Welcome to the Newsletter
of the Shrigley Association

The Committee

Honorary President: Fr Albert Carette SDB (1932-37)

Chairman: Peter Roebuck (1953-59)

Secretary: Mike Kilduff (1953-59)

Treasurer: David Murphy (1961-65)

Co-opted Member (Scotland): John Bergin (1965-70)

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE: SPRING 2010

Greetings!  I hope life is treating you well.  There are two particular matters to which I wish to draw your attention.

1.  This year we are planning a rather different focus for our Re-union at Shrigley/Savio House.  Several members have agreed to speak on the subject of 'My Life after Shrigley'. This should be both interesting and enjoyable, and we hope that as many members as possible will join us for 17^th -19^th September.

2.  Members of the current Committee have enjoyed working for the Association and its members for around a decade.  However, none of us is getting any younger, we feel we have done a good stint, and we wish to direct our energies elsewhere for the future.  So, if the Association is to continue in its present form, fresh individuals will have to 'step up to the plate' from September.  If we are not replaced in September, some of us will continue for one further year on the strict understanding that 2011 will see the last formal Re-union.  Rather than dribbling along increasingly unsatisfactorily, we would prefer to organise one final meeting (A Grand Wake, if you like), though smaller, informal get-togethers would no doubt continue.

I have included my contact details at the foot so that members can get back to me with their reactions to this message, if they so wish.

Let me know what you think.

All the best,

Peter

Glasgow Meeting February 2010

"Please wear tartan" was the request that John Bergin made to those intending to meet at the Piazza Italian restaurant in Glasgow on Saturday evening 6th February. This was not meant as a deterrent to those travelling from south of the border, but as an invitation to enter into the event that was to be a celebration to mark Bro Donald MacDonald's 80th birthday. People complied and the dozen or more who attended enjoyed an excellent evening. The craic was good.

Sunday afternoon saw many of the same people, with others beside, at Easterhouse for a Shrigley Association Committee Meeting, the annual Don Bosco Mass and further socialising. Another birthday cake appeared and Donald, never short of breath, blew out all the candles at one go. There were not actually eighty of them, probably only one per decade, but the achievement of extinguishing them was noted and commented upon.

Though the weather in Glasgow is usually cold at this time of year, the welcome is warm, and the committee from the south are grateful for that.

Joe Doogan (Shrigley 1965-70) presents Bro Donald (Shrigley 1945-50) with his cake

From the Archive

1952

Some time ago, Eric Baggaley negotiated a donation to the association’s archive from a member who was at Shrigley from the late ‘40s through to the ‘50s. This was the diary kept between January and December 1952. The donor wishes to be anonymous, but does not mind us making use of the contents. So here is the first use I have made of his diary.

As I write this in Easter week, I quote from the Easter week entries in the diary for 1952, to remind you all of some of the typical activities, not least the varied hard work – hobbies – that were part of holiday life at Shrigley.

13^th April Sunday Easter Day

Scotch Visiting Day. We got up at 8.00. Solemn High Mass 10.30. No Arts & Crafts before. Football in afternoon. Very warm & sunny. Concert after Vespers – 6.15. Lasted quite long. Night Prayers 9.00.

14^th April Easter Monday

Visiting Day. 2^nd Mass 9.30. Instead of walk Roddam and I finished work on stool for today’s raffle. After dinner I went down drive to meet my visitors – all the family in Mr X’s car – a Morris 8 (arrived 1.35). Nice warm day. Outside all afternoon. Orchestra played after tea (buffet-tea) followed by raffle. Benediction. Thunderstorm during tea & Benediction – they left after Benediction. Study – set Ref for supper.

15^th April Tuesday

Rain overnight. I was working in the ‘new lab’ – Fr Kennedy. Two Bolton Salesian College teams came today – Over 15’s and Under 13’s. I was in goal for Over 15’s – hefty chaps – plenty weight. We drew 3-3 – very muddy pitch, bath afterwards. Mixed fruit and blanc-mange, cake etc. for tea for all football teams. Juniors (Shrigley) won 3-2. Had a hair cut after tea by Finn – discussed match.

16^th April Wednesday

Nice sunny day, but somewhat windy. In the morning I was on Rhetoric Study & Parlour with Beech & Fitzgerald. They went off at 11.30 with Fr Hoey on tractor but I finished. I took the ‘long stool’ back up to Arts & Crafts to be glued again etc. prior to sending away to winner. Football in the afternoon on P(itch) 2. Not a bad game – rather dreary. Ashton’s birthday – nice cake at tea. After tea I took 3 new bins down to cellar – all sorts of stuff there – brushes etc. Then I shoveled coke there – moved quite a pile nearer boiler. Study after Benediction.

17^th April Thursday

Another sunny day. I was on the farm in morning, planting potatoes. Football in afternoon, rather windy. I was in goals. I received a letter from Auntie X. I re-glued the long stool after tea in music-room, where Bro Robert H. was using glue. Study – Bro John Barrins in charge. Only one slice at supper.

18^th April Friday

Fine & warm again during day. I was dusting walls in morning. Grammar played Upper Elements in afternoon and were beaten 2-1. We, with Bros J. Collett & Sean (+ Edwin) and without Ashton, and minus Dixon for most of the 2^nd half were beaten 5-1 by Rhetoric. I touched up stool after tea. Took a picture (Passé Partout) of St Theresa as prize for selling raffle-tickets – for Mam.

19^th April Saturday

Last day of holidays. MacCarthy and I jammed the bread for ‘elevenses’ and then delivered them under Fr Hoey’s supervision. Then we did the Scullery Passage. Writing this on Thurs 24^th. I cannot remember if we had football in afternoon, but we almost certainly did. Retreat begins at 6.15 preached by Fr Denis Martin SDB.

20^th April Low Sunday

Retreat lasts until Wednesday morning. Clocks put forward 1 hour last night.

 How many jobs did this fellow do in the week and only got one slice on Thursday evening!

The anonymous diarist wrote in April 2010:

The comments are mundane, the physical labour was accepted as normal and the subsequent rewards in character and resolve have proved inestimable - certainly to me - and hopefully to many other Shrigley old boys.

I hope that the references to the many superb members of staff may evoke some dormant, nostalgic and pleasant memories.

(Comments, recollections, anecdotes, please, for the Archive section of the website.)

This Year’s Reunion: HERE are details of this September’s Reunion and Annual General Meeting to be held at Shrigley and Savio from Friday 17^th to Sunday 19^th September. Please book early. PDF form here

If you are prepared to take office on the committee and ensure the future running of the Shrigley Association, please let Peter or myself know as soon as possible. If you live in Scotland it may be of interest that John Bergin has called a meeting for those who are interested.

John writes:

We intend getting together in central Glasgow on 18 April to discuss how we might do more to support the Salesian community and how we, as a group, might be able to play a greater role in the longer term sustainability of the Association.

Mike Kilduff

April 2010