occasionally a prosecutor.  After graduating from CHS , I was a Customs Officer in then British Guiana and was involved in assisting with prosecution of customs or excise related cases in several courts in the county of Berbice. Regie served the legal system with dignity and distinction.

 

In Toronto, both of us along with our family members attended the Malvern Presbyterian Church. Reg, as he was fondly known as in Church, was a governing elder and took an active role in our church services every Sunday.  He was a selfless individual and his humility earned him the respect and love of all the Church members. At Fellowship time, after regular Church services, there was Reg this smiling, charming and courteous individual standing there serving coffee or tea to his church members whom he considered as part of his extended family. Additionally, he found the time to provide free legal advice to any church member who sought his opinion on legal or family matters.

 

Also, Regie was also a big supporter of our church’s fund raising activities. He had a passion for cooking and his culinary skills were unmatched. I do recall every Church funding event we held, the dishes Regie prepared were the first ones to disappear from the table.

 

Regie was a dignified individual of a few words but not to be under estimated. Just a few months before he passed away, I celebrated my 6oth birthday.  There was Regie at the podium before a crowd  of about 300 family members and friends, delighting and engaging the audience’s attention with much applause by providing a great piece of nostalgia from the time he knew me as a youngster to adulthood.  He had a keen sense of humour, very witty and could quote poetry from poets such as John Keats as if he only read it yesterday.

 

When Regie  passed away in March 2005, I had the privilege to join Julius Nathoo and other family members at his funeral service to eulogize him. I reminded the audience  about Regie’s sterling contribution to his profession, his generosity to immediate and extended family members and willingness to help others should never be forgotten. Beauty, your initiative of  implementing “The Rawana Essay Prize” is an excellent idea to substantiate the legacy Regie had left us with.

 

May I add, in honour of Regie’s memory Chan and the family have donated a piano to the Malvern Presbyterian Church. The members of the Church have been very grateful to receive such a valuable and treasured gift as we all know he was a great lover of music.

 

Regie was a sincere, genuine, generous and dedicated individual  who truly made life beautiful for others. His humility and willingness to help others would never be forgotten. This is how I remember Regie.

 

Syd Latchana

 

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A RESPONSE TO JULIUS NATHOO (May 22, 2008)

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you for taking the time, without hesitation, on your recent trip to Guyana to visit JCCSS and convey greetings from our Alumni and also to share your experience and knowledge with the staff and students. Your initiative of taking valuable time off from your busy schedule to meet and speak to the current batch of JCCSS students is greatly appreciated. I was more than elated that you also took along our two close cousins, Celina and her sister, Eva and let the staff and students know who are these former CHS graduates that have left an inelible mark and both have excelled in their careers. One look at the CHS website ’s class list of 1956 will indicate how many of our graduates from that noteable year became professionals: medical doctors, lawyers, dentist, engineer, etc. There you were introducing one of them, Eva Rawana (Scott) to the JCCSS audience and you also had the opportunity of meeting another one, Marcel Crawford whom I know very well.

I am confident the occasion brought back lots of memories to all three of you. Your presentation had my mind travelling back in time and reflecting on the excellent work done by you, our Latin and English Literature teacher, and also others. You have influenced so many of us and in a major way contributed to our success. Thanks for letting the JCCSS student body be aware that we the Alumni over in Canada, the USA and other countries have never forgotten our roots from where we came from. You appropriately reminded them that it was through hard work, dedication and sacrifices that many of us over here and other countries have been very successful in our endeavours.

I do recall the encouragement you gave us and still vividly remember the year 1961 when myself and sister, Annie, graduated from CHS and our parents gave us a graduation party at our home at Fyrish. You along with many of our classmates included Celina attended. You were one of the first ones to offer congratulations and encouragement to futher our studies and embark on our career. Subsequently, I had joined the British Colonial Civil Service where I served for a number of years as a Customs Officer throughout the then colony before leaving for the USA and then Canada. In the 1970’s I graduated from Ryerson University, Toronto, with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and later became a professional accountant by obtaining my Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. I am now retired having completed more than 25 years service from an exciting and challenging career as a senior audit manager with the Auditor General Office of the Province of Ontario.

Jules, what amazes me is that soon you will be 70 years old but how easily you can recall your Latin proses and quotes from so many great poets with such ease and eloquence. After all, you taught us about 50 years ago but it seems that age has not one minute diminished your prodigious intellectual ability. Your mind and intellect are just as sharp as the first year we experienced you as our teacher and you still stand out as a pillar of strength to many of us. I always enjoy my conversation and reminiscing with you about our CHS days and other items whenever we have the opportunity to meet at any function.

Hopefully, I will see you, Celina and many other CHS classmates and friends in New York at the re-union and we will all join in wishing you also a very happy 70 th Birthday.

Sydney

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Well Done, Florence ! (May 23, 2008)

Florence (Latchana ’66) Gurdin, a former CHS student has been recently promoted to School Principal with the Durham Public School Board in the  Province of Ontario, Canada. For those who are not familiar with the location of the Municipality of Durham, it is just east of Toronto.

Originally from Albion and a well known family of CHS graduates and educators, Florence graduated in 1966, the same year Guyana gained its  independence from the U.K. She is the younger sister of Victor Latchana, also a CHS graduate and teacher. (Victor’s photograph is with the group of  CHS teachers posted on the website). After graduating from CHS, Florence  taught at Comprehensive High School, New Amsterdam, (under Rudra Nauth) for a few years before immigrating to Canada in the 1970’s to join other family members. 

In the 1980’s, Florence graduated from Trent University, Ontario, with a  Bachelor of Education Degree and took up a teaching position with the Durham School Board. She loves teaching, especially, imparting her  knowledge and skills with students of different cultural backgrounds.  Being a very ambitious person with high expectations, she continued with her studies while teaching and earned herself a Masters of Education  Degree. Her excellent academic qualifications, teaching experience and  both her adminitrative and management qualities all contributed to her  aspiration of being appointed a School Principal. 

With dedication, hard work and many sacrifices, Florence was able to  successfully complete her post graduate studies while at the same time she was saddled with family respnsibilities including rasing her two sons. She has not forgotten her foundation at CHS and has expressed a deep sense of gratitude to the dedication and commitments of her teachers, especially JCC himself. 

 Florence is married to a very supportive and close friend of mine, Sewack Gurdin, who also is a CHS graduate (1957). In addition to being a University graduate, Sewack is also a Professional Accountant, like myself, and has excelled in his field. Sewack has retired from his former  position as a Director with the Ontario Ministry of Finance. He is now an avid golfer and a sports enthusiast. 

It is very gratifying to know that one of our former CHS students ,  through dedication and hard work, has made  her dream a reality. Currently, Florence is one of the few females of Guyanese heritage who has made it to School Principal in the educational system of Ontario. As many  of us are aware, being a teacher and more so a School Principal in Canada  is a very tough, demanding and challenging position. We are all very proud  of Florence’s accomplishment and wish her all the very best in her endeavours.

 

 In closing, I will like to reiterate the famous quote by the poet, Henry Wadswoth Longfellow, which our very talented and dedicated English Literature and Latin teacher, Julius Nathoo, used to instil on us in our  CHS days. 

“The heights of great men (as well as women) reached and kept, were not attained  by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were  toiling upwards in the night.”
These few dynamic words have been a great inspiration to many of us and how appropriate to Florence and the many other successful CHS graduates.Once more, Florence will like to thank that great institution,  all her former CHS teachers and others who have contributed to her  success.

Syd

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Farley Family Reunion – July 23, 2008

 

In June 2008, the children of the late Mr and Mrs Joseph Burton Farley of Fyrish / Rose Hall gathered at the Malvern Presbyterian Church in Scarborough, Toronto for a family reunion and thanksgiving service. About 100 family members and guests were present for this occasion including some CHS graduates. The entire Farley clan, consisting of six brothers and five sisters, some of whom came from far away places such as Botswana, France, Bahamas, USA, Alberta and British Columbia, were present for the reunion. Many of Farley’s siblings are currently in professions such as medicine, engineering, teaching and others.

 

The Farley family was well known in Guyana for their pioneering work and sterling contribution to education. The late Mr Joseph Burton Farley, the patriarch of the family, was a widely respected and renowned  educator in Guyana. He started his teaching career in the 1920’s at Albion Canadian Mission Primary School and served the teaching profession with dedication and distinction for over 50 years. He served for many years as Headmaster on the Corentyne including Rose Hall Scots, Courtland/Gibraltar and Auchlyne Primary Schools. After retirement in 1967, Mr  Farley  started a private school at his residence at Rose Hall and many of his students proceeded to attend CHS-JCCSS. Mr Farley was very fluent in the Hindi language and could converse and sing in this language with eloquence.

 

Two of the siblings, Claudette (1959) and  another sister Anne (1963) are graduates of CHS. Two brothers, Seville and Alec Farley , attended Queen’s College but  taught for a number of years in the 1960’s at CHS-JCCSS . Seville taught several subjects including  English, Latin and French while Alec taught primarily the science subjects, Chemistry and Physics. These two individuals were held in high esteem and very well respected by their students and fellow teachers.  Both Seville and Alec are very  thankful to Mr JC Chandisingh for allowing them the opportunity to serve as teachers at this great institution, and like their father, are very proud of their students’ accomplishments and achievements.

 

After the thanksgiving service, the family entertained the gathering  with some live music and we were treated to a sumptuous dinner prepared by several of the sisters as well as friends of the family. Claudette, a registered nurse in Toronto, worships regularly at the Malvern Presbyterian Church and takes an active role in the church’s activities.

Syd Latchana

 

 

 

David & Violet Latchana – A Golden Wedding Anniversary

by Sid Latchana

 

 

On May 31, 2008, two former students of C.H.S., David and Violet Latchana, celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary and David also celebrated his 75^th Birthday. The dual celebration took place at Malvern Presbyterian Church in Scarborough, Toronto, and was attended by over 100 guests, including many C.H.S. graduates. Both David and Violet are active members of this church.

 

The celebration commenced with a Thanksgiving Service, followed by an evening of dinner and entertainment. The M.C. for the evening’s event was Syd Latchana, Violet’s younger brother. Syd gave a brief introduction of how this couple met, David Latchana of Albion and Violet Latchana of Fyrish, what coincidence in surnames, no relation whatsoever.

 

Violet graduated from C.H.S. in 1955, and started her teaching career at Albion Primary School, where David was already a teacher there. Their relationship blossomed into marriage which took place on April 7, 1958, a first for both families, at the Ramdeholl Presbyterian Church in New Amsterdam  and which was attended by over 500 guests, with festivities lasting for a week.

 

This union has been blessed with three sons and a daughter, all of whom have further their studies and done exceptionally well here in Canada. The couple also have four adorable grandchildren.

 

Both David and Violet, trained teachers, have given commendable and meritorious  service to education in Guyana, almost forty years of service in several primary schools. Many of their former students are CHS graduates and still hold them in very high esteem.

 

At this memorable event, several guests offered best wishes, including Henry Buchan, (CHS 1945) former Berbice High School Principal, Annie (Latchana) Chabnauth, and Ivy (Latchana) Girdharry, who were all part of the wedding party. Congratulations were also received from overseas based relatives living in the UK and Florida. Special Congratulatory Certificates were presented  from the various levels of the Government of Canada.

 

In conclusion, Syd commended this wonderful  couple for such an exemplary and successful union. In reply, both David and Violet thanked everyone for their good wishes and reaffirmed their faith and trust in God, and their love and devotion for each other.

 

Syd