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Message Text of E-mail
Dated February 27th 2012
to 1958-1963 Past Pupils of "Garbally":
D**,
For a number of reasons (main
one relating to a very important piece of
help I received from "Bonnie" in 1962 outlined
below), and after correcting some errors I later
noticed in the original, I have placed
an edited version of my "Garbally Past
Pupils" e-mail to you of last Saturday at the
following www address:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/GarballyPastPupils/1958-1963/Email25February2012.htm
As
some of you may still recall, and in connection
with a certain "business" visit I (and a few
fellow Garbally students) made to a "licensed
premises" in The Square during The
Ballinasloe Fair Week" of 1962, I got myself
into deep trouble with the Garbally College
Authorities.
The upshot of the whole
business was that the then President ( Fr Louis Page )
wrote to my father shortly afterwards to inform
him that I and a number of others had been
expelled; and, the letter included a request to
my father to establish direct contact for the
purpose of arranging for my removal.
My
father responded by going to see President Page
immediately; and, after truthfully relating to
Fr Page that there was a major problem with
alcoholism in my family, Fr Page, after making
some discreet follow-up investigations (and no
doubt giving the whole matter some very careful
thought), decided to reverse the decision to
have me expelled.
Years later, at the
first 1958-1963 Past Pupils Reunion we had (in
1988 I think?), I got the opportunity to talk
briefly in private with Fr Page, and to thank
him for the decision he made in 1962 shortly
after my father's meeting with him. Our
conversation only lasted for a few minutes, and
the thing I most recall about it is the very
serious and thoughtful look on his face towards
the end of it; when, it seemed to me that he
knew I genuinely believed he was a good person:
mainly because he appeared to me to be someone
who had what it takes to use personal power in
responsible and socially benign ways.
As
my life goes on, the thing which most concerns
and saddens me (in a general sort of way), is
that the people who know how to handle personal
power -- in responsible and socially benign
ways, i.e. for the benefit of humanity as a
whole (as I see things) -- are all being
replaced by people who appear (to me) to be
grossly ignorant of such matters.
So, it
was in "Garbally", and through the practical
example of Fr Page in October 1962 referred to
above, that I learned what I believe is perhaps
the greatest lesson " Life on Earth "
has to teach us: " When the power of love overcomes
the love of power the world will know
peace ".
As most of you
will already know no doubt, Fr Page passed away
in 2000, and his grave is very close to the
roadside at Killimor Church,
County Galway (which is around 15 miles or so to
the South West of Garbally
Park).
Changing the subject, I would like
to take this opportunity to thank you for the
way you have managed to keep us all in touch
with each other over the past several
decades.
Without your steady input over
the years, and I know you have had help at times
from other members of our group (who I also feel
very grateful to), I strongly suspect we
would -- in all probability -- for the most part
be as lost to each other now as the falling
leaves of the horse-chestnut trees which can
still be seen blowing all around Garbally Park
each Autumn.
Best
wishes,
B****
PS: Those who have
yet seen it may find the contents of the www
page just below to be of some interest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbally_College
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Related Link:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/ IrishLegalProfessions /26February2012/Email.htm
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Human Rights Ireland:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com
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