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THE
KALIMPONG ASSOCIATION ( NEWSLETTER Summer 2007 On behalf of my fellow Committee members, I extend our warmest thanks to all our members, volunteers and individual supporters, who have continued to support us over the years. A special ‘thank you’ must be given to one very worthy member who is not an OGB, namely, Mr Kevin Allan, a well wisher of the school, who has unstintingly given of his time to raise funds for the Association over the last couple of years since he has been a member.Margaretta Purtill * * * * * HATS OFF TO BERTHA!
Undeterred, she was
inspired by the experience of her wonderful years in Bertha has made and sold
thousands of hats, and all the profits raised have gone to charity. She has sourced materials, such as end of
wool from wool mills, and donations; she has paid for wool and a trader’s
license, and given a huge amount of her time and effort to the making and
distribution of these wonderful hats. At the fair age of 78,
Bertha has decided that it is time to stand down and retire from hat
making. She will undoubtedly be
sorely missed by many, but says she will remain a committee member of ‘Dr
Graham’s Homes’, and continue to help raise the funds needed for this worthy
cause. Lou Hardless
* * * * *
OGBs News & Information ………..
SUMMER WEDDINGS IN
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Craig
gave a superb speech at the reception and had us in fits of laughter. After downing a few beers Stuart was able
to steady his nerves and delivered his speech with great confidence too! This family occasion was great for my
daughter, Tanya, and her partner Danny, as Tanya was able to meet her cousins
Amber and Stuart for the first time. Kirsty had the opportunity of meeting them last year when
she traveled around
* * * * *
On the 9 June 2007 Jeff Fegredo, ex Hart, and Yolande
Meyers, nee Pratt, ‘tied the knot’ at the Swindon Marriott Hotel. The weather was absolutely perfect for the
happy occasion and family and friends came from as far a field as
After Yolande and Jeff made their touching vows three
members of the family read poems, Fiona, Jeff’s daughter, Glynis, Yolande’s sister,
and Penny, Jeff’s sister.
All put their personal touches to the readings. Before the wedding
breakfast the Rev. Derryck Evans blessed the
union of Yolande and Jeff and this very
personal service really put the icing on the cake. The wedding breakfast was superb and
good food and wine certainly flowed!!
The wedding cake was beautifully decorated with a replica of Jeff
and Yolande in their wedding outfits all made
out of marzipan and icing sugar! The speeches by Jeff and his best man,
Winston, brought many a chuckle especially the tale about Jeff giving
this superb recipe for masala fish when he has
never actually ever cooked any!!!
A good number of OGBs
were in attendance. The entire Pratt
family, Adrienne, Linda, Glynis, Sandra, Wendy,
Russell and Lester, some of whom are married to other OGBs,
namely, Charlie and Malcolm Johnson, Albert Game, and Yonten,
née Doma, were in attendance with Yolande’s mum, Hope, heading the clan! Desmond Meyers was present but
unfortunately his wife, Flora, could not get her passport in time to
attend. Several other friends of
both Jeff and Yolande, namely Margaretta
Purtill, nee Byers, and her husband, Vince, Patrick
Appleby and his wife, Leonie, nee Gaudoin, and John
Kirk and his wife, Belinda, were there to lend support to the occasion. A few members of the Fegredo
family, Robert and Patricia, also attended the grand occasion, but Hilary and
Heathcliff, who live in
There was a further
reception in the evening where everybody danced to the great sounds of the
resident ‘disco’ and filled their bellies further with the evening buffet,
which was delicious. The festivities
all came to an end at about 1 pm and though it was a long and tiring day it
certainly was an extremely enjoyable one.
Yolande and Jeff are now beginning their new
life together in sunny
Linda
Johnson and Patricia D'Cunha nee Fegrado
* * * * *
I will be 69 years old this year and it was good to read the magazine
and see the old school running. I
really enjoyed my schooling days, especially the different sporting
activities. I was in Heathland Cottage and eventually ended up in the
Hostel. I have been married for 38
years and my wife is a real Kiwi New Zealander. We have a son who is 31 years old.
I left Dr Graham’s Homes in 1954 and arrived in
Horace A Miller
* * * * *
I was so surprised and happy to receive your’s and Vincent’s beautiful card. Then on top of that the lovely Christmas
card and last but not least, the DVD.
I took it to my daughter, Virginia’s home and watched it on her DVD
player. It was the same one that was
shown with Cliff Richard’s narration of Dr Graham’s life and the school.
I must admit it was so different from 1937 when I
was there for 10 months. We didn’t
have shoes, leave alone, socks, or proper uniforms, but it was wonderful
then. To think Dr Graham did all the
wonderful things all those years ago.
It was wonderful thinking about all we learned then. I thought our old anthem, “Thorough
Girls, Thorough Boys” would still be sung.
When I was in
I’ll write and ask Ian Sinclair-Day if he has a copy
of the DVD and if not I’ll send it to him to watch and take it over to my
brother, Lorn, also. I am enclosing £10 to cover postage.
Rita Murray
* * * * *
KPG News
…………
Letter from
a happy sponsored child …
Dear Auntie Ellena - Firstly, I would like to thank you for the post
card which you have sent me. It was
very kind of you to remember me on this day.
Now I would
like to give you some news about myself.
I have finished my unit test and came 11th out of 41
students. After our unit test we are
having our summer holidays. I am now
enjoying my summer holidays. In our
summer holidays we play lots of games.
I’ve learnt how to play table tennis and enjoy playing it. I am now preparing for our half yearly
examinations, which are after our summer holidays. I hope you too enjoyed your holidays.
Now I would
like to tell you some news about our school activities. We had our inter-cottage Garden
Competition, which was on the 1 May.
We all tried our best and we came 4th. We were so sad to hear such news. On 12 May we had our May Fair in which we
all had lots of fun. I played lots of
games and won so many things. The
next day after May Fair we had our Flower Service. As our Singing Competition is on the 22
September, we had already chosen our song.
It is a very beautiful song and have asked
some singing teachers to guide us.
Before our singing competition we have our swimming gala. I have lots of fun swimming in the
swimming pool. Now I would like to
end my letter, with lot of love.0
Gregory Paul
* * * * *
The current donations
received so far, for the Assam Cottage Appeal fund, which celebrates its
Centenary year in 2009, now stands at an impressive £918.40.
Many thanks for your
continued support - special thanks to ex-Assamites,
Charles Ponting, Arizona USA, Charles Johnson, Des
Meyers and Malcolm Johnson, all Swindon, Wiltshire,
and Mrs Jean Martin,
* * * * *
Hi from Ahava …
An update on works being
carried out.
Since our last exchange of correspondence,
much has happened in all directions and now it's like the lull after the
storm. Our aim is to fist work on the
installation of showers in all the three
main bathrooms, before purchasing the curtains/shower mats
etc. I can confirm at this
moment the work is in process and in a day or two it should be
complete. In the three
main bathrooms the pipe work has been
done for the installation of showers and new taps have been
fixed for the hot and cold water. In a couple of days this work
will be complete.
Another matter I
would like to mention here is that Lilian Meeran, nee
Harrington, a Thorburn
girl, had visited and stayed in Ahava early this
year. Lilian and her husband were
aghast at the electrical wiring which obviously is ancient, so they
donated £ 100/- which I handed over
to the main office and Lilian
collected the receipt. However, the electrical wiring
is a massive job, which will require a huge amount of
money so the bursar has promised to try and get this
done, in time. Lilian wrote
to me stating that she would like to send another £ 100/-
towards this. I am happy to report
that funds have been given to Margaretta
from the following: Mrs Ruth Nelson (Byers - Thorburn
Girl) and Mrs Sylvia Woodward (Tucker - Thorburn Girl) towards this work. Favourable
responses have also been received from Thuten (Kesang – Heart Cottage) and Dawn (Vansteensel - Elliott Cottage).
I appreciate all the
genuine effort on everyone's part and I am sure one day, Ahava
will be upgraded completely.
Independence Day and our school students will
be doing their usual marching at the Mela
Ground. There will be a few days of holiday and
then starts the Mountbatten; this was postponed to a later date due
to the half yearly examinations. The swimming practices have
started full swing for the Minto Shield at
Mount Hermon School, Darjeeling, then and the Burns
Shield, which will be held at St. Augustine's School, KPG, and then our very
own Swimming Gala during the Birthday celebrations.
Christine, Ahava Guest
House, Dr Graham's Homes, Kalimpong.
Telephone: + 91-3552-274063
* * * * *
Hope there are some of you
who can give a little towards this deserving cause. Ahava is where
most OGBs stay, so lets make it an OGB mission to
get 'our home' away 'from home' a comfort zone – something
that we have all got used to experiencing and having. Many thanks.
Margaretta Purtill
* * * * *
Dr Graham’s Homes School Choir - UK
In recent years tourism in
the
The interest in Dr
Graham’s Homes is growing throughout the
The venues for their
performances were chosen where there are large pockets of interest London was the obvious choice for the
Opening and Closing Concerts then working their way north to Oxford and over
the border into Scotland. After
In
all the Choir visited three capital cities, London, Edinburgh and Inverness,
the Capital of the Scottish Highlands, and between performances met pupils
and staff in Primary and Secondary schools, toured the sites of London in one
of the famous red-topped buses, visited Windsor Castle, and a well-know Wild
Life Park at Burford near Oxford, swimming sessions
in new Leisure Swimming Pools, visiting museums, historic buildings such as
the famous landmarks of London, The Castle and Holyrood
Palace in Edinburgh and while there an invitation to meet the Moderator of
the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland who had visited The Homes and Kalimpong three weeks previously, and was happy to see
the Choir again, a Civic Reception in Dundee and a visit to a Jute factory,
an afternoon at a Scottish Heritage Adventure Centre in the Highlands, a
ferry crossing to the Isle of Arran and much, much,
more.
Wherever
they went they sang, be it in the Great Hall at
It
was a memorable visit in every way.
Many were involved, along with the Committee, to ensure its success
and we greatly appreciate Mrs Margaretta
Purtill and members of the Kalimpong
Association who combined the final Concert with a Curry Supper!
Much
was due to the determination of the Choir to sing their very best, and not
least the charm of Mr Shane Saviel,
Choir Master, and Mrs Nandita
Gurung who introduced the items, strongly supported
by Mr Neil Monteiro and Mr Upasak the accompanist. St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, made an
impressive start and the final Concert in St Columba’s
Church, Pont Street, hosted by the UK Kalimpong
Association, a truly fitting ‘Homes Family’ ending attended by OGBs and many others with fond memories of Kalimpong, mixing with pupils of today. Among those present were Lady Holden and
Wendy Grant. This was to be the last
public appearance of Lady Holden, who sadly died a few weeks later.
The
children and staff returned to Kolkata and onwards
to Kalimpong full of excitement at what they had
done and where they had been during their visit to be recounted many times at
The Homes. They will never forget it
they say, nor will we, and the pleasure they gave to so many.
Vera
Hi Uncle Donald, it’s me,
Shruti, just wanted to thank you for the
beautiful pictures of the Choir and the wonderful DVD. You made all of us look very nice. We are all missing you and the others very
much; I had a gala time there. Thank
you for making our visit to the
Hello Uncle Donald, it was
lovely to hear from you. Hope you are
doing fine. We are having our summer
break and we are enjoying ourselves.
Missing you all so much, Regards to everybody there.
Monica Karden.
.
* * * * *
Thank you for the magazine
just received. It is very
interesting. Sorry I cannot get to
Dorothy Berry
* * * * *
Catch-up
on Old Newsletters
Articles and old
newsletters can be read and downloaded on the Internet. The Internet address of the page with the
links and downloadable files is www.hints-n-tips.com/drgraham.htm. After the latest issue is distributed
articles are posted from the previous issue and the document is made
available for downloading. The link
to the page in question is www.hints-n-tips.com/drgraham.htm.
The ideal solution is to
have a website exclusively for the Kalimpong
Association. Until there is one I am
happy to provide a few pages and the small amount of effort required, I will
improve the pages and continue to load up the old Newsletters if The
Association wishes to continue supplying them to me.
The website in
question is my free information site www.hints-n-tips.com. We get around 1100 visitors every
day. The Dr Grahams page is one aimed
at raising funds for Dr Graham's and providing links to Anglo Indian and Dr
Graham alumni sites. It has been up since 1998 and gets good traffic. I have had information on the Homes on the
web even before that.
To make the newsletters
readily available for visitors I have converted them to PDF files, all you
need to do is double click on the text.
The links for the download is at the bottom of the page. To be able to read the document you need
to have Adobe Acrobat loaded on your machine. Nowadays many people have the programme
loaded on their machines and those who don't can download it free of charge
from the Adobe Website - www.adobe.com. I can also provide Word documents if
required. Whenever the association
wants me to load a newsletter or other material it can be emailed to me for
loading up on to the web server and on to the Internet. Unfortunately, I will not be at the next
meeting but wish everyone well, please pass on my best wishes.
David Edmunds
* * * * *
Obituaries
Lady Jean
Holden, granddaughter of Dr Graham
Lady Holden’s funeral took
place on Friday, 8 June 2007, at St Michael’s Church, Wilsford-Cum-Lake
near Amesbury. Hyla,
her son, made the following tribute.
“Although we knew that
this day had to come sooner or later, it nevertheless makes this job no
easier. The fact that my mother went
downhill so quickly and was spared any more suffering is reassuring. Her death came as a shock to us all, but
she has left behind wonderful memories that will stay with us forever, and
for those we are truly grateful.
Luke,
Part of her was always up
at Kalimpong, where she grew up. There she spent a very happy childhool with her two sisters, riding her pony to school
and getting to know the Indian people who were so important to her in her
life. It was also where she met my
father, who was up there recovering from illness during the war.
In
Latterly, in their
retirement here in Wiltshire, where, for another 25 years they lived amongst
friends. Her door was always often to
family and friends, whom she made immediately, welcome and told my father off
when he forgot to offer them a drink.
After his death in 1998, she moved to Amesbury Abbey where she made
yet another group of friends who meant a great deal to her.
After being so healthy and
as strong as an ox for most of her life, it was cruel luck that a series of
accidents and illnesses robbed her of her robust health during her final
years. She seemed to go from one
problem to another yet she never complained about her situation, but rather
apologised for being a nuisance. She
was constantly reminding herself and those who fussed around her, that there
were countless people worse off than herself, she
truly belonged to that generation that had gone through so much and knew what
real problems were.
Dr Graham’s Homes, her
Grandfather’s creation, always meant a great deal to her, and over the years
she was tireless in her efforts to raise money for it, both for the fabric
and, in particular, for the deprived children for whom it had originally been
founded. In her time, she organised
the Christmas cards, distributed chutney, and supported anything going that
would help those less fortunate. She
longed to return to the Himalayan foothills of
As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and
friend, she was a class act. She was
always supportive, always encouraging, always there. Affectionately known as ‘Puddy’ by family and friends, a name which seemed to close the generation gap. Like my father, she had a strong faith; she
was a good Scottish Presbyterian, a foil to his Church of England. In the family we already miss her
desperately, but know that she has been reunited with our father and is now
at peace and without pain in a far, far better place.”
Hyla Holden
* * * * *
Mr Monomy Banerjee, 01/06/1936 - 21/08/2007
Mr Michael Robertson informed us that Mr Banerjee had been seriously ill - Mr Banerjee’s
sodium nitrate levels dropped alarmingly and he had to be hospitalised a few
weeks ago. He had been in intensive
care and suffered a stroke and was on a ventilator. Sadly, Mr Banerjee
passed away at 12:35am on Monday, 21 August 2007. Mr Lawrence Preira,
the School Chaplain, has confirmed the news. We would
all like to pass on our
condolences to Mr Banerjee’s family and friends.
* * * * * *
It is with profound grief
and sadness I inform you that our beloved Mr Monomoy
Banerjee, Managing Member and Secretary to the
Board of Management left us for his heavenly abode on Tuesday, 21st August,
2007. We had a special condolence
service in the Katherine Graham Memorial Chapel at 8.30 am, on the same day.
We also had a very touching and befitting memorial service on Monday, 3
September, 2007 at 1.30 pm, which was attended by the students of the senior
school, teachers, employees, many OGBs &
Principals of different schools in Kalimpong.
Mrs Banerjee and her son, Raja, were with us for
the service which was followed by the interment of ashes in the
The children, teachers and employees shared the grief and loss with Mrs Banerjee, her family and friends. Mrs Banerjee
and her son, Raja, left for
A Sampayo, Principal
* * * * *
Dear Mrs. Banerjee and family,
On behalf of The Kalimpong Association (UK), we extend our deepest
sympathies to you and your family on the sad and sudden demise of your dear
husband, Mr. Mono Banerjee.
We all had the greatest
respect for Mr Banerjee and we were very sorry to
hear about his passing away. We know
that your great strength, family and friends will help you at this time of
loss.
Remember “Those who live
in the hearts of others never die”.
You and the family are in our thoughts and prayers during this
difficult time. May your heart mend in
time to come and your memories stay strong forever. He will be missed dearly.
With deepest sympathy,
For
and on Behalf of The Kalimpong Association (
Juliana Duckworth, Secretary
* * * * *
Email sent to the Principal and Board of Management
dated 21st August 2007
On behalf of The Kalimpong Association (UK), we extend our deepest
sympathies to the children, staff members and Board of Management on the sad
and sudden demise of Mr Mono Banerjee.
We all had the greatest
respect for Mr Banerjee and we were very sorry to
hear about his passing away. It has
come as a great shock to all of us who knew him so well.
Please read the following
out at the Memorial Service you will be holding for Mr. Banerjee. He was a special person and I had great
regard for him:
Do
Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
Do
not stand at my grave and weep
I
am not there. I do not sleep.
I
am a thousand winds that blow.
I
am the diamond glints on snow.
I
am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I
am the gentle autumn rain.
When
you awaken in the morning’s hush
I
am the swift uplifting rush
Of
quiet birds in circled flight.
I
am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do
not stand at my grave and cry;
I
am not there. I did not die.
Our thoughts and prayers
are with you all during this difficult time.
He will be missed dearly.
With deepest sympathy,
For
and on Behalf of The Kalimpong Association (
* * * * *
Dear Mrs
Duckworth, thank you for your lovely message. The service was held yesterday at the
School. However, at my suggestion the
family will be interring the ashes of Mr Banerjee
at the
I have lost a very special
friend and the Homes a great champion.
I am in close contact with Mrs Banerjee and
Raja and will hand over a copy of the message to them this evening. The cremation was held yesterday
afternoon.
Best wishes and many
thanks for your concern.
Michael Robertson
* * * * *
I just read your email re:
Mono Banerjee. It was quite a shock to
hear that he passed away earlier this week.
Dr. Graham's Homes has lost a dedicated member of staff, and will miss his
many contributions to the successful administration of the school. Please accept my deepest sympathy to the
staff and children of Dr. Graham's Homes, and to Mr. Banerjee's
family.
Mrs Cynthia Ross
* * * * *
George Miller
Sadly, I have to inform
you all that George Miller, ex-Assam Cottage, died on Monday at
George was buried at the
* * * * *
Set in Kalimpong in the eighties, ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ written
by Kiran Desai, is the winner of the
Booker Mann prize and short-listed for the
Synopsis -
In the foothills of the
David Edmunds
* * * * *
A quiz for
people who know everything !!!!!!!
1
There’s one “sport”
in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the
leader until the contest ends. What
is it?
2
What famous North
American landmark is constantly moving backward?
3
Of all vegetables,
only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted
every year. What are the only two
perennial vegetables?
4
Name the only sport
in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defence, and the
offensive team, can score without touching the ball?
5
What fruit has its
seeds on the outside?
6
In many liquor
stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle
is genuine: it hasn’t been cut in any
way. How did the pear get inside the
bottle?
7
Only three words in
Standard English begin with the letters “dw” They
are all common. Name two of them.
8
There are fourteen
punctuation make in English grammar.
Can you name half of them/
9
Where are the lakes
that are referred to in the “Los Angeles Lakers?”
10
There are seven ways
a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls-a walk-is one
way. Name the other six.
11
It’s the only
vegetable or fruit that is never sole frozen, canned, processed, cooked or in
any other form but fresh. What is it?
12
Name six or more
things that you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter “S”.
Answers on the last page of the Newsletter
* * * * *
Up for a
challenge ….
In February 2006 9 cyclists successfully
completed, (3 with a little assistance), a pilot run of 665K (412 miles) from
Kolkata at sea level to Kalimpong
at 4,500ft in the Himalayan foothills.
They enjoyed and endured 7 days of an unforgettable journey experiencing
at first hand the city, town, village and rural life of
If you would like to take part in this life-changing adventure
in February 2008 the following are the only “qualifications” required:
1
The possession of a mountain
bicycle!
2
A reasonable degree of fitness –
sufficient to cycle between 70 (shortest) and 130 (longest) kms per day.
3
A considerable degree of
sociability and a willingness to tolerate minor inconveniencies!
4
Freedom to take a minimum of 13
days leave in February 2008 and, most important
5
Prepareness
to pay all travelling and subsistence expenses - estimated at
£1200 which includes everything - 5 nights in good hotels, return flights
from Heathrow – Kolkata, all meals and tentage, back up support and the thrill of an Indian
Railway sleeper train! No subsidies
will be offered. Simply I consider it
immoral to use monies donated to the charity to support fundraising ventures
of any sort. Surplus if any to the
£1200 will be of course refunded.
6
In addition
willingness to raise at least £1000 for the work of Dr Graham’s
Homes. (This is only 10 x £100
donations or a fund raising event could be organised.)
The joy and satisfaction of completing the challenge will be far
out-weighed by the rewards of helping a child to “walk this earth with
dignity”.
Provisional dates are as follows: -
Depart Heathrow Friday, 8 February pm
Return - arriving Heathrow Tuesday, 19
February pm. (It may well be you
choose to stay on for several days touring in
It is worth adding that this bike ride is not a race and it is
quite possible (and acceptable) that due to fatigue or whatever you choose to
put your bike in the back up vehicle and ride in comfort for the whole or
part of a particular day! I
Know! The road for the initial six
days is flat, if bumpy in parts. The
seventh is up-hill!
URGENT - Please contact John G Webster, Planetree,
King’s Cross, Isle of Arran, KA27 8RG, Tel: 01770 700747, Email: annornerod@talktalk.net
for an Application Form, if interested.
* * * * *
How about a Weekend Break in
Edinburgh
DINNER AND CEILIDH - in aid of the children of DR GRAHAM’S HOMES, KALIMPONG , INDIA
Venue:- Stockbridge House,
Date:- Saturday 13th October
2007 at 6.30pm.
Tickets:- £20 per person
(concession for seniors)
Dinner prepared
by Chef Dharma, THE KHUKURI Nepalese Restaurant,
Scottish Ceilidh Band
For further
information and tickets, contact Vanda Fraser at 01506
204933 or email vandagfraser@lineone.net
Or the Khukuri on 0131 228 2085
* * * * *
THE WAY WE WERE, Anglo-Indian
Chronicles, Edited by Margaret and Glenn Deefholts
“And departing, leave behind us Footprints on
the sands of time” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
When a species becomes extinct, the world
suffers an irreparable loss. The same
holds true for a culture.
Archaeologists and anthropologists attempt to reconstruct the values,
language and lifestyle of a lost people through artefacts and documents, but
nothing can capture the vitality of a society, as can those who have
experienced it firsthand.
In 2004, The Way We Were was launched,
inviting articles from across the world that described Anglo-Indian
culture. As stated in the guidelines, “The publication, depicting our
Anglo-Indian way of life, will cover a broad contemporary canvas. We would like to capture not only who we
were but how we were in all walks of life - the way we lived, worked,
rejoiced, loved, laughed and cried.”
Over 80 submissions from both Anglo-Indians and non Anglo-Indians
were received from
The publication of this book has another
vitally important and synergistic function.
The gross proceeds of all sales - publishing costs are borne privately
- will go directly to CTR Inc, a charity helping less fortunate Anglo-Indians
in
Blair Williams blairrw@att.net Publisher, CTR Inc
Publishing,
* * * * *
To the wonderful kids who were born in
First we survived being born to mothers, some whose husbands
smoked and/or drank while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate whatever food was put on the table and did not
get tested for diabetes. They were
mothers who did not check their blood pressure every few minutes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs and
bassinets were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. We were put in prams and sent out with ayahs
(maids) to meet other children with ayahs, whilst our parents were busy. We cried, were picked and cuddled by the
ayah and were quiet again.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or
cabinets, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets, not to mention, the
risks we took hitch hiking or going out on our own. As children we would ride in cars with no
seat belts or air bags. We sat on each
other’s laps. Riding in the back of a
station wagon on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four
friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We would share a dosa, dip a chapatti into
someone else's plate of curry without batting an eyelid. We ate jam sandwiches or pickle on bread
and butter, raw mangoes with salt that set our teeth on the edge, and drank
orange squash with sugar and water in it.
We ate at roadside stalls, drank water from tender coconuts, ate
everything that was bad for us from Mungfalees
(peanuts) to Bhel Puri to
Bhajias and Samosas, but
we weren't over weight because we were ALWAYS, OUTSIDE PLAYING! There was never a child, not a single
child who was OBESE!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day during the
holidays, we were never ever bored, and we were allowed freedom all day long
as we were back when the street lights came on, or when our parents told us
to do so. No one was able to reach us
by mobile phone or telephone, and we were OKAY. We would spend hours making paper kites,
building things out of scrap, inventing our own games, playing games like
hide and seek, kicking the can and rounders, ride
old cycles and then ride down the hill only to find that the brakes are not
working. We swam with an inflated
tube, which we got from somebody who was replacing their car tyres. We ran barefoot without thinking about
it. If we got a cut we used iodine on
it, which made us jump. We did not
wash our hands ten times a day, and we were OKAY.
Our parents trusted us to go on picnics with everyone and
anyone, a friend of a friend would be OKAY and we survived.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes,
no video games at all, no ninety nine channels on cable, no CDs or video
taped movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no
I-Pods, no internet or chat rooms, no television, FULL STOP!! We did not have parents who asked us what
we would like for breakfast, lunch tea or dinner. We ate what was put in front of us and
best of all there were never any leftovers.
We polished the lot.
WE HAD FRIENDS, great friends, whose parents we called Uncle and
Aunty and we went outside and found them!
We fell off trees numerous times, got cut, broke bones and teeth and
there were no compensation claims from these accidents. We ate fruit lying on the ground that we
shook down from the tree above and we NEVER washed the fruit. We had a bath using a bucket and mug and
used Lifebuoy soap. We did not know
what conditioners meant.
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls. We rode cycles everywhere and someone sat
on the carrier or across the bar to school or the pictures, or you walked to
a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in
and talked to them! The idea of a
parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
This generation of ours has produced some of the best risk
takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new
ideas. We had freedom, failure,
success and responsibility and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
* * * * *
Vincent Purtill (Treasurer) wishes to thank all OGBs/friends for their kindness and good wishes during
his recent illness.
He is making slow progress but hopes to be at the Birthday get-together on
22nd September. The get-well cards,
emails, telephone calls and flowers were received with immense gratitude.
Vincent Purtill
|
Forthcoming Events |
Dates |
Venues |
|
BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATION Donations
of items for the Raffle would be most welcome. |
Saturday, 22nd September
2007 Doors open at 2.00 p.m. |
|
|
CURRY
LUNCH Tickets
£23.00 |
Wednesday, 24 October
2007 Doors open at 12.00 noon |
|
|
AGM The
Kalimpong Association ( The
Kalimpong Association ( Charitable
Trust |
Saturday, 21 June 2008 Doors open at 2.00 pm Meeting commences at
3.00pm |
* * * * *
May
your troubles be less, may your blessings be more, and may nothing but
happiness come through your door!
* * * * *
To all budding gardeners amongst
us, and their love of Roses …
Don’t complain
that your roses have thorns - just be grateful that your thorns have Roses.
I wonder, I
wonder if anyone knows, who lives in the heart of this velvety rose,
Now is it a
goblin, or is it an elf, or is it the Queen of the fairies herself?
My solace I
find in my roses, their perfection of colour and form,
Their fragrant
appeal and their beauty, make one’s outlook more peaceful and warm.
On the estate
of Overponds, at Shackleford
in
* * * * *
CONTACT DETAILS - The Kalimpong
Association (
|
TITLE |
NAME |
ADDRESS |
TEL. NO. |
E-MAIL ADDRESSES |
|
President |
Margaretta Purtill |
|
020 8715 0929 |
|
|
Vice Pres. |
John Christie |
‘Kalimpong’ Catesby End, Hellidon, Nr
Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 6GB |
01327 26 0090 |
|
|
Treasurer |
Vince Purtill |
|
020 8715 0929 |
|
|
Secretary |
Juliana Duckworth |
24 CR0 3BD |
0208 665 6591 |
|
|
Member |
Leonie Appleby |
|
0208 689 8134 |
|
|
Member |
Ellena Christie |
‘Kalimpong’ Catesby End, Hellidon, Nr
Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 6GB |
01327 26 0090 |
|
|
Member |
Linda Monro |
|14 Orchard Field, Bethersden, |
01233820782 |
|linda635@btinternet.com |
|
Member |
Douglas Evans |
Ground Floor Flat, |
0207704 6494 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spon.Secy |
Fiona Cranston |
Commandree, |
01206 298434 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Newsletter Editor |
Yvonne Felix |
18 Ambleside Walk, North Anston, S25 4HS |
01909 565246 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Kalimpong Association (
|
Trustees: Mrs R Baker, Mrs J Chambers, Mrs F Cranston, G Dumaine, I D Graham, D Gundlach,
Mrs P Hardie & A H Murray - (Tel.0208 876
0709) |
The
|
Chairman |
Mr. A.B.N. Morey, CBE |
Lattice House, Castleton, Sherborne,
Dorset DT9 3SA |
|
|
|
Secretary |
Veronica W Cassie |
‘Kintail’, The Causer, |
01479 821222 |
|
|
Treasurer |
Christine M McLeod |
101 Caiyside, Edinburgh
EH10 7HR |
0131 445 4936 |
The Australian Committee
|
President |
George Smith |
|
H 9876 1042 |
|
|
Secretary |
Lynette Ridler |
|
8361 5987 |
|
|
Treasurer |
Errol Augustus |
|
9330 1214 |
West
Australian Committee – Affiliated to the Australian Committee
|
President |
Brenda Haseldine |
|
9720 2778 |
|
|
Secretary |
Valerie Appleby |
|
|
applebys@iinet.net.au |
|
Treasurer |
Stuart Price |
|
|
Canadian
Council of Dr Graham’s Homes
|
Chairman |
Rev. Robert Arril |
|
250 472 2811 |
|
|
Secretary |
Jacqui Hibbert |
|
519 284 1824 |
|
|
Treasurer |
Wayne Norris |
59 Southvale, |
519 284 2517 |
|
President/ Chairman |
Sakuyo Sugimoto |
4276-751 Maehama, Awakigahara, |
Tel/Fax: 001 81 985 29 7419 |
|
|
Managing Member |
Sumiko Ghoshi |
5-6-3-1104 Tachibana higashi,
Japan 880 0805 |
Tel: 001 81 985 25 1420 |
|
|
Secretary |
Shiho Inoue |
4276-497 Maehama, Awakigahara, Japan 880 0835 |
Tel: 001 81 985 32 9619 |
|
Dr Graham’s Homes
|
Thuten, Gwen Kesang |
|
64 9 483 6066 |
Fax 64 9 483 7275 |
School
Address: Dr Graham’s Homes, Kalimpong, West Bengal,
734 401,
|
President & Chairman Board of Management |
Michael Robertson |
091 033 98305 86564 |
||
|
Secretary |
Ruth Glashon |
Tel:091 03552 274632 Fax:091 03552 274526 |
|
|
|
Bursar |
David Foning |
Tel:091 03552 274827 |
|
|
This Newsletter is printed by Mr John Webber of Transtech Services Ltd, Unit 6.0, 10 Greenwich Commercial Centre, 49 Greenwich High Road, London, SE10 8JL. Email: Tel: +44 (0)20 86929722. Mr Webber has been printing the newsletter for a number of years and has donated the money to DGH for children in need. We are greatly indebted to Mr Webber for his generosity and practical help.
Answers to Quiz - how many did you get right?
1
Boxing
2
3
Asparagus and rhubarb.
4
Baseball
5
Strawberry
6
The pear grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when
they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the whole
growing season. When the pears are
ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.
7
Dwarf, dwell, and dwindle.
8
Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen,
apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets,
parenthesis, braces and ellipses.
9
In
10
Batter hit by a pitch; passed ball; catcher
interference; catcher drops third strike; fielder’s choice; and being
designated as a pinch runner.
11
Lettuce.
12
Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis,
snowshoes, stockings.
* * * * *