Newsletter, Issue # 57, March, 2010

St. George's College
Old Boys'
Association

ON, Canada

Part 1 of 4

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

 Firstly, best wishes to St. George’s College Alumni worldwide, their families and friends.
          As I embark on my stint as president of this highly important St. GC chapter, I am reminded of the late Archbishop Lawrence Burke’s instructions for us to work for the betterment of our alma mater – St. George’s College – and to constantly seek to strengthen and encourage each other.
          Our Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday, March 14, 2010. Due to extremely busy lives, two of our stalwarts, Patrick Haddad and Francis Cooke, did not seek re-election. Their contribution to St. GC continues to be tremendous and I wish them every success in their endeavours. We are very fortunate, as a Board, to retain the expertise of three past-presidents, Robbie Vernon, Danny HoLung and Chris Chin. I am delighted that veteran Board-members Ray Chang, Pat Ferguson, Neville McDowell, Pat Garel, Dominique Nash, Tyrone Holbrook, Richard Saunders, Carl Chang, and John Flynn will stay on in their previous capacities. Our Board was enriched by the new addition of Dr. Fred Kennedy, Howard Shearer, Gary Thompson and Tariq Wright.
          I had time to reflect on the magnitude of the task ahead. I am not daunted as I am constantly reassured that the values imparted to us at St. GC will see us through the darkest times. The George’s community has indeed been very generous with its time, advice, and resources. The positive influence of old-boys has caused our school to weather many storms and it continues to be a shining light within the Jamaican environment.
          I look forward to working with our new Board as we try to build on the extraordinary work that was done by Georgians such as Archbishop Burke. He died in Jamaica on January 24, 2010 following a long and courageous struggle with cancer.  Archbishop Burke’s Funeral Mass was celebrated at The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston on February 4, 2010. We were represented at the event by Robbie and Heather Vernon and Carl Chang. (see part 2)
          A Memorial Mass for Archbishop Burke was held on March 24, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario. This was not a sombre occasion but a celebration of his extraordinary life and a recollection of his unselfish dedication to education. The central theme of the evening was the late Archbishop Burke’s tireless work in education and his always earnest quest to help others. (see part 2)
         We now look forward to our annual St. George’s College Family Mass and Brunch on Sunday, May 23, 2010. The Mass celebrant and guest speaker will be former St. GC headmaster Father Kenneth Hughes S.J.
         Come out and join us as we celebrate our 25th anniversary as a chapter and the 160th anniversary of our beloved alma mater.

Milton Hart

Raymas Chin on Dec 30th, suddenly of a heart attack. Carl Chang of our Board was there in support and reported seeing a huge Georgian turn out. Marsden Chen, Louis Lee, Hubert (Kuss) Lee, Keith Lowe, Stanley Chin, Paddy Chung, Lloyd  Pinnock, Patrick Lee, Gerry Lew and wife Yvonne, Michael and spouse Phyllis. 

 Mrs Inez Madden, widow of the late Ferdinand (Ferdie) Madden (2003 Hall Of Famer) passed on Feb 18th, leaving to mourn her loss, children Patricia, Ferdinand Jr., Francis, Angela, Fabian, Christine, Jacqueline & Paul. 

The achievements of the St. George’s College football team, under the tutelage of Neville “Bertis” Bell, can arguably be classified as legendary.
Recall that this team won the 2009 Manning Cup championship, won the coveted Olivier Shield, and narrowly missed winning the Walker Cup.
Bell’s work with this team has won him national recognition. Reggae Boyz.com, a soccer website, proclaimed:  “Four-time Premier League champions Portmore United have acquired the services of former national player and National Youth coach Neville 'Bertis' Bell as head coach, with immediate effect”.  Well done, Mr. Bell!
Defending champions St George's College retained their ISSA/Digicel/ Pepsi Manning Cup title after locking horns with a spirited Bridgeport High School team.  In keeping with their never-say-die attitude, St. GC won with an exciting come-from-behind 3-2 extra-time score at the National Stadium.
St. GC won the prestigious Olivier Shield title with a thrilling 5-3 aggregate win over St. Elizabeth Technical High School.
This team’s achievements have done much to lighten the spirit of Georgians world-wide and serves as a reminder of what can be achieved via teamwork, dedication and discipline.
Congratulations are in order for a coach who has injected tremendous discipline, enthusiasm and sportsmanship in our team.
Congratulations as well to Coach Clifford Brown, whose under-16 and under-19 teams made it to the finals of the ISSA Basketball competition. On March 4, 2010 the under-16 team became all island champions.

 Milton Hart

Greetings fellow Georgians, Friends and well-wishers.

By the time this issue gets to you, my term in office would have officially ended and you would have a new President in Milton Hart. Let me be the first to congratulate Milton in his new office and pledge my support during his tenure.

And that’s what it has been about. Support. Support from the entire Board and membership. Support from our fellow alumni associations as well, Alpha Academy, Immaculate, Jamaica College, Wolmers and Calabar in particular. 

The two years of my tenure saw many changes. The passing of several Georgian Giants in Mrs. Phyllis Alexander, Fr. Leo Quinlan, Byron Lee and most recently Archbishop Lawrence Burke, S.J. We also saw our footballers taking the Manning Cup two years in succession under the guidance of coach, Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell. The school’s academic achievements also continued to make significant strides under Principal, Mrs. Margaret Campbell and discipline has been restored. What a difference this all makes! And thanks to Margaret who was able to take the time to be at our last two Summer Balls … our major fundraisers. It makes such an impact when the Principal can be present at our fundraisers … validation, especially to our ‘outside’ supporters, many who have never been to the school and in fact may have never been to Jamaica. 

This past summer, we also experienced a miracle with the renovation of the O’Hare Building. Termites had long taken over the building and rendered it unsafe. Our Liaison Director, Carl Chang went into overdrive and in the short summer break, had the entire building redone just in time for the new school year … and if you live or at least do business in Jamaica, you will appreciate the miracle that it took to get this done in time. Thanks seem so small for the great task that was accomplished but thanks, nonetheless, Carl. And I know that there are still bills to be paid as a result so, please contribute if you can. It’s never too late. 

In closing, my heartfelt thanks to my hardworking Board of Directors. The tasks were many but never too much for us to manage. Thanks and see you soon!

 Chris Chin

Every in-coming president of the St. GC Old Boys’ Association in Ontario benefits from the tremendous work of his predecessors and is challenged to uphold an extraordinary tradition of leadership and dedication to the school.

     Milton Hart has taken on the very important task of president at the Annual General Meeting on March 14, 2010.

    “I am always mindful of the positive impact that St. George’s College has made on my life,” said the new president. “I am always eager to contribute, however I can, to this institution of learning.”

 Milton has been with the Ontario Chapter since 2002. At that juncture, he functioned in the capacity of “Sports Director”.   Milton was instrumental in leading the Toronto-based Georgians to four consecutive championship wins in the Markham District League, and in originating the annual Deltana Cup tournament, a competition contested by Georgians in Florida and those in Canada.

Milton served Jamaica as a member (soldier) of the Jamaica Defence Force from 1984 to 1992. Perhaps being chosen to represent Jamaica as a member of the famous Jamaican Bobsled team in 1989 was the high point of his military career.  After several competitions as a member of the bobsled team in Europe and North America, he represented Jamaica as a member of the 1992 Olympic Jamaican Bobsled squad in Albertville, France.

After migrating to Canada, Milton pursued post-secondary education at York University where he earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Communication-studies. He later attended the University of Toronto where he attained a Bachelor of Education degree.  On a full-time basis, he helps at-risk Canadian youths achieve academic success in the capacity of an Ontario-certified teacher.

Milton continues to demonstrate leadership, and a willingness to serve, in the Canadian military where he is a Military Logistics Officer.

He comes armed to boot with a charming and very supportive wife, Novelette; an ICHS  alumna . They have two delightful young children Matthew and Nickolas.

A  leader by example we look forward to fresh ideas and a new beginning in the next chapter in our Ontario alumni Association.

Robbie Vernon

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