Re: MAUSICA WEEKLY EMAILS 2021-NOV-19

2021-NOV-19-1929Hrs

Well the 68 intake of men in Haven included Reynold Davis, now deceased, who sadly fell of the rail along the way. I loved him and was saddened by his misfortune. A fantastic Haven man when he was right.  Great sportsman, football, cricket. Tenor in the choir. Had been coached by Wes Hall at Fatima.

I remember when he came in. It was during the holidays..1968...since some of us did not go home for the summer...and he had come in straight from Guyana...where he had responded to a call from Forbes Burnham...for Caribbean youth to come to help clear forest for the new City.....and Reynold came in fresh from that....and I found him to be a fitting haven man ....full of our spirit.....

I think Benji was in Haven too. He and Carlton Layne (Carlo), Fabien Alvarez,  Jagessar.....quite worthy additions to the Hall of GENTLEMEN. Our sports capability was enhanced by that 68 intake.

Joe Stevens and Rodney (Acheson) Charles strengthened athletics in Mayfair.

Garth Nicholas strengthened the Villa. A force.

Very worthy men in that 68 intake.  We tried to teach them all we knew. But they were quick learners, and you had to get out of their way.

Then there were the girls who came in 68. Who could run.....Pamela George, Sigrid Sandiford......who could sing....Janice, Rita....

This idea of a new year group coming in to be initiated was exciting beyond words.....You are going to be a SECOND YEAR....good lord......what a thrill....

.exciting even now, as I think about it. But there was also the sadness.....that came with the departure.....from the college generally...and from the hostel.....the characters who gave texture to the place.....leaving......Cecile, Nicoline, Ana, Pat Lashley, Ralphie, Andre Stephens (Uhm, Mr Joseph, I was wondering....),  Bullock, Darnley...and Sahadeo with the cutlass chasing Ian Paul across Fair Haven square during initiation as the rest of us looked on not knowing what to make of it...

Beck...coming to Fairhaven crying with a cutlass in hand one night....because some Havenite went to Mayfair and inadvertently left the water running in a sink in the washroom and it overlflow....and de water run down the hall and flood one or two rooms...one of them Beck's...now deceased...his shoes and thing floaing......and Beck. (Frederick Beckles -66-68, one of the greats.....Football, Cricket....Choir.....and they call him "(Badjohn Teacher Face) because he could get vex sometimes.....and we see him coming to Fairhaven, from Mayfair....crying because most of his things floating in inadvertent water....and prudence said that we should lock the hostel up....which we did.

Haven men being men of peace, and not stupid either.

Scratchie.

Theodore Lewis 69

Re: MAUSICA WEEKLY EMAILS 2021-NOV-12

2021-NOV-13-0827Hrs

Scratchie thanks for the History lesson. You left out Bert "Al" Fraser (RIP) the Tunapuna "Panman" who beat the intellectual Lloys Best (RIP) in the General Elections. He was also a havenite and a Bomb Room Room 12 Champion. The Grell Cup was discontinued after 1971. Finbar "Count" Ryan was also a Havenite and Hospy's lil bro Ricardo who was also called Hospy. Great memories I dare say. 

Continue the education.

Allan S. 

Fair Haven Rm#12 1970-1972

Allan S Noreiga 72

Re: MAUSICA WEEKLY EMAILS 2021-NOV-12

2021-NOV-12-1938Hrs

Thank you Allan for posting those pictures. Garth had released some earlier. It would be nice if any Mausicans, who were part of the Guyana project, and who have pictures of that really enriching experience (on a range of levels), can post them so that we can produce a photo essay of the trip.

Ainsworth Ancil Ovid 71

Re: MAUSICA WEEKLY EMAILS 2021-NOV-05

2021-NOV-05-1318Hrs

Looking through my archive of pictures, I stumbled upon these from our trip to Guyana in 1970.

Pic #1

After waiting in Piarco for the whole day, the plane finally arrived to take us to Guyana.  When we landed, Officials were there with photographers to take pictures of our arrival. I walked with my quatro, and I started singing and playing a Mausica folk song. Mauretta. Everybody joined in, spread out and sang our way to the building where the immigration was waiting for us. The officials joined us, but did not know the song, but from the picture, it was clear that they enjoyed our arrival.

Picture #2:

That was where we had our meals. If you look closely, you will see Malcolm Pena still eating. This is where Happy sang his calypso, Panty Raid at Taj Mahal, 10 minutes after the woman came in to complain about losing all her panties. Her exact words were,

" Commander Young, those boys stole all my panties, and I don't think it is funny."

Picture #3

Our sleeping arrangements. Those of us who went to Lethem after working at Mhadia, had to sleep in hammocks.

Picture #4

The only person in this picture who is not a Mausican is Charlie. He is the short one in front holding my quatro. He is half Amerindian, and was in charge of our work gang.

Garth Nicholas

1969 to 1971

Sunset Villa

Garth Nicholas 71

Re: MAUSICA WEEKLY EMAILS 2021-NOV-05

2021-NOV-05-0837Hrs

Fair Haven Bomb Room? Hmmm!

I thought we had banned Grell Cup in Fair Haven...we forgot to put a time limit on it. So I am now finding out that men who came after participated in Grell Cup.

Back in my first year 67-68, De Warden put up a sign on the notice board outside of the assembly hall during Grell cup that said "Fair Haven-Campus Donkey."

Now I have to say that even here in 2021, I still feel quite hurt about that sign, which was really a gross disrespect of the GENTLEMEN of fairhaven, men like Geezmo (Kent Rennie),  Carlsbury, Rodney, Patrick Ali, Anthony Lum, Deodath Ojah Maharaj, Efeebo, Murrel, Miguel, Arthur Hume, Gaston Alleyne, Clyde Maurice, and my Second Year roomate Sto (Selwyn Bethelmy).

Respect to those no longer on this earth... Toco, Phillip Kendall, Oswald Thompson, Hospy, Martin Brathwaite.

So this "Campus Donkey" sign was left up on that board for the whole Grell Cup week.

But during that week Fairhaven fought back, through the fortitude of me and my roomate Sto. We issued an edict that Fairhaven men will NOT take further part in de Grell cup, and in fact that instead of a Bomb Room, we will have a La Basse room and  our room will be it.

We put a sign on the door inviting all to just throw their rubbish in our room, on the floor......we left the room open. And men obliged, emptying their trash....with cane peeling from their foraging of our cane field ...and everything else.

Bomb Room?

Down in the Villa Davis Charles had a Bomb Room. The man cheated, bring Chenille Bed spread from home to put on his bed in the Villa flat, where he was hostel Rep. You go down to de Villa to see this thing and you fraid to enter that room  it so clean and antiseptic. Flowers and ting.

The Warden and his team came down to inspect rooms in Haven, and we left our room open....and I would have given money to hear the Warden react when they went in to "inspect".

The next year, 68, I sang "No Grell Cup" in the calypso contest....came in third..dey tief me....

"Who start up dis Grell Cup business

Nobody eh know

Some Say is de Bald head Warden

Some say is Harry Joe

Whoever it is, dat eh worrying me

Just Tell dem I say

No Grell cup for Lord Scratchie.

I am disheartened to see that men in Fairhaven fell back into de Grell cup to the point of having bomb room.

But I understand. A Fairhaven man beats his own drum, and nobody cant tell him what to do.

Lord Scratchie (Calypso king third place 1968).

Theodore Lewis 69