Westminster College Olivos: Westminster XV Alumni Dinner Report 2014

Dear fellow alumni :

Our anual dinner took place as sheduled on Oct. 24^th. at the Olivos Tennis Club, with 65 alumni attending, plus honoured guests Mrs. JOAN ( REED )

WRIGHT and her Daughter MISS KATY WRIGHT, who travelled especially from ENGLAND to be present at our ANNUAL DINNER and visit the school

Grounds and city where their UNCLE HARRY REED had lived for 25 years before returning to England at the end of 1953. Their curiosity arose after

Katy by chance came across my blog about the WCO HISTORY which was published in THE BULLETIN MAY 2013 ISSUE, and wrote me an email on

JAN. 11^TH, 2014, to which I replied by having the ABCC sending them a few copies of THE BULLETIN. Reading about the ANGLO-ARGENTINE community

activities aroused their interest in visiting Buenos Aires, to which they added IGUAZÚ and RIO de Janeiro on their return back “ home “

The 65 alumni attending were close to our record of 69, and we missed some last minute NO SHOWS from some of our regular attendees, as the

Fernández Górgolas clan, John Wilson, George Nugent,Roberto Marquina,Edward Enright, but on the other hand we had THREE alumni who travelled

from abroad to join us, Barnie DE BOER from Holland ,Eduardo IGLESIAS from USA. and Richard ( Dickie ) LE POOLE from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , who naturally took home a bottle of wine

for their efforts, as did JOAN and KATY, of course. Other wine winners were KENNETH HESLOP ( first pupil to enroll in 1937 ) BILLY HIRST and DICK ALEXANDER,

all born in 1930 and therefore the SENIOR MEMBERS present. In contrast, JORGE GAUWELOOSE, won the bottle for the JUNIOR MEMBER present ( born 1955 )

Other categories recognized were most PRODUCTIVE GRANDFATHER, ERNEST ( SONNY ) MUNTON ( 12 –cheaper by the dozen )MOST BYPASSES ( JOHN

SHARENBERG and A.N.OTHER ( 4 each- please identify yourself ),DISTANCE DRIVEN to attend ( JOHN WITH- 600 kms, JOHN LEE -370 kms ),ROBERTO HERNÁNDEZ ( 400 KMS)

PRODUCTIVE FATHER : RICARDO ABALOS ( 6 ). OLIVOS TENNIS CLUB ARRANGEMENTS : JACK HUSSEY. Dinner organization secretary : GEORGINA SMITH.

There were a few other wines distributed, but I did not agenda them, and my memory is not as good as it used to be.Sorry, but I hope you enjoyed the wine anyway!!

Separately, I am sending speech given by JOAN REED at the dinner about the personal history of HARRY AND BERYL REED which answers most questions we might have had

About their background and life after they returned to England end of 1953.Also sending email sent from Canada by ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PUPILS, DOUGLAS SIRRS,

which was most appreciated by JOAN AND KATY, and was read out loud during the dinner and received great applause for its emotional and detailed description of the early

years of the school 1939-43. Many thanks, Douglas, hope your wife has recovered and that we will see you at next years dinner.

Those attending dinner alphabetically ( with year of birth in brackets ) were : Abalos, R.( 1950 )Alexander, R.( 1930 ); Brom, F.(1951); Brown, R. ( 1933 );Bruno Videla, P. ( 1936 );

Cavey,P. (1945);Carles,R. ( 1931);Chiaraviglio,C.(1943);Christie,S.(1944);Coleman,A.( 1935 );Cornejo,E.(1934);Coroni,C.(1950);De Boer, B.(1935);De Carolis,Horacio(1936);De Marco,R.(1937);

Dickinson,C.(1943);Dunckel,A.(1942 );Eastman,A( 1943);Englebert,A.(1948);Ferrari,Alejandro(1951);Ferrari,Rafael(1950);Frogone,R.(1943)Garda,R.(1938);Gauweloose,J( 1955);

Gonzalez Bonorino,A.(1952); Gonzalez Bonorino,O.(1945);Gonzalez Stanley,R.(1950 );Grant,E.(1939);Hernández,J.(1938);Hernández,R.(1940);Heslop,K.(1930);Hesse,E.(1937);

Hirst,B.(1930);Hogg,R.(1939);Homps,E.(1948);Hudson,T.(1932);Hussey,D.(1938);Hussey,J.(1935);Iglesias.E.( ¿? );JAMES F.(1932);Justiniano,A.(1945);JustinianoE.(1936);

Le Poole,E.(1937);Le Poole,R.(1939);Lee,J(1939);Machiavello,X.(1952);Macadam,A.(1940);Macadam,E.(1936);Macadam,Roderick(1931);Munton,E.(1931);Murray,J.(1943);

Pascuchi,J.(1942);Pivetta,A.(1945);Reed,E.(1944); Sartorio,A.(1938);Scharenberg.J.(1933);Schmidt,G(1952);Smith,M.(1938);Smith.Richard(1940);Sorondo,G.(1946);Stinson,H.(1940);

Teubal,D.(1933);Vittorelli,A.(1930);With,J.1942; Wright,Joan;Wright,Katy; Georgina Smith..

Thanking those who attended or sent messages if unable to,and hoping to beat our record next year,I would like to end wishing all WCO ALUMNI and their families a Merry Xmas

or Happy Holiday season and a great year in 1915. CHEERS,

R.MICHAEL SMITH

WCO ALUMNI COORDINATOR.

(Mail: robertomiguelsmith@gmail.com Tel: 54-11-4798-6359)

Letter form Alumni Douglas Sirrs, Describing school`s early years from 1939/43

Dear Michael,

As you know I had been earnestly looking forward towards attending this years Westminster College reunion (as I have also done in the past) particularly as our former founding headmaster Harry B. Reed's - niece and daughter are to be there as guests of honour. They certainly constitute a nostalgic and emotionally significant link with the past - a past which has had a profound impact on each one of us who attended the school - and particularly those from the founding years - the establishment era prior to the Reed's departure in 1953. Unfortunately I have been compelled to change my plans to be present as my wife is currently very ill.

Nevertheless I thought I would add a few words since I was one of "los originales" having attended the school - not surprisingly as part of Canada House - from 1939 until the end of 1943 . At the time we lived in La Lucila - about 7 kms away and my brother John and myself would bicycle daily in our resplendent brown school blazers and caps from our home to the school through every form of inclement weather. Since these were the War years we were also at times challenged as we travelled through a gauntlet of German students who also happened to live in the neighbourhood and attended nearby German schools.

However our overall experience at that time, with Westminster as a pivotal part of our lives , was a happy and fulfilling one The school as spearheaded by Harry Reed and his wife Beryl - an assistant headmistress and also an able and spirited teacher - constituted a closely knit and highly motivated community. Our curriculum, as in all other local cases, was evenly split between the British and Argentine system with stimulating teachers like Morris , Thompson, Cafferty ,Amicone , Ludueña , MacCormack and Darcy (who administered canings as required to temper the misguided antics of any temporarily errant students). We also enjoyed multiple sports activities and camaraderie which involved rounders , cricket, football and intramural games and athletics between the four houses which focussed on Canada, India, South Africa and Australia.

All of this provided a constructive basis for our future education and careers . In my owncase I ended up in the Canadian Foreign Service and served in various capacities in many parts of the world over a 39 year period.. My other school mates have similarly made important and fulfilling contributions. Unfortunately - aside from Norman Mercer - who was in my class andwho was in frequent contact - I have lost track of many others in my class such as Daniel Dombey, Claudio Bovet, Jorge Villiers, Richard McQuibbon, John Scotland, Raul Chorra, Ian Rudd, Brian Talon, Jimmy van Oppen etc It would be fascinating to hear from anybody who has had any contact with any of these individuals even to the extent of giving rise to a register of former students who no loger appear on the record.

In Westminster (and its founders) we have a lot to be thankful for as it has provided an important contribution to our subsequent lives and careers.We bear a heartfelt sense of appreciation for the development role played by Harry B. Reed and his team in paving the way for our scholastic development and careers during a turbulent period of our history.

Thus many thanks are extended to Harry B. Reed's relatives - Mrs Joan Wright and daughter Katy - for their interest and in graciously following up with a visit to this steadfast alumni group.