---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Melvyn Fernandes <mel...@symtravels.com> Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2019 at 14:59 Subject: UK : Holy Week & Palms – Greasing Of – The difference To: Joseph Rebello <asjrebe...@yahoo.co.uk>
UK : Holy Week & Palms – Greasing Of – The difference Unlike Palm Sunday where crowds waving palms welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, today in the United Kingdom we have newly arrived and gullible Goans in the London area (many of whom are leaving hostile environments in the Gulf region and economic conditions in Goa) greasing the palms of fellow Goans in Breadline Britain 2019. At our home in Nairobi during the 1960s, we used to receive the Don Bosco Magazine from Matunga, Bombay. There was a constant reminder on each issue “A family that prays together stays together”. At the Goan Institute notice Board there was a cyclostyle newsletter from the Goan Association ‘UK’ sent by John Ferreira from Luton and one from Sydney Australia the format was similar to the Goan Institute Nairobi dutifully pinned for us all to read and share by Bruno the General Secretary. The year must have been around 1968 when I was about seven or eight years old, the excitement I had in selling a complete Raffle book at the Catholic Parochial School fete in Nairobi. Some of my older schoolmates could sell a Lottery book of 11 with a commission of one free ticket for every book sold. The funds raised was towards the building of the New Holy Family Cathedral (Now Basilica) most organisers and voluntary workers came from generations of my community of Goan origin. The Catholic church and our people have been in Kenya since 1542. For the history of the Catholic Church in Kenya click link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpvLdmyM7HQ Having served on the Legion of Mary Committee at St Theresas Catholic Church, Eastleigh, I was well versed in minute taking, keeping the attendance register, basic accounts, etc this was good grounding in later life. Playing hockey and football for the Goan Institute was good for teamwork and morale especially for us teenagers sipping a cold refreshing lemonade accompanied by a portrait of Rita Faria the then Miss World 1966 hung over the doorway in the lounge past the Rock Garden. As a teenager, life was full of fun and parties including the Annual holidays to Goa with our parents catching the Shipping Corporation Ships SCI Haryana, Kampala and Karanja at Kilindini Harbour, Mombasa while our English friends took the B&I Mckinnon lines to England we only met at sporting events like rugby and basketball. I took part in the first Kenya National Freedom From Hunger Charity and still have the receipt for money collected and donated. None of us could see or understand the epiphany happening right in front of us. I waved my Uncle Noel (now RIP) catching an Egypt Air Flight to London, My Uncle Peter to Germany at Embakasi Airport whose walls were decorated with wildlife paintings by The Late Caji Fernandes his wife Julie used to co-ordinate sporting activities at the Goan Institute not forgetting Andrew Dias for his wildlife Photograph Postcards and Photographer Alex Fernandes of Sapra Studios. Our family moved from a Four bedroom Bungalow into a garage as most of our parents lost their jobs just like that overnight due to Africanisation creating a hostile environment including being refused to higher education. We had to leave the country we were born in or take up local Nationality. For a video on Immigration AKA New Immigration Bill – Asians Leave Kenya (1968) click below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1PKCRNIiaE I remember climbing the gangway of the East African Airways flight staring at the Roll Royce RB2II Engines waving to friends before taking my seat and looking at the lights of Nairobi Town disappear as the flight took off into the night sky for London Heathrow to be met by my Aunty Rose with warm clothing. Transport to our first accommodation in one room at Seven Kings, Essex was provided for by my Dad’s Sikh friends. We also had a kind Irish social worker, Mrs Walsh, who helped us settle down into a big house and true to the words from Don Boscos Magazine “A family that prays together stays together”our family has lived in St Johns road for over forty years. The first landmark in a strange country was to look for the Catholic Church where joining the legion of Mary at SS Peter and Paul, Ilford had similar duties as Nairobi only that in Kenya President Kenyatta issued a decree that there is only one President. The Legion Branch at Eastleigh had to adapt changing the post name of President to Chairman. Capital Radio had a job club running and LBC talk shows provided useful information for unemployed teenagers like me. The London Evening Standard was also valuable in looking for Jobs specially the Friday Edition as you looked out for notices from The Goan Overseas Association for events and Notices of Meetings. First Class postage was 4 pence. It was cost effective to advertise in the Friday edition Standard to reach the large membership quickly. In those days jobs were plentiful you could resign on a Friday and start somewhere else on a Monday. Fellow Goan teenagers from Kenya, having lost command of our language Konkani, were surprised that we spoke and wrote the “QUEENS” English better than the locals due to our education based on Passing the Cambridge Overseas O Level exams. This came in handy in our search for employment. However this was the first time we encountered racism and prejudice. The working week was Monday to Friday. Nothing was open on the weekend apart from a few Indian Shops and Kentucky Fried chicken hence the need in our tradition to party continued with house and village socials. The village social was full of pomp and ceremony with speeches from the Presidents followed by reply on behalf of the guests. The dress code was always formal, the atmosphere of chatting in the background with speeches were going on was normal utilizing valuable dancing time. All this changed when President Banda of Malawi was making a speech on the Radio and Goans at the Club Blantyre carried on dancing. He took offence and booted them out of the country. Rabi Martins and the Goascorri committee went to Heathrow to welcome them on arrival. I met some of them at our clubhouse in Beckenham and could not understand why they preferred to call themselves Malawians rather than Goans. The village occasions catered for teenagers like us where Goan Cuisine was served by our people with pride. Local working class youth would spit and hurl abuse at you at the Bus Stop on your way to work, shopping or even church while the elder generation would beg for ten pence for a cup of tea. The situation was getting worse that the Government had to Introduce the Race Relegations act. It was a time you could do the Police a favour and beat yourself up. GOASCORRI (Goan Standing Conference on Race Relations and Immigration) was formed, I can even recall a delegation going along with the Indian Workers Union to meet with William Whitelaw, Home Secretary, to address the issue of virginity testing for new brides upon arrival at Heathrow from India. The Goan Association used to have evening socials at Porchester, RACS and Hammersmith Town Halls. Aldona at Islington and Fulham and Saligao at Wimbledon over the years because of the danger of being in harm’s way and Parking restrictions the start of Events being held on a Sunday Day time began to be popular with the growth of Village organisations almost 50 at one stage with only 52 weeks in a year, the need for liaison was needed hence the formation of SCOGO (Standing Conference of Goan Organistions). We also needed to put our differences aside as we were all in the same boat and needed to speak with One Voice. With so many Goan Organisations all cultivating the same crowd, a need was required to distinguish the GOA from the rest hence a competition to design a logo was launched around late 1970s there was only one entry by Marilyn Pereira with the coconut tree that appeared on all our documents until the design was promptly defaced for the 50th anniversary celebrations posting a loss of GBP 15,000 - one can ask the question why such a great loss? Was it by the alleged Hand in Pocket Fizzlers Group? Furthermore, nearly every event shows it running at a loss over the last 10 years since the 40th anniversary? Again one could question these losses and were the accounts audited? Having done voluntary work in Nairobi, I must have been the youngest member of the Goan Association Committee over 40years working in all sections with Honourable People that kept the organisation ship shape burning the midnight oil. We even had a Popular Christmas Building Fund Lottery for sale along with the Annual dance tickets. We eventually realised our dream of having our own plot of land belonging to us in the UK and purchaced a clubhouse with a caretaker’s bungalow and six and half acres of land which was the envy of our community and enjoyed by all as a home. We no longer own this property and the caretaker’s bungalow is now a building with four flats. Today I come across the Ghosts of the people I worked with, the places in church where we sat, the pub meeting places and dances and village feasts. The Association was well and truly hijacked during the Goan Convention of 2011. The constitution was thrown out of the window all lessons learnt over the years in sudden death, revenue protection and financial controls had been forgotten in a state of amnesia giving birth to the Family Raj and Hand in Pocket community organisers looking for additional streams of income with the ‘to hell with the community’ attitude meeting our needs with greed. These people know who they are, I collectively view them as the fizzlers operating under the mask of God. It doesn’t stop here, GWS or Goans with Watermelon Smiles began a new project fundraising i.e. Coffin funding campaign for new arrivals with Portuguese Passports who can claim to have no money in order to have their bodies transported to Goa for burial. Two years ago there was enough money for 100 coffins, wonder with the Revenue from two New Year’s dances, raffles, party hats and bar income what the current figure can buy? There appears to be a drop in appeals for burials. Transport to Goa, etc. Less people dying? Must be good for the economy. For my part, I find it difficult to share the enthusiasm of youngsters. When we were the same age selling raffle tickets at socials the organisers announced what the Raffle was for and how much was raised. The Greasing of Palms need to be addressed to stop further decay in our community. Perhaps we can request Mr Walter Da Costa who recently received the British Empire Medal for meritorious service in the field of organised crime, including asset recovery at the Home Office, and his charitable work together with Queens Counsel D’Cruz specialist in company law to assist us silent majority with recovery of the Association and clawback its funds. I am awaiting Heart Surgery for damaged walls the consultant surgeons name is St. John. The views expressed in this article are personal and should not be used as any authority. No permissions needed to forward or publish contents is required. Melvyn Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 16 April 2019 Click here for: ASANTE BWANA (THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR BLESSINGS ON ME) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jra3i143CNU Happy Easter -- -- Melvyn Fernandes e -Sales and Marketing Sym Travels Boswell Cottage 19 South End South Croydon Surrey CRO 1BE Tel +44 020 8239 6962 Mobile/Text: +44 07970 668879 E-mail: mel...@symtravels.com If the communication above indicates flight details this will be live.The price and seat cannot be guaranteed unless fully paid and ticket issued see item 1n in our guidance notes Snooze on offers you Lose as offers can be withdrawn at any time. www.symtravels.co.uk