I took a few more photographs of the school which are posted below.
At around 1.30 PM, there was an inter-action programme between old students and the present boys of class 11 which was moderated by an ex student of yesteryears Richard Johnson. He now lives in Australia and frequently holds this type of programmes.
We old students took a group of 3 to 6 class 11 boys and guided them in any areas of problem which they may face.The programme was benefecial.
This is something which can be introduced in school on a regular basis.
We have old boys in all walks of life holkding various important posts.
We could have a interactive site on the web where students could seek guidance and we old students could guide them
We then had a light lunch and went off to Roly Poly.
S P Chatterjee, J K Ghosh, H L Roy, D K Roy and his wife and I set off. It was a tiring but refreshing journey back through time. The sights were beautiful and we could smell the pine trees.But we were disappointed. Roly Poly had vanished.
The area had been fenced off and there was a grave there.We couldn't find out whose grave it was.
I took two photographs of a stream which was flowing into what was previously Roly Poly.
In the evening there was socials. St Helens girls had come and the boys had a rum time.
The hi-light of the evening was a performance of music and songs by the band "Mantra" which had the whole house swinging.
The evening was to have ended with a dinner but because of the delay and cold many of us left without dinner. Fortunately there was no booze this evening.
The transport back to Kurseong was again a problem faced by all who did not have there own transport.
Radheshyam
Basant Lama's small speech yesterday was highly appreciated by everybody.
I am giving below verbatim the contents of the speech,
a copy of which Basant so kindly gave me.
"Welcome Home Boys
As good old Br. Cahill would have said;
Never again in your life will you get to see so many ugly faces
gathered together in one place.
He was actually referring to the St. Helen's girls!
No offence meant girls: Old Khattoo was harmless anyway.
If he was alive today he'd be turning over in his grave.
We wanted the Governor as the Chief Guest.
Someone very specific.
He couldn't make it.
The boys settled for someone in general.
So we got the Army General from Sukna.
We first met each other in school as the young and the bold.
Today we meet as the old and the bald.
But our spirit has not waned
It's only been watered down some.
Tastes much better that way,
and you can drink a lot more.
The last time we saw each other
We were dying to leave School and we were singing
"Going Home Day has come at last Doo Dah Doo Dah Day"
That so many of us have taken so much trouble;
to make so much more trouble, to so many more of us here,
to get back for a Grand Re-union,
speaks volumes for whatever GMS was worth to us.
We gather today to Remember, and to Celebrate
The Days of our Camelot,
That was once Our Youth,
And to catch up with our Lady Class Teachers
whom we fell in love with as little children.
They are still as beautiful as ever.
We gather at Goethals,
Maybe for that one last time in life,
To revive old memories,
Of a long lost childhood.
And to create new ones of these few fleeting moments,
That we will be spending together.
Memories that will see us through for the rest of our days.
Welcome Home Boys.
It is only proper that we end the centenary with a word of
thanks to those Non-Teaching Staff who looked after us when
we were children, and thanks to their care we have now grown
up from little kids into senile old Goats.
To Raghunath Raut the GMS Dhobi for more than 50 years,
and all the other School Dhobis: Thanks for giving us a good
"Dhulai", and giving us the "Dhobi's Itch".
Nothing to be embarrassed about.
The whole of the Sub-continent scratches their privates
in public.
That's because he wore our new clothes to town.
Those that fitted him anyway.
To the town Drycleaners:- who removed the stains from our
blazers and woolen suits (which we desperately needed for the socials")
They took us to the cleaners.
And now we have to thank them for it?
To those in charge of the School Kitchen:- Couldn't they cook
up a better excuse for the grub they made?
The World's best Chefs couldn't cook
the see-through Omelets they made, at Goethals.
To the School Bearers who dished it out to us.
Served us right.
To the School Tailor, good old Robert Tailor,
who turned all our pants into "draipipes",
then into "flares" and then into "baggies".
He had us in stitches.
To the School Cobbler, who mended our Soles.
We still ended up sinners.
To the School Barber, getting a haircut from him was
always a close shave.
To Francis Daju the Lab Assistant,who made sure we didn't
blow up our faces in the Lab. Thanks for letting us know in advance
what was coming for the Practical Exams.
To the Junior Dorm Sisters and Matrons. They argued all night
long, about what we never understood, but their cacophony
became a sort of lullaby, we couldn't go to sleep without it.
To Blackie, the School Boxman,
to whom many of us still owe some money. We cannot help but
plagiarize Churchill's famous Speech for the Battle of Britain:-
"Never in the history of any school, have so many, owed so
much, to so few.
To Paniwallah, who rationed out the hot water during "Baths".
He made sure we came clean.
To the Shool Driver, who drove us round the bend every time
we had to go up to Darj to play a football match.
To the School Postman, "Tip", for bringing us our letters from
Home and our pocket money via a "Money Order"
To Sister Felix and all the Hospital Sisters, for letting us pretend
we were sick,when all we were doing was dodging the exams.
To Old Mr. Singh and Mr. Sinha from our School Office. Little
Clerk and Big Clerk. Thanks for not over billing us.
And finally,
If you think the Organizing of the Centenary Celebrations has not lived
upto expectations.
We agree with you.
We have surpassed it!
Old friends meet, all of 1965, probably the last time they would be all together
L to R : D K Roy, S P Chatterjee, Basant Lama, R S Sharma, J K Ghosh, Bruce Wallace.
Bruce came all the way from Australia
Two boys of class II during the "Mantra" show
Standing in the Queue for the Souvenir
Standing in the Queue for the Souvenir
Standing in the Queue for the Souvenir
Standing in the Queue for the Souvenir
S K Agarwal(1973) and R S Sharma(1965)
Standing in the Queue for the Souvenir
Some younger students on the way to Roly Poly
Left and Below: Streams flowing into what was previously Roly Poly
The re-built portions of the old class rooms and main building
The Classrooms
Right and Below: Two view of the School Main Building
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