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IT'S A FIRST By Ina Williams On Saturday, February 25, 2006, the Toronto Chapter of the ICHSAA held its annual dinner/dance. This year’s venue was Sts. Peter and Paul Banquet Hall in Scarborough and since it was past Valentine’s, we presented our “Crystal Ball” with a black & white colour theme, a live band and a sit down dinner. The hall was nicely decorated, spacious and requested no decorations on the walls; so all we needed was a little something for the tables. Lorraine and hubby, David, took care of that - nice job guys! The hall catered and provided good tablecloths and napkins, real cutlery, china plates and real glasses! They also provided table service and they set up before and cleaning up after! - Yu notice de trend?? For all the tired committee members, this was wonderland!....... the only exception was the bar, for which we were totally responsible...now if I can just pass this job to someone else....... Of course, with this kind of service, the cost prices goes up and therefore, the ticket price has to go up. Subsequently, we had way less than 300 guests. Nevertheless, the evening began with the usual hub of confused excitement, and surprisingly, most people did arrive dressed in black and white! DJ Victor Shim, provided some great dinner music while we dined on salad, rolls, salmon, stuffed breast of chicken, parissiene potatoes, vegetables, apple pie, coffee, tea. Then it was time to dance off some calories with Victor and his Surefire Band. They sounded good, but on hearing the age of their selections, I kept saying: A hope dem don’t play like that all night! In the end, the band pleased everyone with their sound and their varied repertoire, even though it was a Britney Spears performance! The sweet table we set up at 11 p.m. was well appreciated and we were delighted to hear things like: “What? More food!?” and “Is awright, yu mek back up reputation!” and “It was well worth the money!” and “Bway, I couldn’t eat off all the dinner” and “You girls did a great job, this is the best dance I’ve been to!” All in all, a most enjoyable evening. And why was it a first?? Is the first time we ever have a dance and we never hear one negative complaint!
Upcoming Events
Welcome Luncheon
Sunday, July 23rd, 2006 - 12.00 noon Please join us at our annual joint picnic
Milne Park Lakeview B / Shelter Area
Alpha
Academy Alumnae
Association
Sunday, August 13th, 2006
President's MessageMy Dear Fellow Alumnae, This is my last message as my second term as President of the Toronto Chapter comes to a close. It has been an honour and privilege to serve in this capacity since 2001. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Executive and members for their support over the years. The Scholarship Fund was implemented in September 1999 for four girls which has since been increased to eight students. There is also a Music Scholarship in honour of our beloved teacher, 'The Lisa Narcisse Scholarship Fund' Support for Rosalie Hall in Scarborough, home for unwed mothers, continues even though Sr. Francoise Bonenfant retired. Many of you have already been advised by e-mail that there will be a luncheon on Sunday, July 23rd 2006 at St. Peter & Paul Banquet Hall, welcoming Sr. Maureen Clare Hall, Sr. Angella Harris (our new principal) and Sr. Grace Yap. Our annual joint picnic will be on August 13th 2006 at the same venue, Milne Park in Markham. Last December when we joined the congregation at St. Thomas the Apostle for mass, there were many complaints as everyone sorely missed having our own Mento Mass. Our problem is that we no longer have our own Spiritual Director and therefore we cannot celebrate mass privately. This year, we will be joining the congregation at St. Justin, Martyr Church on Highway 7 in Markham. Keep this date in mind - February 3, 2007. the date of our ever popular Pre-Valentine Dinner Dance will be at Sts Peter & Paul Banquet Hall, Scarborough, Ontario. Again, many thanks to the executives, members, sponsors and friends for your continued support. Hope to see you at the upcoming functions. Have a wonderful summer! Sincerely, Yvonne Lyew
Pot-luck Luncheon at St. Thomas the Apostle by Suzanne Read
Stew peas and spinners. dry jerk pork, jerk pork with gravy, roast pork, sweet and sour pork. gungu peas and rice. tortellini salad. pone and nougat - these delicious items were among the offerings at the annual potluck luncheon held at St Thomas the Apostle Church Hall in Markham on December 11. About 130 old girls, friends and family gathered to celebrate Mass with the congregation, then made our way downstairs for another enjoyable afternoon of feasting, jokifying, laughing, catching up on "news". So what did you miss? Here are some "statistics": the youngest grad present, newly arrived from Jamaica, was Hillary Arscott. The youngest guest was Matthew Paul, accompanied by mom Novelette Graham-Hart and hubby Milton. The oldest grad was Yvonne Lyew, our president. The oldest guest: let's not go there. The most self-possessed announcer of raffle tickets was Taryq, grandson of Katy Sani; perhaps he has inherited the performer's pipes of grandma and grandaunt? The three loveliest teenage daughters of alumnae were Jade Hugh, Stephanie Berry and Alison Read. Imagine, they are now the same ages when we entered Immaculate and began making the friends we still keep today! The most stalwart ICHS old boys present were Phil Young, Eddie Williams, Francis Rutty, David Chung, Leslie Chin, Vernon Hugh. The best example of lifelong friendship: Donna Rutty, Heather Bubb-Clarke and Katy Sani. Heather has launched another creative artistic enterprise, featuring photography: gorgeous images of and from Jamaica. She had a gallery showing in Markham in December masterminded in part by Donna and Katy. The "winningest table" consisted of Fay (Cisneros) Wilson, Sheila (Balfour) Escoffery and Mary (Dunkerly) Mogg, winners of raffle prizes (in aid of the scholarship fund). Wannabe winner Pat (Balfour) DuQuesnay was sitting on the other side of the table; better luck next time, Pat! Alumnae who travelled the farthest: Dianne Berry (from Oakville) and Donna Rutty (from Brampton). Here's to six (or fewer) degrees of separation: Larraine Phillips (my cousin's very good friend) introduced me to Venice Taylor. Venice's sister Denise is married to Mr. Grabowski, longtime physics teacher (during the 70's) at ICHS, and for a time, the only male teacher on staff. Do you remember that we had to do our homework problems in large ledger size hard cover notebooks, with a diagram for every one? To this day, I have my students draw diagrams to illustrate and clarify physics problems. So: Where are YOU going to celebrate the next Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Hopefully with your fellow alumnae and their families. Put a reminder on your calendar now: Sunday closest to December 8. Stay tuned for details later in the year.
The
invitation read: ..... and a warm ICHS (Canada) welcome it was! Who is this Anne-Marie Bonner - our new Consul General???? I had heard that Anne-Marie Bonner had been appointed Jamaica's Consul General to Toronto and was extremely proud to tell all who would listen that she is an ICHS "old girl". At the time I did not have a clue who she was…. but I bragged nonetheless! I searched the internet and found lots of information but no photos that I could recognize. When I arrived at the luncheon Anne-Marie was surrounded by fellow alumnae. I introduced myself as Katy Sani. The last name Sani did not ring a bell. She knew the face but could not associate it with that name. Once I told her my maiden name we were on the same page. Recognition on my part was instant as soon as she smiled. Who could forget that smile? You may remember her as Anne-Marie Reid….The afternoon really got amusing when Donette brought out her year book. We saw fifth form pictures of our "livewire" Heather Bubb-Clarke, Donette of course, Lorraine Burke (Chung) and low and behold….our new Consul General, Anne-Marie Reid, wearing her large hoop earrings….. how did she get away with that??? We were entertained in fine Donette and Ray style. The room had been beautifully decorated by Donette's sister, Suzette and the mouth-watering Jamaican-Chinese meal was prepared by the loving hands of Donette's Mom, Daphne Chin Loy - not to mention Ray's scrumptious fried rice…. The fantastic service received from mother and son team was second to none. After lunch, representatives of some of our fellow Alumni Associations welcomed Anne-Marie warmly and presented her with mementos - St. George's Chris Chin, presented her with a STGC Golf Shirt, ICHS' Heather Bubb-Clarke presented her with a photograph that she had taken of a Canadian scene entitled "The Giants" , Alpha's Loraine Lee presented her with a copy of the book "Jamaican Chinese Worldwide" and an ICHS commemorative plate and ICHSAA Toronto Chapter's 25th anniversary paper weight were presented by our President, Yvonne Lyew . Among the guests that attended the informal gathering were representatives of ICHS (of course), St. George's and Alpha Alumni Associations and their spouses. We were also honoured by the presence of our fellow alumna, the Honourable Mary Anne Chambers, MPP Scarborough East, Minister of Children and Youth Services and her husband Chris Chambers. The camaraderie was enjoyable as we caught up on old times, recalled our early days in Canada, discussed the problems with the youth today and gave Anne-Marie lots of advice about living in Canada. As the luncheon drew to a close and we said our farewells, I left with a sense of well being having spent an afternoon with good folk. Thanks again to Donette and Ray for a wonderful afternoon (it sure brightened up a rainy day) and CONGRATULATIONS ANNE-MARIE BONNER, JAMAICA'S CONSUL GENERAL TO TORONTO, ICHS 'OLD GIRL'. YOU MAKE US PROUD. By Cathrine (Katy) Sani
Celebration Time! Let's Celebrate!
On Saturday
and Sunday, October 14 & 15, 2006, the Immaculate Conception High School, Class
of 1956, will celebrate the 50th year of completing their secondary studies.
This celebration will be a Reunion, to be held in Markham (near Toronto),
Ontario, Canada. We start at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday with: Meet and Greet. This will be a session of reacquainting ourselves with our former schoolmates and engaging in "nuf labrish, laughing, and nyaming". We continue with travel down memory lane with photos of the way we were; music featuring hits from the Fabulous Fifties and songs from our homeland. We will recall anecdotes of the antics we played, experiences we had and exchange updates of events in our lives over the past 50 years. At 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, we will participate in a special Mass in Markham, followed by more "labrish, laughing, and nyaming" at a sumptuous banquet, in a restaurant nearby. We cordially invite former ICHS students who are interested in celebrating this Golden Anniversary with us, and rekindling friendships with their former schoolmates. Don't let this momentous opportunity pass you by! See you all at the Reunion!
October 14, 2006:
October 15, 2006: Contributions:
1956 Grads
only................. $120.00 (Oct. 14 & 15)
Cheques
should be made payable to: Mrs June Chong
For more
details and reservations, please contact:
Jean Chen
(Louise) ….… jlouise@nb.sympatico.ca 506-684-5222
“A MOMENT IN TIME” -Photographic Exhibition HELLLOOO EVERYBODYEEEE! This is Miss Dons back from a very long sabbatical, with no good reason for not contributing to the newsletter except pure laziness. However, I am back in the saddle and rearing to go by writing this report to let you in on a juicy bit of news regarding Miss Heather Bubb- Clarke a.k.a ‘Live Wire’ or Heds who is not only one of our own as you all know, but who is now a photographer extraordinaire. Let me fill you in on what has been happening: On December 2- 4, 2005 at The J. Elizabeth Gallery owned and operated by Janice Garel, Heather launched her first ever photography exhibition titled " A Moment In Time". Let us set the scene for an absolutely lovely evening. To start, the photographs which were taken in Cayman, Jamaica and Canada were colourful, heartwarming, whimsical , breathtaking and touching. Heather was looking very much like the award winning photographer that she is, having received news only moments before the show that she had received an award for Outstanding Achievement in amateur photography. The winning photo was entitled 'Two Hearts'. This was icing on the cake because she had also won a Merit Award and Editor's Choice Award from the International Society of Photographers for the same photograph. This photo will also be published in The Library of Congress journal in the near future. What a wonderful start to the evening! Listen people, I was trying to be 'stush' and write proper English and all that, but I guess that is not me and I couldn't even figure out what my next sentence was going to be so I am going to have to write plain Henglish. Roads were blocked off because of Markham’s Santa Claus parade so people were late arriving. Once they came in it was all ooohing and awwwing and " I remember this place" or "This reminds me of"' and "I remember when we" , " Come over here and look at this" and so on and so forth. Despite all the road blocks and traffic jams, approximately one hundred and fifty guests managed to find their way and were suitably impressed. Among the guests were Cherita Girvan- Campbell, President of Arts and Culture Jamaica; Gail Scala, Advisor to the Ombudsman of Toronto; Ray Chang, Chairman of CI Funds; Yvonne Lyew, President of the I.C.H.S. Alumnae Association as well as heaps of co-workers, friends and family. Gail Scala was the keynote speaker and introduced Heather and her work, recognizing Heather's natural talent in the arts starting with her side career as a female DJ of some renown, her involvement as Vice-president of Arts and Culture Jamaica and most importantly, the gift that she inherited from her mother, who was also very involved in photography at one point in her life. Gail also spoke of the love that Heather's father had for her and how proud he would have been of her at this time; to top it all Gail speaking from personal experience, spoke of Heather's culinary expertise especially her curried shrimp and my all time favourite - her crispy roast pork. There is nothing left to say except look out for more extraordinary work from Heds, who for her upcoming show on June 9, 10 &11 at The J. Elizabeth Gallery, is going to take you to another level with her show called JAMAICA UNCUT. Be there:
Prayers and condolences are extended to the families of: Altamont Lawton, oldest StGC old boy, father of Marjorie (Ingle) and Imelda . Hyacinth Lee, mother of Barbara Ho Ping Kong (nee Lee) Dolce Brown, mother of Hon. Mary Anne Chambers, Minister of Children & Youth Services; Patricia & Kathleen (Miami). Monica Chang Tenshue, aunt of Frances McFarlane Inez Yee, mother of Kay Lyn, Winnie (Jamaica) and Maxine & Pat (USA). Mona Ho Lung-Hugh, sister of Sr. Joan Clare, O.S.F. and mother of StGC president, Danny Ho Lung. Thelma Theresa Lee (nee Phang Lyn) wife of Desmond Lee. Dora Chin, sister to Sr Jean Francis, O.S.F. and Marjorie Lyn., Mr Carol Ramsey, father to Jilian (Saweczko), Mary Lou (Paxton), Susan and Rosie. Michael Anthony Lee, brother of Joan Chang. Congrats to Heather Bubb-Clarke, who will receive the ‘2006 Phenomenal Woman Award’ from PACE on Sunday, June 4th 2006 - Way to go Heds!! Good Luck to Isabelle (Mary Lou) Paxton nee Ramsey, now launching on a new career. Real Estate Agent - Tel: 416 487 5131 or 647 283 0938 Thinking of buying or selling - call Mary Lou
On Saturday, May 6th 2006, our own Paula dePass and her singing group, Muzik ‘N ‘Motion presented an evening of song and dance at Agincourt Community Centre. The group consists of two men and four women plus musicians. In typical West Indian style the concert was a little late starting but once the clear melodious vice of Paula broke the silence, it was non-stop toe-tapping, hand clapping song after song. From folk to reggae to contemporary, the music was food for the soul.
The first ever Caribbean Youth Conference will be held in Kingston, Jamaica in August 2006. Organized and sponsored by Franciscan Ministries. This will be an opportunity to get the input of young people of the region and hopefully to point them in the right direction as leaders of tomorrow.
Thoughts for the day - TAKE TIME
Take time
to live, it is the secret of success.
‘Hate
cannot conquer hate Martin Luther King Membership 2006 It is time for renewal of your membership with the Toronto Chapter of the Immaculate Conception High School Alumnae Association. Your
Membership entitles you to: All monies received through contributions and membership fees are distributed by the Association for the following:
• Scholarship fund effective Sept 99 – annually All services, food and activity expenses are voluntary and contributed by the Alumnae, their families, friends and supporters. Last
Name
Address
Please make cheque for $15.00 payable to:
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