Just learnt of the death of Frederick Rocque (ex-The Daily, Bombay and Gulf Daily News, Bahrain) in Canada. Anthony D'Costa of the ToI passed on the news.
Funeral arrangements for Frederick Rocque as follows: Sunday, January 19: 4 to 6 pm -- The family will receive friends at the McEachnie Funeral Home, 28 Old Kingston Road, Ajax Monday, January 20: 11:30am -- Funeral Mass at St Francis de Sales Chruch, 1001 Ravenscroft Rd, Ajax. Frederick Roque was senior to us in journalism, but I heard the name often through common friends. We exchanged some informative mails a couple of times (see below), which tells more about the person he was and his times. Anthony wrote: "Shocking, Fred Rocque is no more. Sub editor,1986 - The Daily Newspaper Mumbai. Our dear friend Frederick Rocque (formerly Gulf Daily News, Bahrain), husband of Tina and father of Adam, died this morning at 5:15 a.m. at St. Joe's Hospital. Rocky had been under 24/7 palliative care at a TO centre after suffering a stroke more than a year and a half ago.... R.I.P. my dear friend." His Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/fredrocq?fref=ts Sincere condolences! FN -- FN Phone +91-832-2409490 Mobile +91-9822122436 Blog: http://goabooks.wordpress.com -x-x-x- 13/04/2006 Hello Frederick, That was a super fast response. Thank you for the invitation and I'm truly delighted at the opportunity to contribute in any way I can. I'd sent you my earlier response as a quick and brief note without getting into too many details. I do remember Valmiki Faleiro (that was a link with Patrick Michael, Diego Silveira and BG Koshy) and Valmiki's days in The West Coast Times, if memory serves me right. I remember Sandeep Naik from my Dubai days at the Gulf News. Would be great to get in touch again... Hello to Bosco too from the East End of Toronto. Cheers and catch you later. Thanks again, Frederick and bye for now. Frederick Rocque -x-x-x- Frederick Rocque [email protected] 27/04/2007 to fredrocq Goa, India (April 27, 2007) Dr Joseph Leon D'Souza passed away in Goa today (April 27, 2007), after a brief but valiant fight. He was 87. Dr D’Souza (Leon) is survived by his son, Ian, daughter Tina and daughter-in-law Vanessa (Fernandes), son-in-law Frederick Rocque; and grandchildren Rohan and Rhea D'Souza and Adam Rocque. His wife Mercia passed away in Mumbai in September 2003. Dr D’Souza breathed his last at Mathew Braganza Hospital in Calangute, where he was admitted after an attack of gastro enteritis. His son Ian was at his bedside. Tina who had flown down from Toronto and spent the previous week by his bedside had returned to Canada just the night before as he seemed to be making a remarkable recovery. During the moments of his seemingly great recovery, Dr D’Souza was eagerly planning his next big fishing trip. Weeks earlier, he and son Ian enjoyed a great fishing adventure where Dr Leon snagged five-foot whopper of a fish. Very few Goans have shone as brightly as Dr. Joseph Leon D'Souza in the Indian political firmament. The 87-year-old physician, who hailed from Calangute, had many firsts to his credit, including the unparalleled record of father and son holding the post of mayor of Mumbai (then Bombay). In 1967, Dr D'Souza emulated his father, Dr. Alban D'Souza, who was mayor in 1945, in becoming the First Citizen of India's largest metropolis. Unlike in the past when mayors were appointed on rotation basis among different communities, Dr D'Souza was elected mayor in an open contest. Dr D'Souza's political life began at the municipal level when, in 1952, he was elected a corporator. In 1961, he was on the Statutory Education Committee, which initiated the Free Milk and Vitamins Project for primary school children. As mayor, he initiated the sister-city relationships between Mumbai and world's other leading cities such asLondon, Rome, Stuttgart, Dresden, Yokohama, Leningrad, and Los Angeles. In 1975, Dr D'Souza scored another first when he became the first Goan to be appointed a minister in Maharashtra. He was given the portfolio of State Minister for Health and Protocol. A loyal Congressman, he served under Chief Ministers VP Naik, SB Chavan, and Vasantrao Patil. Yet another first was added to his record in 1980 when Dr D'Souza became the first Goan from Maharashtra to be nominated to Parliament. He served as member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) until 1986. He was honoured with the BC Roy Award, the highest honour for a doctor-statesman, for his public service. Dr D'Souza also played a major role in the socio-cultural sphere of the Catholic community in Mumbai. As president of Catholic Gymkhana for more than two decades he was responsible for building a new club house and also making the gymkhana one of the leading socio-cultural institutions in Mumbai. A keen sportsman, Dr Leon was a celebrated hockey player and excelled in cricket and badminton. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Contact: Fred Rocque 905-686-2453 647-299-7627 [email protected]
