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June 25 The Providence And Career TribuneTHE PROVIDENCE AND CAREER TRIBUNE.
Sounds like a big name for a small organisation. But there is a PACT we have made in this, and that is to reach out to youngsters, and try and give them some encouragement and motivation, whenever and wherever needed. We kick started this by having a Singing and Music Competition, which we held for ages 6yrs to 16 yrs. No entry fee was charged. Sad to say we did not get a very big turnout, but the standard and quality of the competitors, was something to recon with. the competition was stiff. So our Elite Judges were also put to the test as it were... And the word has gone around. So, even if we should say so..."It was a good begining!" We managed to get some good and unexpected sponsors who put that little extra wind in our sails, a lot of moral support, and a reason to go on ! March 10 Ode to DadWORDS ON DAD'S TOMBSTONE.
HE AMASSED NO WEALTH
HE SOUGHT NO FAME
YET ALL THROUGH LIFE
DID NOT COMPLAIN
BUT WORK HE DID
UNTIL THE LAST
AND LAUGHED AND JOKED
AND RECALLED THE PAST
HIS FRETWORK FRAMES
ADORN EACH HOME
HIS PATIENCE AND LOVE
THROUGH THESE ARE SHOWN
WE MISS YOU DAD
AND AWAIT THE DAY
WHEN WE COME HOME
WITH YOU TO STAY
March 08 Ignatius Albert Simmons (Dad) 1921-1997
Dad believed in the saying ‘seldom seen, much admired’. Born on 5th July 1921, he was Christened, Ignatius Albert Simmons.He married Moira Smith from Trichy, on 1st Sept 1947. A hard working man, Dad was never known to stay away from work, both at Office and at Home. He worked as a clerk in Brooke Bond at their sales room in Coimbatore factory, he attended the auctions and also did 'tasting'. Later he was transfered to Cochin shipping office. You never found anything at home that needed repair. Handy with a saw and hammer, Dad saw to it that Mum never ran short of shelves or cupboards, there were no squeaky hinges at home. The proud father of six children, five boys and a girl, we youngsters had many homemade wooden toys and jig-saw puzzles, that dad made himself. When he retired from work he put one of his hobbies, fretwork, to good use. He made fretwork frames, and fancy shelves,on his Hobbies Gem, fretwork machine. Although there was demand for his work, Dad sold his creations for a pittance, some he just gave away to those who showed admiration for the work. Another Hobby of his was photography. He got his first camera while in the Army, He said that he traded a pack of cigarettes for a Target Brownie Six20. Joe, the eldest son still treasures that camera. We have many albums of Black & White photos that came from that camera. Actually it covered all of our childhood days up-to the time when we became teenagers, and Dad finally got down to buying an Agfa Click-3.
with Joe & Deanne Simmons
e-mail: joe2dean@yahoo.com
Riches was something Dad never dreamt of. And fame was for people who wanted it. Not for him, he just loved his wife and family, enjoyed his afternoon naps on Saturdays and Sundays, and kept very much to himself, his family and the work he loved. The only times Dad left the house, other than to go to the Office, was to go to Church, a friends wedding, funeral or to take us all for a moonlight walk. He went for the occasional Dance, run by the Anglo-Indian Association, more to please Mum than himself, I think. Dad loved the fox-trot and the waltz, but he would rather sit at home by the radio and read the evening papers. He was very strict with us. Though he allowed us to go out, we had to be back by lamp-light or we felt the lash of a belt or cane. To our bad luck sometimes the street lights came on early. But that was the rule. We are grateful though, to Dad, for being strict and teaching us discipline, a commodity that is hard to come by in these days.
Dad had few friends, the closest being Jack Caubow,a family friend, and Lionel Gosmao, his colleague. Lionel was his strongest opponent when it came to the Office Carrom Tourney, which Dad won most of the time. He was respected by all for his sincerity, honesty, hardwork and the respect he gave others.
Theeldest of six children, Charles,Terrence,Doreen,Phyllis and Grace. His Father served on the Railway as a Guard. He was a respected man, and Dad acquired most of his ways. Dad loved hockey and boxing and was good in the High Jump. While in High School, recruitment was on for the R.A.S.C. ( Royal Army Service Corps). He applied and was enlisted.
Dad served in the R.A.S.C. through the second world war. He had been to Cairo, Egypt, Sudan, had crossed the Nile, been to Dar Es Mail, Kartoum, Asmara and other places that he often spoke of. He rose to the rank of Sergeant and brought home a few medals, which he was very proud of but never did show, unless he was asked to.
The African Star, The 1939 to 1945 War Medal, & The Defence Medal
Medals kept with Helena & Vivian, Dad's last son. Vivian also has Dad's Discharge Papers and certificate of promotion to Sergent, besides a certificate for Exemplary Service...
One day while talking to Dad about a movie, The Great Escape, that we had just returned from, a large smile grew on his face, then he told us that it actually took place at their POW camp,in Asmara, and narrated to us how the prisoners had dug a long tunnel which they had even electrified and fixed light bulbs in. It was quite an interesting story, more interesting than the movie itself. The day after the escape Indian soldiers were placed on Guard Duty. The British, he said, had great regard for the Indian Troops. Dad narrated many interesting details about the escape, but some details he had to keep secret, because he was the shorthand typist who typed the entire Court Martial that took place.
It was until after he died that we found a Doctor’s prescription and note, suggesting that he be tested for Cancer. The note was dated 1991. Even in the last days of his life he kept his problems to himself. He had been battling cancer for six years! And he never complained! Dad gave up his fight against the Big C in March 1997. But he is still alive in his Fret-work Frames, the numerous Photo Albums and his stories of the War.
Dad's Altar
done in fretwork in plywood
60yrs old as of date
kept in the home of Malcolm & Carmel Simmons
mobile No: 093448 90294 January 19 Uncle Jack Caubow Albert Simmons (Dad)
IN COCHIN. HE HAD WRITTEN ME WHEN I PASSED OUT FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN 1972. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE LETTER WAS VERY TOUCHING ,
THOUGH HE HAD CONGRATULATED ME ON MY SUCCESS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS, IT ACTUALLY CONTAINED NO FLATTERY OR PRAISE, IT JUST
SAID HOW PROUD IT MADE HIM FEEL, IN SUCH SIMPLE LANGUAGE THAT I TREASURED THAT LETTER .TILL AROUND 1996 WHEN WE MOVED HOUSE SO MANY TIMES, AND I LOST THE LETTER IN THE PROCESS BUT STILL TREASURE IT'S MEMORY.
MORE STILL I TREASURE THE MEMORY OF THE MAN WHO WROTE THAT LETTER. HE CAME INTO OUR LIVES WHEN DAD WAS TRANSFERED TO
COCHIN IN 1959. HE MET JACK COUBOW, IN THE LODGE WHERE HE WAS RESIDING TEMPERORILY, AND THEY BECAME GOOD FRIENDS. JACK COUBOW,
OR UNCLE JACK, AS HE WAS MORE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS AND REFFERED TO, WAS A VERY UNIQUE PERSON. SHORT, DARK AND A LITTLE
BOW-LEGGED, UNCLE JACK WAS WELCOMED WHEREEVER HE WENT. HE SAID HE WAS AN ORPHAN AND STUDIED UPTO THE THIRD STANDARD IN
AN ORPHAN HOME. HE CAME TO COCHIN LOOKING FOR A JOB, DAD HELPED HIM GET A JOB WITH A CLEARING AND FORWARDING COMPANY, UNCLE
JACK'S JOB WAS MOSTLY IN THE GODOWN. IN CHARGE OF LABOUR.
BUT EVERYONE RESPECTED UNCLE JACK. HE SUFFERED FOR RHEUMATISM IN THE KNEES. (ROMANTIC KNEES HE CALLED THEM).
A CONFIRMED BACHELOR, WITH NO WEALTH OR ASSETS, HE LIVED A FREE LIFE. HE ALWAYS HAD A JOKE FOR ANY AND EVERY SITUATION.
HIS FRIENDS WERE INUMERABLE, YET HE HAD TIME FOR EVERYONE. UNCLE JACK WAS ALWAYS THE LIFE OF THE
PARTY. FROM THE LABOUR PEOPLE'S GET-TOGETHERS TO THE BIRTHDAY PARTY OF THE COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, IF UNCLE JACK WAS NOT THERE,
THERE WOULD BE NO PARTY. AND HE ALWAYS MADE IT,
DANCING AND SINGING AND CRACKING JOKES, ESPECIALLY CRACKING JOKES, RIGHT TO THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING. AND THE NEXT DAY
HE SPENT ATTENDING TO HIS 'ROMANTIC' KNEES.
UNCLE JACK HAD A UNIQUE WAY OF ADDRESSING ANY SITUATION. HIS ADVICE WAS ALWAYS POSITIVE, HE NEVER HURT ANYONES FEELINGS.
HE WAS NOT A PERSON YOU COULD EASILY ,OR EVER ,FORGET.
WE SHIFTED TO COIMBATORE IN DEC 1971. IN 1979 WHEN I WAS WORKING IN CHENNAI, I HEARD THAT UNCLE JACK WAS WORKING IN I.T.C
.CHENNAI, AS A WATCHMAN.
I WENT THAT SUNDAY TO VISIT HIM. HE WAS SAD AFTER WE LEFT COCHIN, AND THROUGH THE COLLECTOR OF CENTRAL EXCISE, MADRAS, (AN
OLD FRIEND FROM COCHIN), HE GOT THIS JOB AND LEFT. I MET HIM IN A SMALL HUT, SURROUNDED AS USUAL BY ALL THE NEIGHBOURING
CHILDREN,DANCING, SINGING, TELLING STORIES AND JOKES AND MAKING EVERYBODY LAUGH. THE SAME UNCLE JACK THAT I KNEW AS A LITTLE
BOY, STILL KEEPING EVERYONE HAPPY.
THAT WAS THE LAST I SAW OF HIM. WE LOST CONTACT AGAIN FOR SOMETIME AS HE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO HOLD A PEN. "PARTING" HE ALWAYS
SAID "WAS SUCH SWEET SORROW". THEY SAID HE DIED A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER. BUT IN MY MEMORY HE STILL LIVES ON !
JUST FOR THE RECORD I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT UNCLE JACK'S FRIENDS INCLUDED: BEN LA RIEVE, TREVOR WINTER(COLLECTOR, MADRAS CUSTOMS)
LIONEL GOSMAO, (BROOKE BOND), Mr.SUARES( CENTRAL EXCISE/CUSTOMS), MANY OF WHOM MIGHT NOT BE ALIVE TODAY, BUT WHOSE CHILDREN
AND OR FRIENDS MIGHT RECOLLECT. -Malcolm Simmons, e-mail: mallysimms@hotmail.com |
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