Does anyone have an idea where all the President's Scouts and Guides, that were active in Goa in the 'seventies have now reached? The Internet, and Goanet, helped put us in touch with Edgar Alvares (a vet in Australia, his brother Paul is a priest and Principal of SAS, Monte de Guirim), who Miguel Braganza (an ex-agri officer and landscape consultant in Goa) met after 25 years. Charlie or Charlton (I didn't know that was not his name, but just taken on after his hero Bobby Charlton) died unfortunately early in Mapusa. Mahesh Kamat from the Crack Rover Crew is with Zuari Industries, as Miguel points out. Ricky is in software at Porvorim. Richard Sequeira is an agri scientist in Australia. (All three from Saligao.) Of course, I never had the merit nor the persistence to even try for the President's badge. But these guys were people we looked up to as people worth emulating. In scouting.
Where's Gustavo D'Sa (ex-Guirim), as Miguel himself asks? There were the President's Guides too. I only remember Maryln Estibeiro, who went on to become a skilful vet, who's work is appreciated by the owners of her patients. She practises out of Alto Porvorim, if I'm not outdated. Our scout-masters are still around, some of them. Sergio Carvalho recently retired from Nirmala's. He had then recently returned from Africa (Kenya), and like many of the expats from that part of the world, lent a certain dynamism to Goan society in the 'seventies. Edwin Saldanha of Britto's is in his late 'eighties, and as enthusistic if a bit lonely. A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece on his wine-making skills (using tropical fruits)... the guy can really narrate a story. Freddy Athaide is no more. The Scout movement saw its heyday in the 'seventies in Goa. If not wrong, it also suffered due to politics ... including possibly the role of some jostling-for-power politicians. But let's remember the better days, the dreams it gave us, and the pleasurable evenings spent around camp-fires... including one lit (as if by magic, it seemed to our young eyes them) with the use of gunpowder. That's what we believe then, I could be wrong... FN -- Frederick Noronha : http://www.fredericknoronha.net Ph 0091.832.2409490 Freelance Journalist : http://www.bytesforall.org Ph 0091.832.2409783 http://fredericknoronha.blogware.com Cell 0 9822 122436 ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
