Old Mount Hermon Students’ Association (UK)

Hon.

Newsletter - 2018

Cindy Gibbs
Hon. Secretary OMHSA
May 2018
 

The School Houses - Pokhara, Nepal December 2017

 Pokhara December 2017

More of Cindy's pictures of her visits  are in the Photo Gallery under the tab - "Cindy's Pictures."

Newsletter  2016 - 17

Dear Members, 

I am quite late this year in getting the newsletter written. My apologies.

Once again we visited India, this year in March, travelling with a classmate of mine, Margaret Mapley Jackson and her husband, Nigel. Margaret’s father, Jeffrey Mapley, had run the Maintenance Department at Mount Hermon from around 1959-71, and her mother, Rachel, ran Ailina Guest House. Margaret had not been back to India since they left in1971 so we decided we would make this exciting trip back together. I am leaving the bulk of the Newsletter for her story of the trip. 

My up to date information on the school is slightly sketchy but this is what I have been told, or have seen myself. When we visited this year we found that the girls who were boarding, had been moved out of the ‘new’ Millennium building back into the main building, and all were housed in the newly-painted, and renovated senior girls dormitories. They were looking lovely. Apparently the Millennium building was leaking, and needed repairs. The main corridor in the Main Building downstairs had been repaired (after the cracks appeared after the earthquake), and repainted and was looking excellent. As for the renovation and contributions, Sarthak Pradhan played a important part in getting permission from the school authority allowing the renovation work to be carried out.  I think they were responsible for three classrooms being repaired and the major cracks being repaired around the corridor.  

We met with the current Administrator, Mr. Norton Emmanuel. As I write there still is no Principal. Mr. Emmanuel visits from time to time from his school, where he is Principal, The Methodist School, Dankuni in West Bengal. Mr. Emmanuel greeted us warmly and we discussed the situation at the school. At the time there were more boarders and day scholars than there are today. I was recently told there are only 80 boarders and 120 day students. We heard some boy students had had to be expelled for disciplinary reasons. Therefore with so few students money continues to be a huge problem. Some classes have taken it upon themselves to renovate their own old class, and collected the money from their classmates for the renovation. This was welcomed. However this is not really a long term solution. 

It was felt by some that a clear cut, independent, report on the school needs to be done. Mr. Emmanuel has been approached and if this is agreed things can then move forward. There are many different alumni groups, and it is all rather disjointed. Many now feel an apathy towards the school, as in the past their offers of help, or being involved have not been taken up. Possibly the only way forward is to have a single united body of alumni, but I’m not sure where this should be based. Ideally in India, I would imagine. However, what we really need is to see where all the problems lie within the school and goals set to remedy the issues and take it forward. Then people can be approached to help financially when a clear cut solution is on the table. We will then need people at the helm that everyone feels confident with and feels they can trust. 

There is a huge Mount Hermon Reunion being organised by the Thai alumni in Bangkok and Pattaya, December 15-18. So far there seem to be around 277 people going - that includes Hermonites, and their families. We are hoping that the issue of Mount Hermon’s plight will be raised, but we shall have to wait and see what may come of it. They have indicated there will be a slot to discuss the situation the school is in, so let’s keep our fingers crossed. 

As and when we do hear more news we shall try and keep everyone updated. 

With warm regards to everyone. 

Cindy Gibbs.

My Return to India.

By Margaret Mapley

My return to Darjeeling, my birth place, took 45 years! It was bitter sweet, an emotional rollercoaster. My memories of India were those of a 12 ½ year old, aware of what was of interest to me as I tagged along behind my parents! I have wanted to make this trip for a very long time, as I still consider Darjeeling ‘home’. I wanted to create memories as an adult. 

My husband Nigel and I flew into Delhi, where we met our friends Lucinda and Pradip Verma. A side trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal was not negotiable, as was the tour to see the Qutub Minar, the Bahai Lotus Temple, the Birla Temple, and Humayun’s Tomb. I really have no memories of Delhi, but the Taj lived up to what I remember it to be – magnificent. One thing that stuck out for us was the incessant horn honking! Nigel shared with our tour driver that he had whiskers like a cat – that even though traffic was crazy, he knew exactly where the surrounding vehicles were. We shared some time with another Hermonite, the ‘Queen of Delhi’, Anita! She cleared her schedule to spend time with us and to help us find things that were on our ‘to buy’ lists!

 I had the best seat on the plane as we flew to Bagdogra – the Himalayan Range was on my left almost the whole flight! The drive up the hills to Darjeeling was an experience my husband has never had – windy, narrow roads, and all the switchbacks! I remember riding the train up and down from Darjeeling to the plains, maybe the only time we drove by Jeep was when we left in May 1971. It was hard to recognize for the most part, as the roadsides are now mostly built up and inhabited. When we travelled by train, there was wide open space, hills to one side and the drop to valleys below on the other.

 The shell or skeleton of Darjeeling is still the same – the roads up and down from the Chowrasta to the New Dish, the Mall to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. Das Studio, Keventer’s, Glenary’s. BUT, it is so built up – the hillside from the Planter’s Hospital to the Chowrasta now covered with structures. It was very hazy for the time we were in Darjeeling, so a clear view of the Kangchenjunga Range was elusive – even from Tiger Hill! I remember the walk from MH to Tiger Hill when we raised funds for the floods in Bangladesh, but the look-out is nothing like it used to be – a building is half taken down and rebar sticks up in many places. I tried to walk as many places as I remember walking with my Father – the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute to see the display of Tenzing and Hillary’s gear from their first climb to the top of Mt. Everest, around the Mall, to Glenary’s for tea. Nigel and I went for a ‘joy ride’ on the Toy Train, to Ghoom and back. It too seemed to be much smaller than my childhood memory!

Beloved Mount Hermon – what more can I say! It was great to walk once again in the halls, up the steps to the ‘hospital’, up the path to the top field, out the school gates and home to Ailina. I had been warned by many that it was in bad shape, and I thought I was prepared, but I don’t think anyone could have said anything more to prepare me for the state it is in. It was exciting to walk through ‘Wayside’ where we lived, telling everyone where things were when we lived there (the bedrooms, the add-on Dad built, the bathroom, the hiding spot in the chimney enclosure). Everyone was surprised that I could recall it all so vividly. It is sad that many structures at MH have not been regularly maintained – the staff cottages below the playing field, the hospital, the classrooms, the chapel. We were able to go up to the junior girls dormitory (although they are not in use at this time due to lack of enrollment), and were taken round the dorms that are in use now (senior girls dorm being one now in use again). It was amazing to see the same lockers and cupboards that were in use in the senior girl’s dorm – my Dad built those! It was funny to walk beside the concrete water towers above the hospital – I am sure they were 50 feet tall when I went with Dad to check on the water levels! I was struck with how small things are in reality – when I was younger, it seemed like a long walk from school to Ailina, the yard in front of the study hall (where there used to be a BIG tree) is really not very big!

 It was a fluke that we were actually in Darjeeling for Mount Hermon’s 121^st birthday! Pradip, Cindy, Nigel, Thangi, Sarthak and I met with Mr. Emanuel on March 10th to talk about concerns, and we were invited back for Chapel celebrations the next morning. Unfortunately Cindy and Pradip both were ill, so Nigel, Thangi and I went back for Chapel. We were invited to speak to the students and share our thoughts as alumni. I wish I had known ahead of time that we would be called on, as my thoughts were whipped together in a matter of 5 seconds and I feel I could have been more eloquent if I had planned it out beforehand!

 We stayed with Shiv Saria in Siliguri for a night before our flight to Kolkata. It was great to share a meal with some fellow Hermonites, one classmate, Narendra Saraogi! Nigel, Pradip, and I joined Shiv for his morning walk. Nigel sure got to see what happens on the streets on a normal day – a family of pigs hoofing it down the median, a Holy Cow laying in the waste from the stalls chewing its cud. Shiv’s complex was like an oasis in the middle of it all!

We stayed in Kolkata for a couple of nights at the Grand before Nigel flew home to Canada. Once again I was struck with the contrast between what lay inside the walls and what was on the outside. This is truly a beautiful colonial building that has been well maintained. I don’t have many memories of places in Kolkata, but the activity on the streets was familiar. Another Hermonite friend, Betty, opened her home for visits and cleared her days to make sure I found a saree! She had connections to get my saree blouse made in 2 days! We joked about Betty being the “Queen of Kolkata.”

 Lucinda, Pradip and I took the train to Maheshgunj for a couple of days. We stayed at a beautiful colonial plantation home. It was on an indigo plantation many years ago. It was interesting to see another part of life in rural India.

 The three of went on to Bangkok to visit some of our Thai classmates. I stayed with Kuruvin and her husband. We were taken out for a wonderful Thai meal with the group, and shared many memories and laughs! This was the first time that I had seen my classmates in 45 years!

There is such a contrast in India - people who are employed and live well, and others who rely on the local water spigots on street corners for their morning showers. Beautiful colonial buildings, some clean and well-kept while others right beside them are in ruins. I must say that it still tugs at my heart! It was great to finally see what I left behind – what was my whole world, the only place I had ever known as home. Whenever we watch movies about India, Nigel always asked “Is that really how it is?” Now he knows – the beauty and the filth, the busy cities and the slow paced villages, the advanced and the behind times. All of it somehow manages to work side by side and creates the country that it is – my home.

Margaret Mapley (Jackson) – Oct. 2016.

Newsletter 2015

Dear Members,

I have been asked by James Sinclair to take on the role of Hon. Secretary, which is rather daunting, as I shall have to try and follow on from Hazel Craig, which will be a hard act to follow. She is a great loss to us all.

 As we have just been to Darjeeling I thought I would write a bit about our trip, Darjeeling itself, and of course Mount Hermon.

 It was my father, David Gibbs, who suddenly decided he would like to make a, possibly last, visit to India to see old boys, friends and St. Paul’s (he was Rector there from 1964 -72). My mother didn’t feel able to come, so remained behind (breaking her hip just before we left, but was well cared for, so we felt able to go).

 We went straight to Calcutta, where several airlines and now flying direct to, bypassing Bombay and Delhi. The weather was very pleasant and we stayed in the Grand. It remains the grande dame of Calcutta hotels, and is still the haven it always was. Calcutta is no different I think, bustling, busy, but charming and full of delightful people. People complain of the traffic, which is true, but if one avoids the rush hours, it isn’t so bad! We met up with a couple of Hermonites who had been at Mount Hermon in our era; Betty Bannerjee, whose father had been a doctor on the tea gardens and Miti Adhikari, who has returned to Calcutta with his wife, to promote Indian bands, after a very successful career with the BBC in London. As we had to chaperone my father it didn’t leave us a great amount of time to connect with any others. However, I had also gone to St. Paul’s for a couple of years as a youngster, so did see some of my own classmates from that period too, as the Paulites put on various lunches and dinners for my father. The Clubs in Calcutta still thrive and waiting lists to join run into years! We have been lucky to visit most of the Calcutta clubs over the years, and the old rules are all still in place – dress codes, wonderful snacks – cheese chilli toasts, cheese balls, fish fingers, paneer tikka, kathi rolls and so on, along with the chota and burra pegs, pukka club food served on linen cloths in the dining rooms, old bearers who have been there for years, and so on. There is something very comforting about it all. How pleasant it is to go into a place where everyone is dressed properly for dinner.

 After four days of a fairly hectic regime we had been invited to stay at the ancestral home of old Paulites, about a three and a half hour drive from Calcutta – in Maheshgunj. If you would like to see photographs of the place do look up www.balakhana.com. They have opened it as a homestay. It is a 19^th century French villa. The drive was breathtaking – through the Bengal countryside – wonderful scenes of life beside the numerous ponds, paddy fields stretching as far as the eye could see, typical small villages bustling with life, villagers selling their produce on the roadside – shiny purple aubergines, short, fat cucumbers, long string beans,- bullock carts carrying heaps of jute, thatched huts, sweet shops with pyramidal piles of colourful sweetmeats, schoolgirls in crisp, starched uniforms, hair neatly plaited, carrying armfuls of books, colourful woven saris washed and blowing in the wind. It was a feast for the eyes. Balakhana was a very special place. Set in 16 acres of gardens, fields, and fruit trees with langurs high in the trees. The Jalangi river flows close by – just a short walk through a typical Bengal village, filled with laughing children, and past people tending their crops either side of the raised path to the river. A lone boat wends its way down the lazy waters. Utterly peaceful.

We were treated to wonderful Bengali hospitality – sumptuous home cooking, and wonderful company in the most idyllic spot. Each night mosquito nets were hung over the four poster beds, as we slept with the top windows in the high ceilinged rooms open, letting the heat out and the cool of the night in. We heard jackals howling in the near distance – and it really took me back to nights in Darjeeling.

 Our next leg was back to Calcutta for the night and on to Bagdogra the next morning. Calcutta airport is no longer our DumDum but a smart and modern Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Bagdogra is much the same, small and informal, with its busy café with temptations such as momos, pakoras, cutlets and fish and chips!! We didn’t stop but went on straight up to Kurseong, climbing rapidly out of the heat of the plains. The scenes never change; the tea gardens, lush forest vegetation, the red and white rhododendron trees, the steep climbs and hairpin bends. It was misty at Kurseong, but we stopped at the Tourist Lodge, which on a clear day has a wonderful view of the snows. It is a well-known stopping place to Darjeeling, and has a good menu, with of course plenty of Darjeeling tea! Onwards and upwards to Darjeeling. We have been to Darjeeling regularly over the years, and were not surprised by the crush of traffic and further new buildings. My father hadn’t been back for 5 years, and noticed a big difference. We were staying in the Mayfair hotel, at the far end of the Mall road, opposite Raj Bhawan. It was the old summer-house of the Maharajah of Nazargunj, and has had some tasteful additions added to ensure there is space for the restaurants etc. We have stayed here for several years, and have found the rooms extremely comfortable, with excellent bathroom facilities, good food and very pleasant staff. It has a Library, filled with photographs of Tenzing and the Everest expeditions, and a bar dedicated to the artist Goray Douglas, whose works adorn the walls. It is a nice walk up to the Chowrasta from the hotel.

 The Chowrata has also changed a little. Beneath the end of the Windamere’s land they have now built a stage for performances etc. The old row of shops with the Oxford Book Store, Habeebs, Lekraj are still there – with little change. However, Lekraj is closed, Habeebs is run by the same family, but the old man my parents bought lovely things from has died. The Oxford book store still has many wonderful publications on the hills, books by Indian authors, guide books etc, and will post on anything you buy, to save you carrying the book with you on further travels. The ponies for rides are still there, but their quarters are not in good shape. The huge expanse of the Chowrasta remains, but a Café Coffee Day (sort of Costa Coffee type place) has come up next to Jolly Arts, modern influences of course. All the shops on Nehru Road we knew are still there – Das Studio, where Durga Das still runs the show (Mohan was visiting whilst we were there too), still has a wonderful array of photographs, postcards etc, Frank Ross the Chemist, Bata, Keventers and Glenarys, which has a wifi café and bakery downstairs, and the restaurant upstairs is as good as ever. We were in both places, and had to have our cream cones with pots of Darjeeling tea. So good. On the opposite side of the road below the D&DMA (Planters Hospital) a new construction is coming up (narrowing the road) and is housing modern fast food ‘joints’ – like Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. This, I suppose, is progress……When we were there in earlier times, there was nothing, and then a series of make shift shack type shops came up. These have now been relocated and they are erecting this new concrete building. The Planters Club still carries on and we have in the past sat out with beers on the terrace over looking the road below and life in Darjeeling. There are so many hotels now in Darjeeling that I think they struggle with bookings. However, it has its old world charm still. There is much building in Darjeeling, and positively thousands of vehicles. Everyone it seems runs a taxi, and the streets are lined with drivers waiting for a fare. There is a one way system round town which otherwise would become impassable. Sometimes the change is depressing, but one can still see the old Darjeeling pushing through to remind us of our happy days there.

We went down to Mount Hermon of course, leaving my father to go up to St. Paul’s to see the current Rector, whom he had not met. We had spoken on the phone to Mr. Wharton to ensure he was going to be around. Sadly Aileena, the guest house just outside the gates, is now thoroughly neglected and has a fence around it. Happy times were spent there whilst I was in school, with the Mapleys. However, when we came through the gates and parked, we noticed some improvement from a year earlier. The grounds were in better shape and the malis were working away. It looked tidier and better kept. Mr. Wharton was there, and greeted us warmly and we went into his office, where we were served tea. We had met him the previous year and he had told us of how difficult things in the hills were. They now have almost an equal number of borders to day students. It is hard with all the previous political unrest to get boarders. Trying to get old students to send their children there it seems is difficult too. We had seen around the school last year, including the no longer used senior and junior girls dormitories. The earthquake in 2011 caused some damage, but there was a great deal of neglect in maintenance over the years as well. All the windows in the junior girls dormitories needed attention from good carpenters, but the rest of the dorms were more or less fine. A fresh lick of paint was needed everywhere. I understand now the claim for the damage to the main school building is still under discussion as the insurance company are prepared to only pay around half of the claim. As we are really not privy to the detail it is hard to know where things will go. There have been discussions with various alumni groups about raising funds, but until the insurance claim is sorted out we have no idea what will remain undone. I also heard that one particular batch did do up a classroom, raising funds between them, and I think arranging the works themselves. After discussions with several people it seems that what one would really need are reliable people on the ground close by to clearly detail works required, costs, and then the safe collection of any donations, with a clear picture of how this money will be spent. Not an easy task.

 As some of you will be aware a new building has come up, where the old, open gym was, above the main school field. This, I understand, had been destined to become a new dining hall, but after the earthquake the boarding girls are now in that building. The dining hall moved down to the basement of the main building some years ago, and a library is now where our old dining room was. Last year we happened to visit on the day the Junior School Musical production had it’s first showing – revived after 25 years I understand. It was called ‘The Magic Basket ‘ and was quite delightful. Mrs. Murray would have been proud. I think Mr. Wharton was, and rightly so. The music was very good, and the children were charming in their colourful costumes, all singing in tune. We really did enjoy it.

 The outlying old Darjeeling cottages, that housed staff, are all in need of repair. They are treasures really and it is a shame they have not been able to be kept up. Some years ago I had suggested that if places like Aileena and it’s adjacent house could be restored Hermonite parents/visitors could rent the places, bringing revenue into the school, and keeping the properties in good repair. However, the logistics, money to do this etc, is always the issue. I am sure we all have ideas of where any fundraising monies could be spent, but the most difficult part is the management that end of the funds and how they are spent.

 We also met Rev Noel Prabhuraj, the Vice Chairman/Secretary, on this trip and he was the person who brought us up to speed on the situation with the insurance company.  We also talked about staff, and the question of foreign staff came up. As I suppose work permits are difficult and paying a foreign staff salary would also be difficult, if people wanted to volunteer to come and teach with simply board and lodging the school would be happy to welcome the help.

 We took the car back up to town and met my father along with several other people in Glenary’s, before driving down the hill to the Dooars, to spend a few days on a tea garden, owned by a Paulite. A wonderful, restful time, in a lovely climate, with superb garden food – taking one back to days gone past. We sat on the lawn watching beautiful birds flit through the trees, listening to the Gauhati train as it chugged through the garden, drinking excellent CTC tea, and being spoilt. We managed to meet another Hermonite, Shiv Saria, on his garden, Soongachi, and he was most hospitable. After mouth-watering  momos, we had a delicious vegetarian lunch, and then we drove around parts of the garden seeing how he had brought up inhospitable areas, learning about irrigation techniques and generally enjoying the beautiful tea garden scenery. I knew a classmate of mine, Beverley Mackie, had spent some time on Kumlai garden, which was very close by. Shiv kindly got in touch with the current Manager, and we went to visit it. The old bungalow they would have lived in was still very much in use, and I took a lot of photos to send Beverley. What I hadn’t realised was they had also lived at Soongachi! After four days in the Dooars we returned to Calcutta and our seventeen day trip with my father was at an end. He returned to Ireland, and we went on to Goa for a short break.

 I hope this will have taken you back to times at school and memories of Darjeeling. Of course much has changed, but our love of school, and the friendships we made there, will always be close to our hearts.

Cindy Gibbs

(Hony. Secretary)

Cindy's Photographs of her trip

Newsletter 2013

My sincere apologies for the non-issue of Newsletters to our membership since 2009.  The reason is that our Hon. Secretary, Hazel (Innes) Craig suffered another stroke in 2011, and has now been moved to a care home from the retirement village where she had been since 2009.  Unfortunately, Hazel is no longer able to carry out her duties as Hon. Secretary, and I too, as Hon. Treasurer, have been remiss in sending out Newsletters to our subscribed membership.  I hope this Newsletter will make up for the missing years.  Should you wish to contact Hazel by post, her address is Sunrise of Chorleywood, High View, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Herts. WD3 5TQ .One of our supportive members, Liz Ellis (Betty Halden), has been persuaded to be our Acting Honorary Secretary. 

I have, however, been keeping our website  www.oldmhs.com up-to-date, and those with Internet facilities are able to keep up with recent news.  I have extracted the following items from our News Update page.  However, in order to reach those of our members who don’t have Internet facilities, I will issue annual Newsletters in future and post them out.  Postal charges have become increasingly expensive though, so I have had to limit the issue of the Newsletters to only those without Internet services.  I will publish the Newsletters on-line on our website for all to see.

Our website is doing very well, and is popular with those of our members able to access it, and other visitors and old school students, with 5,500 hits since November last year.  Previously, the counter hit over 35,000 visitors till Yahoo ceased to support our website and I had to transfer to Mecca Web Hosting.  If you do have an email address, (or perhaps a close friend or relative has one that I can contact you through), please let me know, and I will add you to the distribution list so that you will be aware of any updates to our site.

Unfortunately, we were not able to hold an annual reunion lunch last year, as reported in the News Update for 2012.  I will try and organise a small reunion perhaps in September this year, if the responses from our membership is reasonably good.  But we will have to find another venue for this occasion, as we do not wish to use the Bombay Brasserie in London for this event, due to our bad experience last year.

With all good wishes,
James Sinclair
Hon. Treasurer) and Webmaster

NEWS UPDATE 2013

Mrs. Murray

Many of our earlier students, of the 1960s and 70s, will be sorry to learn that Mrs. Murray (Patricia) has been seriously ill with vascular disease, weakness of the heart, poor circulation and kidney problems complicated by diabetes.  She was in intensive care at the hospital, and at one point it was touch and go, as she had to have one of her legs amputated above the knee.  However, she has survived the emergency treatment and is now slowly but surely recovering, and it is hoped that with proper care and treatment, she will fully recover from this ordeal.  Our thoughts and prayers are with her and all her family, and especially her husband Graeme who is soldering on despite his own health problems.

New Headmaster

I am pleased to announce that a new headmaster of Mount Hermon School has now been appointed as a replacement for Mr. George Fernandez who has now retired.  He is Mr. Terrence Wharton who was once at MH Teacher Training College.  We do not yet know much about him, but as news filters through I will keep you posted.  We sincerely hope that he will be able to bring about changes to restore the school to its former standing, as it has not been doing well in recent years.

NEWS UPDATE 2012

Sad News

Our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to former Headmaster "Boss" David Stewart  and his family on the tragic death of his younger son aged only 47 years.  After a sudden and unexpected illness, John leaves behind his widow Jude and their two young sons, Jack aged 9 and Joshua aged 6.  To lose a son in the evening of his life has come as a shattering and terrible shock to dear Boss.  We pray that he will be able to meet this tragic loss with fortitude and courage.  He is in our thoughts and prayers.
 

It is with deep sadness that I have to announce the death from cancer of my dear classmate, Menno Ziessen, on 8th October 2012.  I had met up with Menno and some other MHS friends in London on the 1st September, and he seemed very cheery and full of life on that occasion.  Sadly we did not know that time would be so short for him.  Menno was at Mount Hermon from 1947 to 1959.  He attended some of our Reunions in London in recent years, and was a very supportive member of OMHSA.  He will be sadly missed.

 Reunions

Members will be disappointed to know that we did not hold our usual Annual Reunion this year.  One of the reasons is that our Honorary Secretary, Hazel Craig (Innes) suffered another minor stroke recently and has had to be moved from her retirement village to a care home in Chorleywood, as she has suffered further memory loss, and would not have been able to attend this year.  Apart from this, she is keeping well and is still bright and chirpy.  Anyone wishing to write to her may obtain her current address by emailing me (jimsin12@aol.com) and I will forward you her postal address, as she's not on email any more.  The other reason is that our older members are finding it increasingly difficult and expensive to travel all the way in to London to attend these Reunions, so the response for these gatherings is becoming very poor.  Also, we do not wish to use the Bombay Brasserie for these occasions due to our bad experience last year, and finding another convenient venue is a problem. 

MHS School News

There was recently a campaign to support the candidature of Mr. Jigmi Kazi, a former Mount Hermon Student, Teacher (1976-79) and President of the Hermonites International, in Sikkim, as next Headmaster of Mount Hermon School after the proposed retirement of the current Head, Mr. George Fernandez in April this year.  However, after a lot of meetings and indecision by the school's Management Committee, it has been decided to retain the services of Mr. Fernandez for another year until a replacement is found.  Mount Hermon is not faring well, and in fact came at the very bottom of the League Table of Boarding Schools in India.  The number of students has also drastically fallen, due to poor administration and the recent earthquake which has damaged the school building.  It is hoped a decision will be made soon, as Mr. Kazi seems an excellent candidate to fill the position, and has the interests of the school at heart.

NEWS UPDATE 2011

Reunion 2011:

As in the past, our school reunion lunch took place at the Bombay Brasserie, London on Saturday 28th May.  The attendees were Hazel Craig who was accompanied by guest Geoff Rhodes,  Fazle Khundkar, Daisy McLaughin (Badal) who was accompanied by her daughter Gaye and Granddaughter, Menno Ziessen, Liz Ellis (Betty Halden) and her husband, Ronen Ghose and Jim Sinclair and guest Jimmy Pyke.  As usual it was difficult to muster up sufficient members to attend and it was thanks to guest attendees that we were able to make up a dozen people for a table.  Understandably, it is becoming increasingly difficult for our members in the UK, particularly our older ones, to get into London for this occasion, and rail fares are becoming increasingly expensive.  Also, we were disappointed with the Bombay Brasserie charges.  The buffet lunch was reasonable enough at £25 a head but extras were added on to the bill - e.g. £18.00 for 4 bottles of still water!  Also drinks at the bar and at the table were prohibitively expensive, and some of these were surreptitiously added on to the bill!  Owing to these factors, it is becoming doubtful whether we can continue to hold these annual school reunions in the future.  However, it was a very enjoyable reunion, and members like Menno Ziessen kept us entertained with his lively school stories.

 Sad News

We are very sorry to hear from former Headmaster of MHS, David Stewart, of the death of his dear wife Dorothy Stewart on the 15th August.  She will be fondly remembered by many students of her years at Mount Hermon.  Our thoughts are with him and his family. 

 It was also with great sadness that we heard from Dorothy Searle, daughter of David Francis, that her father died on the 15th of June of this year at the age of 93.  He was one of our oldest members and was in Mount Hermon from about 1923 to 1932.  He was a regular attendee at our past reunions, and will be sadly missed. 

NEWS UPDATE 2010

Reunion 2010:

Our annual school reunion took place at the Bombay Brasserie, London, on Saturday 22nd May.  Those who attended were Hazel (Innes) Craig (Hon. Secretary), Liz Ellis (Betty Halden), James Sinclair with Guests Jimmy Pyke (ex-North Point) and Celine Franklin, Daisy McLaughlin (Badal) and her daughter Gaye Davis, Joyce Course (Leroy), Fazle Khundkar and Tariq Rahmin.  Although there was only a few of us (many members responding with their inability to attend), a very good time was had by all.  The meal was excellent with a wide range of curry dishes served buffet style in the conservatory area of the restaurant, which was light and airy.  Photographs can be seen on the "Look at Them Now" page in the Photo Gallery.

 Contacts: 

Most recently, we have had contact with Lynda Du Croix (Martin) who was in school in the 1950's and would like to contact her old school friends.  The most interesting contact of last year was when I received an email from Kitty Katzell (Mildred Engberg) who was the daughter of one-time Headmistress, Lila Engberg (1931-35), and who lives in New Jersey, USA.  Mildred accompanied her mother to Darjeeling when she was a child.  Besides the very precious old school magazines and photograph albums she so kindly sent me at her own expense, she also included a biography of her mother, entitled "Lila" which she published in 2006, which includes a very interesting chapter of her mother's term as Headmistress of Mount Hermon School.  She was well acquainted with Carolyn Stahl, Headmistress (1918-29) and in fact travelled back to the States with her on furlough in 1930.  This was of great interest to Susan Eason, great-great grandniece of Carolyn Stahl, who had visited MHS in 2000 to search for any information on her Aunt Josie, and who had written to me seeking information on anyone who had known her.  It was a great pleasure to put Susan and Kitty in touch with each other and Kitty was able to fill Susan in with stories about her Aunt.  Other contacts have been made with Calvin Laporte, Edmund Jonah, Zoe Kelman, Tim Reynolds, Carol Horne, Greta Halling Nielsen (Christensen), Sandra Robinson (Phillippe), Aimo Aho, Connie Isaacs (Constance Mozelle Anna Saul), Wajid Ali Khan Panni,  June (Anderson) Wallin,  and Jigmi Kazi who is a journalist in Sikkim and was elected First President of Hermonites International (formed in 2005).  He was a student in MHS from 1963-72, in the Teachers' Training College (1974-75) and a Teacher in 1974-75.  Please see our Contacts Page for further information.

Sad News:

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Author and Honorary OMHSA Member, Terry Martin, on the 29th April 2010 after a long illness.  He wrote three books on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway; the first "Halfway to Heaven" published in 2000 and subsequently Volumes One and Two of "The Iron Sherpa," the Story of Darjeeling and its Remarkable Railway.  He was a regular supporter of OMHSA and attended several of our Reunions in London.  In his first book he published the words of the old Mount Hermon School songs, "Going Home Day," and "Riding Roads of Sunshine."  He will be sadly missed.

Members will also be saddened to learn of the death of Edith Stiffle (Lloyd-Marrow) on 9th April 2010.  Edith had been an invalid for some years and was in a care home at the time of her death.  I also heard from Gordon Hostetler of the deaths of  Oprha Hershberger (2003), Adrienne Peace (Kilroy) ( 2008) and Mary Ann Melchart (Hostetler) (2005).  It was kind of Gordon to provide me with this information.  I wrote to him after our 2009 Newsletters were returned undelivered from these members.

Contact with Greta Nielsen (Christensen)

We heard from Greta Nielsen who sent us some old photographs which I have published on our website.  She has since become a Life Member of OMHSA.

"I have been looking at the OMHSA pages and enjoying it all very much.  I am living in Denmark but went to Mount Hermon from 1943  to 1945  (Greta Christensen).  My old friend Doris Hunt (Hazel's classmate) showed me the school home page when she visited us on a cruise tour and stopped in Copenhagen.  I met Hazel in England in 1995 and we had dinner together with Doris and her husband at Gilbeys Restaurant in Old Amersham - please give her my love." 

NEWSLETTER

April 2009

Dear Member,

Many apologies from me regarding the lack of newsletters, mainly owing to (1) My having moved house and (2) my having been in hospital after a minor stroke.  But I’m glad to say I’m fully recovered now. To repeat myself, my address is now 3 Badgers Walk, Cedars Village, Dog Kennel Lane, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, HERTS WD3 5GA, a retirement village where I have bought a bungalow.   It was a wrench to leave my old house with all its memories of my husband and myself, but it was a bit oversized for  me to live in and run,  so I decided to join my friend, Anjali Paul (nee Dutt) whom some of you may remember from our schooldays at MHS, and who I used to visit, 5 minutes away from where I used to live.   Sadly, Anjali died suddenly just before I moved here (2007).    She was a good friend, and it was very sad. She was captain of Windsor House, (my house) when I was at MHS from 1940 - 1943, all those aeons ago!   I  used to visit Anjali frequently, and that was how I came to know Cedars Village. 

Some more MHS news is that I was contacted by a gentleman whose Grandmother, Daisy Badal, was also a student at MHS in the 1940s.   Daisy is still with us I'm pleased to say, and if anyone would like to be in touch with her, please let me know, and I will delve around in my messy study for her current address!   (My apologies for being unable to supply this in this current newsletter.   Put it down to the  fact that  your Hon. Sec. is still all at sixes and sevens).

 We hope to see many of you at our forthcoming reunion lunch at the Bombay Brasserie in London, on 23rd May this year (2009).

  Salaams and samosas,

 Hazel (Innes) Craig

New Members:

Our website www.oldmhs.com has attracted some ex-MHS students to join OMHSA.  These are: Dianne (Williamson) Bonny (MHS 1942-45); Roger Griffiths (MHS 1963-65); David Ghey (MHS 1943-44);  Frances Ghey (MHS 1939-43); Lucinda (Gibbs) Wharrie (MHS 1968-72); Ronen Ghose (MHS 1950’s); Ron Ghose (MHS 1981-82); Pradip Verma (MHS 1961-75); Raji (Samuel) Woodland (MHS Teacher 1961);  Menno Ziessen (MHS 197-59); Barry Morrow (MHS 1950-57); Shantha Arulanaantham (MHS 1969-71) and Daisy Badal.  We have had the pleasure of meeting some of them at our recent reunions.

Contacts:

Recent contacts - Brian Parker with his reminiscences of books he received as prizes on Speech Day during his school year (1947) and who would like to contact Ira (Rao) Dash; Frank Jacobs who is visiting Darjeeling and Mount Hermon, where his mother Elizabeth Badal attended in 1935-45;  Thinley Dem from Bhutan (MHS 1972-82), Sheila Ingram whose mother Margaret Pierce-Jones attended Mount Hermon School during the 1930s/40s and would like to hear from any "oldies" who might remember her; Kitty Katzell (formerly Mildred Engberg) in school from 1926-34; Pratab Singh Rai (MHS 1954-67) who lives in Darjeeling and who is a regular visitor to OMHSA and other Mount Hermon websites; Trevor Schubert (MHS 1957-65); Andrea (Phillippe) Porter and Sandra (Phillippe) Robinson (MHS 1959-61).  We were also contacted by Gaye Davis, daughter of Daisy Badal who has now joined OMHSA as a Life Member and who is looking forward to attending our next reunion,with her daughter. We have  had contact with a charming young lady, Susan Eason, from the USA, who came across our website.  She contacted me as she is interested in hearing from any of our older members who may remember her great-great-grandaunt, Carolyn Stahl, who was Principal of Queen's Hill and Mount Hermon between 1918 - 1928 (See History of MHS page).  She has recently visited the old school, travelling half-way across the world, just to see the place where her "Aunt Josie" worked.  She has sent me a lot of early photographs of both Queen's Hill and the newer Mount Hermon School, which had just been built, (1925) as the photographs clearly show building materials scattered about, from her Aunt Josie's collection.  I have intermingled these photographs in the appropriate parts of the Photo Gallery, and have marked them as from the "Stahl Collection."  These photographs Susan kindly sent me have survived the years (about eighty) pretty well, though some editing was necessary.  The pages that have been updated with her pictures are: History of MHS,  and in the Photo Gallery - Old School, School Staff and Older Darjeeling.

 Reunion 2007

Our Reunion Lunch at the Bombay Brasserie, London on Saturday May 26th was a great success.  There were 17 of us altogether, including guests, and those who attended were  Fazle Khundkar, Menno Ziessen, Liz Ellis, Dianne Bonny & husband, Shantha Arulanantham, Elizabeth Goold, Cindy Wharrie, Joy Broad, Tariq Rahman & little daughter, James Sinclair and two guests, Terry Martin - author of "The Iron Sherpa" a book about Darjeeling and the DH Railway,  Fabien Raymondaud (Guest) and Hazel Craig Hon. Secretary OMHSA.

On 19th December 2007, Just before Christmas, there was a mini-reunion (courtesy Jimmy Pyke) at the Shikara Indian Restaurant in Chelsea Cloisters, London,  with some old North Pointers and MHS Classmates of 1954-55 - Barry Morrow, Menno Ziessen and James Sinclair.  Photographs of the event have been published on the "Look At Them Now" page in the Photo Gallery.  Menno and James also met up with OMHSA member Ronen Ghose who lives in Milton Keynes, in November last year.  It was really a joyous reunion for Menno and Ronen after 50 years, and they had many school memories to share.

Reunion 2008

Our Reunion Lunch for 2008 took place at the Bombay Brasserie, London on Saturday 26^th April.  Those members who attended were Fazle Khundkar, Ida Smith (Ray), Liz Ellis (Betty Halden), Joy Broad and her daughter, Terry Martin, author of the excellent book on the D.H. Railway, who we have made an Honorary Member, and who brought along with him three guests, Fabien Raymondaud, Marilyn Metz and Peter Tiller.  Marilyn and Peter have strong associations with Darjeeling and its unique railway.  James Sinclair brought ex-North Pointer Jimmy Pyke with him as Jimmy is a regular attendee of our annual reunions,  and of course I attended myself.  We had hoped for more OMHSA members to attend, but unfortunately most of them had previous engagements for the day.  Still it was a friendly gathering and the meal was very enjoyable. 

Sad News:

It is with great sadness that we have to report that our loyal OMHSA member, who was always at our annual reunion, Joyce (Ezekiel) Thorne, died in January 2006.  We also received sad news in January 2008 from Winnie Schultz Daussman,  that her school friend and OMHSA Member, Mary Ann Melchert (Hostetler) MHS 1933-43, sadly passed away in November 2006.  It is with great sadness too that we heard news of the demise of Jeroo Gilder on April 1st 2006.  Another member who sadly died just before Christmas 2008 was Vanda Williamson.  She was a very supportive member of OMHSA.  And as mentioned before, Anjali Paul (Dutt) died shortly before I moved to my new address (2007).  All these members will be sadly missed.

Recent News:

Ex-North Pointer, Jimmy Pyke, who is a regular guest at our London reunions, has returned from Darjeeling, which he visited in March 2008.  He paid a courtesy call on Mount Hermon and was invited to tea by the Principal, Mr. George Fernandez.  He said the school is now looking very impressive!

 Next Reunion:

 Our next reunion is planned for Saturday 23^rd May 2009 at the Bombay Brasserie, Courtfield Close, Courtfield Road (Opposite Gloucester Road Tube Station), London SW7.  The cost of the meal is £25 a head and drinks can be had at the bar at a special discounted price. 

 Our website address is www.oldmhs.com  Please contact James Sinclair (Jimsin12@aol.com) if you have changed your email address, postal address or phone number for our records.  We would particularly like the email address for Joy Abrahams (Callow) as emails to her old address are bouncing.