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QC OLD BOYS A VANISHING BREED? by Joe Permaul Instantly, the reader will realize that swell-headed personas referred to as Old Boys in this article do not include those alumni who have wandered through the hallowed halls of Queen’s College after the Kabaka converted, (not confiscated) the school into a co-educational institution in 1975. Those Forms 1,2 & 3 boys who were involved in the student exchange with Bishop’s High School honestly believed, it was reported, that the rapture had occurred and that they had been transported to heaven. It was later rumored that their shenanigans had caused Casanova to turn over so many times in his grave, his remains had been sighted in a graveyard somewhere in Bolivia. Alack and alas! The advent of the coed school gave birth to a new entity, namely the Q.C. Old Student. I don’t know about you, but being called a Q.C. Old Boy has always filled my heart with pride, with a sense of accomplishment. Like all other Old boys, I shared in the history of a great and noble institution. In khaki shorts, white shirt with school tie and white bughouse with coloured flash, we constituted a unique collective. One that was respected and almost revered by John Public. I only hope that the Q.C. Old Student can share and benefit from the same sentiments. Within the breast of each Old Boy is an archive of unforgettable experiences. Ask them about their days in the Wolf Cub Pack, |
Scout Troop or Cadet Corps. The hikes, camps and parades. Some will tell you that Speech Night was the most important event of the school year. (They always won prizes). Others will tell you it was House Feed night and I don’t have to tell you why. But one did have to guard one’s plate closely. Sports Day was something else. The girls from Bishop’s were there, without whom, I believe, no records would ever have been broken. Some of my pals even passionately recall the occasions on which 5th General (down to the last man) was caned by Sanger.
Local chapters of Q.C. Alumni Associations have been functional in Georgetown, Toronto, London, New York and Washington for several years. An informal group representing the Eastern Caribbean is being discussed. While these organizations are being administered by Old Boys, every effort is made to co-opt the active participation of Old Students at all levels. The reality is, the Old Boys are indeed getting old. Retirees, grand-dads and great grand-dads. And with the passage of time the Old Boys will pass on. New blood is required to carry on the good work of the alumni associations. The old school will continue to need the help and support of those whose lives it helped to mould and those who gave so much. “Will the young and not-so-old “Old Students” of this once great and magnificent institution rise to the occasion and carry the mantle of the alumni associations around the world that memories of Queen’s may never fade into oblivion?” May this be a hopeful prayer and not a mere self-pitying lament. |
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