July 2014 - coba.org.au filecoba news July 2014Vol.1 Issue 43 Its incredible how time flies when one is having fun. It is hard to believe that the new financial year has commenced

Vol.1 Issue 43 coba news July 2014

Its incredible how time flies when one is having fun. It is hard to believe

that the new financial year has commenced and hence the current committee are

busily planning for the next AGM. My first year as COBA Secretary has been very

exciting as well as challenging because I had to learn about the role very fast, but

fortunately the past Secretary and the present President were always ready to

support and assist me when I ran into trouble.

In Financial Year 2013-14, our Club was once again able to meet its prime objec-

tive of generating sufficient funds to support the COBA Scholarship Scheme

and the Friend-in-Need Program. Thanks to the committee for putting in the

hard work and to those Members and friends for attending the fund-raising

functions and for your additional support of making financial donations. I want to be very honest in

admitting that fund raising has not been easy for the last couple of years. We require more Members

and friends of COBA to attend the fund-raising functions if we are going to be able to meet the de-

mand for financial assistance for needy students and friends back in India. Fortunately there were no

applications for assistance lately through the Friend-in-Need program as this would have put more

strain on the limited funds we raised in the last financial year.

On a very positive note, it is extremely satisfying to note that there are a large number of 'Life

Members' in COBA relative to the total number of Members. In light of the commencement of the

new financial year it is worth noting that Annual Membership fees are due to be paid before the end

of July 2014. The upcoming AGM is an excellent opportunity to do this.

Thank you to all supporters of COBA and I look forward to meeting you at the AGM scheduled for

Sunday 3 August 2014.

From the Secretary

Editor’s note

www.coba.org.au Volume 1 Issue 43

coba news Our Social Events ...

Glimpses of the June Dance 2

Life Members 3

Overseas Life Members 4

My Memorable Trip to

India - Loftus Callanan 6

15 year Anniversary

Flyer- for upcoming events 9

July 2014

Annual General Meeting

3 August 2014

Springers Leisure Centre,

Keysborough

15th year COBA REUNION

17- 19 October 2014

Blue & White Dance

18th October 2014

Springvale Town Hall

Carols and Christmas Cheer

6th December 2014

Chandler Community Centre,

Noble Park

What’s Inside ...

As we move into the second half of a very productive calendar year we look back over

the last six months and realise that, slowly but surely our plans for 2014 are gently falling into place.

Thank you to all the members who tirelessly donate their time to help us achieve our goals. Plans

for our next event are already well underway; meetings, discussions, more meetings and numerous

phone calls are all part of the normal functioning of the team that organises these events. If you

would like to share and contribute to this very vibrant team, why not sign up and become a mem-

ber.

This edition of the COBA newsletter is filled with detailed information on our upcoming

celebrations. We urge you to participate actively and help us make it a success. If you would like to

be seen or heard, do let us know…we are listening.. God Bless You all.

Laura Fernandez Co-Editor) Christine Fernandez (Editor)

June Dance

TBA

Annua l Genera l M eeting

3 August 201 4, Spr ing ers Lei sure Cen tre,

Keysborough

Adrian Rodrigues


2

The June Dance had taken place at the Chandler Hall on the 7th of June. Even though we were geared up for the

event I would like to say that most of our members and their families let us down. For those who attended they had a wonder-

ful time. My special thanks goes out to the band in attendance “PHOENIX” and DJ ASHLEY who revived the spirits of the nite

with their fantastic music. The people really enjoyed it. Also not forgetting the wonderful food that was supplied by REO‟S

KITCHEN.

I would like to thank all committee members, members and friends of COBA for their attendance

moral & physical support and not forgetting the financial support from our members. I would also like to

thank our sponsors who had donated the prizes.

Our next function is the 15th Anniversary which is a three day event. Please see the flyer at the end

of this newsletter. We look forward to your support and attendance at our 15 year Anniversary.

Please get your tickets early to avoid missing out on this great event.

From the Social Convenor

Marius Lobow

Glimpses of our June Dance 2014:


Our Australian Life Members

3

ELLIS Sydney

D'ROZARIO Jude

FERNANDEZ Ronald

RODRIGUES Roland

FULLER Tyrone

RODRIGUES Ouida

COTTER Cecilia

COTTER Gwendoline

COTTER Leslie

COTTER Milton

RODRIGUES Robert

VAN HALTREN Derrick

GONSALVEZ Bernadette

GONSALVEZ Cyril

D'ROZARIO Dawn

LOPEZ Joseph

KEIN Royce

WRIGHT Neville

PAUL Gary

COTTER Evelyn

PATTERSON Terrence

LOPEZ George

LOPEZ Sheila

MICHEL Lester

HICKMAN Desiderius

STARR Robert

FERNANDEZ Patrick

RODRIGUES Adrian

HICKMAN Joseph

ROZARIO Duncan

DEVISSER Walwin

KEIN Campion

HICKMAN Dymphna

LOPEZ Audrey

D'MONTE Eric

MC CONVILLE Audrey

SMITH Tommy

MICHEL Kevin

D'MONTE Vernon

D'MONTE Mercy

PATERSON Vera

D'LASSELLE Bernard

RING Rudolph

GOMES Christopher

FERNANDEZ Douglas

VAN HALTREN Winston

KEIN Callistus

PATTERSON Rudolph

COTTER Joseph

WALKER Canute

CALLANAN Loftus

RODRIGUES Denzil

HONOUR Charles

JACOBS Alfred

FULLER Nobel

RODRIGUES Vilma

Skye VIC

Mulgrave VIC

Noble Park VIC

Oakleigh East VIC

Hawker ACT

Oakleigh East VIC

Auburn NSW

Sefton NSW

Sefton NSW

Auburn NSW

Chester Hill NSW

Glen Waverley VIC

Narre Warren South VIC


Mulgrave VIC

Bentleigh VIC

Oakleigh South VIC

Springvale VIC

Springvale VIC

Greystanes NSW

Canning Vale WA

Bundoora VIC

Bundoora VIC

Collie WA

Hampton Park VIC

South Oakleigh VIC

Beaconsfield VIC

Templestowe VIC

South Clayton VIC

Rowville VIC

Clayton VIC

Mulgrave VIC

Hampton Park VIC

Bentleigh VIC

Wantirna VIC

Dandenong North VIC

Clarinda VIC

Karratha WA

Mulgrave VIC

Mulgrave VIC

Park Orchards VIC

Carnegie VIC

Gosnells WA

Berwick VIC

Mulgrave VIC

Fairfield VIC

Clayton South VIC

Taigum QLD

Chester Hill NSW

Clarinda VIC

Altona Meadows VIC

Carina Heights QLD

Pearcedale VIC

West Pennant Hills NSW

Dulwich Hill NSW

Oakleigh East VIC

CONYERS Jennifer

HICKMAN Lucien

D‟ROZARIO Alister

FERNANDEZ Derek

RODRIGUES Brenda

CORREA Jude

FERNANDEZ Laura

GONSALVEZ Austin

ROUSE Norma

COLOMB Noel

BATES Lester

ELLIS Philo

LOBOW Marius

ROUSE Alester

ROUSE Melford

D‟VAZ Don

ROZARIO Sharon

CARVALHO Raymond

D‟ROZARIO Priscilla

D‟ROZARIO Cedric

QUENTAL Christopher

HENDRICKS Rory

FERNANDEZ Gerard

D‟CRUZ Cleaton

BROOK Neville

HICKMAN Daniel

RODRIGUES Astrid

RING Malcolm

LOBOW Godfrey

GONSALVEZ Dalton

McCUTCHEON Tanya

McCUTCHEON Bruce

MICHEL Gavin

GOMES Patricia

GONSALVEZ Llewelyn

JACOB Rex

GONSALVEZ Craig

FERNANDEZ Margaret

FERNANDEZ Christine

MICHEL Juan

ATKINSON Edgar

RODRIGUES Dudley

DEMONTE Stanley

JACOB Sylvester

ALMEIDA Melroy

BROOK Dagma

MACEDO Raulston

Clarinda VIC

Hampton Park VIC

Dingley Village VIC

Keysborough VIC

Templestowe VIC

Thomastown VIC

Noble Park VIC

Dandenong VIC

Noble Park VIC

Glen Waverley VIC

Caulfield East VIC

Skye VIC

Cranbourne North VIC

Berwick VIC

Noble Park VIC

Dandenong North VIC

Narre Warren VIC

Narre Warren VIC

Keysborough VIC

East Brighton VIC

Cranbourne North VIC

Shelley WA

Cranbourne VIC

Bentleigh VIC

Narre Warren Sth VIC

Clarinda VIC

Keysborough VIC

Kellyville Ridge NSW

Hampton Park VIC

St. Clair NSW

Southbank VIC

Southbank VIC

Lynbrook VIC

Berwick VIC

Keysborough VIC

Sunshine VIC

Figtree NSW

Beaconsfield VIC

Cranbourne VIC

Hampton Park VIC

Roxburg Park VIC

Braybrook VIC

McDowall QLD

Pemulwuy NSW

South Oakleigh VIC


Bentleigh VIC


MESSAGE OF THANKS (SCHOLARSHIP & FRIEND- IN- NEED)

In response to our request for contributions, we wish to convey our thanks to the individuals who have donated and continue to

give their support to our Scholarship and Friend-In-Need programmes for the year 2012-2013.

Thanks to your generosity, which helped us to provide 20 scholarships (2 pre- school, 13 from Std I - Std I2, I boarding and 4 de-

gree courses). We also assisted 5 in the Friend-in-Need Programme.

Mrs Alma Fernandez (dec.) Whittlesea VIC

Mr & Mrs Sharon Rozario Narre Warren VIC

Mr & Mrs Jude D‟Rozario Mulgrave VIC

Mr & Mrs Des Hickman Hampton Park VIC

Mr Lucien Hickman Hampton Park VIC

Mr & Mrs Jude Michel Hampton Park VIC

Ms Jennifer Conyers Clarinda VIC

Mr Bernard D‟Lasselle Carnegie VIC

Mr & Mrs Robert Starr Oakleigh VIC

Mr & Mrs Roland Rodrigues Oakleigh VIC

Mr Cyril Green Surrey UK

Mr Edward Pereira Glenhuntly VIC

Mr & Mrs Sydney Ellis Skye VIC

Mr & Mrs Alfred Jacobs West Pennant Hills NSW

Mr Christopher Quental Cranbourne Nth VIC

Mr.Eric Quintal Noble Park VIC

Mr.Vincent Sequeira Dandenong VIC

Mr.& Mrs.Bruce McCutcheon South Bank VIC

Mr & Mrs Jude Michel Hampton Park VIC

Mr & Mrs Denzil Rodrigues Beaumont South VIC

Mr Geoff Peacock Tarneit VIC

Mr & Mrs Alister D‟Rozario Dingley Village VIC

Ben & Elizabeth Daniel Cranbourne VIC

Renza & Basil Dirksz Newport VIC

Dianne Burnett Endeavour Hills VIC

Our Overseas Life Members

NEW MEMBERS

The General Committee of the Association welcomes our new members. We hope you will participate in our many social events and have a

wonderful experience.

FERNANDEZ Claude

BAYER Winston

GREEN Cyril

PEARS Sten

GREEN Kevin

RODRIGUES Noel

D'CRUZ Basil

D'SILVA Rex

D'SILVA Emmanuel

D'CRUZ Ralph

BAYER Alroy

PAUL Maxwell

CLEMENTS Winston

PILARRD Henry

London UK

Oxon UK

Surrey UK

Galway IRE

Wiltshire UK

Ontario CAN

Essex UK

Trivandrum IND

Kottayam IND

Nepean CAN

Coimbatore IND

Isle of Wight UK

Tiruchirappalli IND

Cumbum IND

Overseas

SUKUMARAN Arumugam Chennai IND

4

EVERS George

LOBOW Agnes

PAUL Patricia

WRIGHT Avis

WRIGHT Beverley

SHERWOOD Althea

NETTO Elwyn

ITTIANATH Raman

HART sj Fr. Rodney

BOUT Aubrey

PEARS Milton

RAMAKRISHNAN Nair

SUKUMARAN Arumugam

Tiruchirappalli IND

Golden Rock IND

Tiruchirappalli IND

Tiruchirappalli IND

Tiruchirappalli IND

Tiruchirappalli IND

Alwaye IND

Goa IND

San Juan PH

Florida USA

Surrey UK

Chennai IND

Chennai IND

PILARRD Henry Cumbum IND


5

MESSAGE OF THANKS (FUND RAISING)

COBA wishes to convey our thanks to the local business and individuals who have given us tremendous support in our fund

raising efforts, throughout the year.

Marius & Maria Lobow

Cranbourne North.

Victoria 3977

Loftus Callanan

Altona Meadows.

Victoria 3028.

Jennifer Conyers

Clarinda, VIC 3169

Campion Kein

Mulgrave, VIC 3170

Christopher Quental

Cranbourne.Vic 3977

Jude & Mrs. Dawn D‟Rozario

Mulgrave, VIC 3170

Adrian & Brenda Rodrigues

Templestowe.VIC 3106

Vincent Seqeura

Hindustan Imports

Dandenond South

Ms. Olina Gurusinghe

Concept Tours

Mulgrave - 3170

Reo Kitchen

Cranbourne.

Victoria 3977

Jason Dove

Knoxfield.

Victoria 3180.

Eric Quental

Noble Park.

Victoria 3174.

.Alester Rouse

RAM Industrial Abrasives,

Braeside.Victoria 3195.

Charles Honour

Concept Amenities

Braeside, VIC 3195

I, Henry Pilarrd belong to the 1962 -1968 batch .I joined school during Fr.Thamby‟s period.

I was in the first class boarding till I completed my High school.I was responsible for taking care of Father

Merryfield who had corns in his legs and I had to take him around holding his hand. I was in charge of the

sweet shop in the boarding and also the dhobi monitor of the hostel

I live in Cumbum, Tamil Nadu which is very close to Kerala where I have a small cardamom plantation and

my house is very close to the world famous Thekkady Tiger Reserve.

My wife Mercy is the principal of a school in Cumbum. She is a Holy Cross College student, Trichy. I have a

son Dean Pilarrd who is an engineer working in Chennai, a small family by ourselves. Campion Old Boys Day is one big event which I can

never forget and also the Quadrangular Sports Meet,which so fresh in my memory.

See you all Campionites and God willing we will meet someday. Good bye and good luck folks.

MEMBER PROFILE

If you are planning a party, we have generous sized Bain-Marie‟s for hire.

Please contact us if you are interested. Revenue generated from this will contribute towards our scholarship fund.

A big „Thank you‟ to all those who have hired our equipment and have donated generously towards our mission.

Contact: Gerard Fernandez Mobile: 0439 197 627

PARTY EQUIPMENT FOR HIRE


When I first met Pearl Shane in December 1952, I fell head-over-heels in love with her.

She was living in Bitragunta and had come to Tuticorin to spend her Christmas holidays with her elder sister Hilda, who happened to be married to my elder brother Melville.

When our eyes first met and locked, we both knew that it was love at first sight. I was

fifteen then and she was only thirteen.

After the love of my life left me on 10th December 2012 and went to her Heavenly

abode, all I have with me are wonderful memories of the 56 years of married life we shared with each other. Since a great part of our life together was spent in the land of

our birth, I decided to return to India in 2014 for the first time after 45 years. The main purpose of my trip was to visit the places where I first met Pearl, fell in love, got mar-

ried and lived later with our children. I felt by visiting these places in India, this trip would help me to remember those lovely times we spent together and allow me to ac-

cept that Pearl is no more.

I arrived at Chennai Airport on 27th January 2014 and was greeted by Harry MacLure and Reuben Quental of Anglos In The Wind. I was booked in at the YWCA where I spent the next five days before commencing my epic

journey touring India. I was shocked by the constant sounding of horns by all motor vehicles and the horrendous traffic on the road. But within 24 hours I got accustomed to the way India is today, and to my surprise the life that I

left 45 years ago came back to me as if a button was turned on somewhere inside me.

One of the first things I observed was that the men do not wear shorts in spite of the hot and humid weath-er as compared to Australia where it is customary for men and some women to wear shorts in the summer. I asked

some of my friends to explain this to me. They told me they only wore shorts at home and not in public, as they felt

partly undressed by doing so.

On Monday 3rd February 2014, I left Chennai by air for Tuticorin. I was accompanied by Sukumaran (alias

Suku), an ex-Campion student and former local of Tuticorin. This was my first meeting with Suku and he turned out to be a very friendly guy. I was really grateful that Suku did accompany me as I was unable to converse in Tamil after

45 years of not speaking the language. He organised accommodation and transport while in Tuticorin. I visited the “Harbour Bungalow” where I lived with my parents and siblings for seven years. To my amazement I also located the

house where I first met Pearl in 1952. I was very emotional when I stepped inside the house where I first set eyes on

the love of my life.

I then travelled by road to Adirampattinam (Tanjore District) where Pearl and I were married on 14th Janu-

ary 1957. After a long search we found the building where we were actually married. My brother was the Deputy Superintendent of Salt at Adirampattinam. The nearest Catholic Church was at Pattukottai about half an hour‟s drive

from Adirampattinam. Father Soosairaj, the local Parish Priest, agreed to conduct the wedding ceremony at Adiram-pattinam. The Salt office was converted into a chapel and my nieces and nephews made up the bridal party. As I stood in front of this building taking photos, I was overcome with grief reminiscing about my lovely Pearl and the

wonderful life we had shared together.

MY MEMORABLE TRIP TO INDIA

Photograph with our Scholarship students

Loftus Callanan


The second part of my trip was to visit my old school Campion High School in Tiruchirappalli. I arrived at Trichy airport on 5th February and was

met by my friend and classmate Beverley Wright. I was booked into the Breeze Hotel in Trichy. On Thursday 6th February 2014, I returned to Campion almost 58 years after leaving school in 1955. As President of COBA Australia, I received a warm welcome from Brother Arul, the Principal. I was also given the honour of addressing the students at the morning assembly. I was introduced to the stu-

dents by Brother Arul. After several speeches and presentations, I responded with a short talk about my past since I left school. I was impressed at the transformation of my old school. In contrast to those days Campion now boasts of modern buildings with latest technical equipment; today the school provides education for approximately 2500 students. I was accompanied on my tour of the school by four ex students from the

batch of 1968, they are; A.Ramakrishnan, A.Sukumaran, Henry Pilarrd and Khaja Najmudeen

In the evening a Tea Party was organised so that I could meet all the current scholarship recipients and their

parents. I felt privileged and honoured to meet these students to whom we provide financial scholarships from Aus-

tralia.

Many of the students thanked COBA Australia for giving them the opportunity to complete their education. I thanked all our Scholarship Committee Members in Trichy for their sincere dedication and hard work in assisting us to select deserving candidates for our Scholarship Programme. They are: Agnes Lobow (retired teacher), Esmie White (retired teacher), Althea Sherwood (teacher), Beverley Wright (class of 1955), George Evers (class of 1954) and Winston Clements (class of 1958). I would also like to thank Winston and Beverley for organising a car and ac-

companying me on a day trip to the famous Vailankanni Church.

Finally, I would like to thank the following persons who made my stay in India a memorable one: Harry and Jillian MacLure for making all the arrangements for my stay in Chennai; A. Sukumaran (class of 1968) for being my

guide and friend in Tuticorin; Emmy, Pam, Rex and Diana D’Silva for making me feel welcome in Trivandrum; Beverley and Avis Wright, George and Doreen Evers, Winston Clements, Agnes Lobow, Esmie White and Althea Sherwood for their help in Trichy; Cheryl and Vijay Vijayakumar for looking after me in Bangalore; Raman for be-

ing my host while I was in Goa; Candida and Kevin Gomez for looking after me during my stay in Mumbai.

After a month in India, I returned to Australia satisfied that I had visited all the places which Pearl and I shared together. I can now accept the closure of our 56-year relationship, with the knowledge that God has now sum-

moned her to a better place. “May Her Soul Rest In Peace”.


8

Special Wishes …

Anita and Gary Raymond‟s (Loftus‟s daughter and son-in-law) daughter Kim gave birth to a girl (Ivy Pearl Mackenzie-Raymond) at

the Cabrini Hospital on Saturday 21st June 2014.This is Anita & Gary's second grandchild and Loftus‟s second Great Grand Daughter.

Congratulations to Kim and her partner and to the grand parents and great grand father. God bless them all.”

Congratulations to Rex and Phyllis Jacob and Ron and Laura Fernandez who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversaries in June

2014.We wish them good health and prosperity in the future.

Congratulations to Ouida Rodrigues (ex Campion Teacher) who celebrated her 94th Birthday with her family and friends in June

2014.

Congratulations to Cyril Gonsalvez who celebrated his 80th birthday in June 2014.

Best wishes and God blessings go out to all who have celebrated their birthdays and anniversaries in July, August and September

2014.

Obituaries:

Alistair Green (brother of Kevin and Cyril) passed away in Canada on the 30th June 2014.Our sincere sympathies go out to his son

Tyrone, his brothers Kevin,Cyril and all other family members.

Alma fernandez (sister of Nobel and Tyrone fuller) paased away on the 6th April 2014 at the age of 92. We extend our heartfel t

condolences to Nobel, Tony, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Alma was a life member and strong supporter of COBA

Australia.

Esther Bayer (wife of Walter and daughter in law of Winston) passed away in the UK recently. Our sincere condolences go out to

Winston, Walter and the family. “May Their Souls Rest In Peace”

coba news

You can also visit us at : www.coba.org.au

President: Loftus Callanan +61 3 9369 7735 email: [email protected]

Secretary: Adrian Rodrigues +61 3 9842 6434 email: [email protected]

Editor: Christine Fernandez +61 3 5998 5728 email: [email protected]

Co– Editor: Laura Fernandez +61 3 9798 3351 email: [email protected]

COBA Fifteenth Anniversary & Re-Union 2014

The General Committee of COBA Inc (Australia) cordially invites all the Members and their families and also extends an invitation

to all ex Campion students and teachers to attend the 15 th Anniversary celebration and Re-Union to be held in Melbourne, Australia from the

17th to the 19th October 2014.

Key activities are:

Friday 17th October 2014:

Meet & Greet Members/Invitees

Venue and cost to be notified in due course.

Saturday 18th October 2014

Annual Blue & White Dance

Venue: Springvale Town Hall

Music by: Next Generation & Colors

Entrance: Adults $20, Children under 12 $10

Sunday 19th October 2014

Mass/Speeches/Dinner

Venue and cost to be notified in due course.

To confirm your attendance at the 15th Anniversary and Re-Union or to enquire about Membership of COBA, to make a donation or if you

require further information, please contact:

Adrian Rodrigues (Secretary) Loftus Callanan (President)

Phone:+61 3 9842 6434 Phone: +61 3 9369 7735

E-mail:[email protected] E-mail:[email protected]


CAMPION OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION

A U S T R A L I A I n c .

Blue and White Dance S a t u r d a y 1 8 t h O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Spri ngvale Tow n Hal l

M e l w ay R e f : 7 9 K 1 1

7.30PM – 1.00 AM

B Y O DRI NK S

F OO D O N S AL E

“ NEXT G ENERATION”

& “ CO LORS”

D r e s s : N e a t ( N o J e a n s / S n e a k e r s )

R i g h t s o f A d m i s s i o n R e s e r v e d

Live music by

B O O K I N G S

E N T R A N C E

AD U L T S : $ 2 0 . 0 0

C H I L D R E N ( U n d e r 1 2 y r s ) $ 1 0 . 0 0

C H I L D R E N ( U n d e r 5 y r s ) F R E E N O S E A T

Adrian Rodrigues 9842 6434

Bernard D‟Lasselle 9568 4548

Christopher Quental 0406 207 639

Cleaton D‟Cruz 0433 999 625

Gerard Fernadez 5998 5728

Gerard Horne 0412 869 707

Kevin Bellet 0402 163 195

Loftus Callanan 9369 7735

Marius Lobow 5991 7700

Melford Rouse 9798 1040

Robert Starr 9515 8510

Presents the

15th Anniversary at our Fund raiser Dance in aid to provide Scholarships in India



Documents

July 2014 - coba.org.au filecoba news July 2014Vol.1 Issue 43 Its incredible how time flies when one is having fun. It is hard to believe that the new financial year has commenced