A year in the planning, but over in what seemed to be no time at all, the three days of the KGI centenary celebrations were much anticipated and looked forward to, and absolutely thoroughly enjoyable!

Members of the KGI from around the globe gathered in Toronto - they came from Australia, USA, UK ,Germany, Switzerland, Uganda and other Provinces of Canada - to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the KGI in 1910, and it was wonderful to meet and greet them and hear their comments on recognition (or not!).  The 3-day celebrations included a 3-hour cruise around the Toronto harbour, a Gala Dance and Holy Mass followed by the Closing Ceremonies.  About 450 people attended each function and it was a great delight to see and meet the seniors who came to the Closing celebrations on the Sunday, to meet old friends and reminisce about "them good ol' days"! All the action over the three days was caught on video by Uvy Lopes of Shooting Stars and a copy will be made available Free of Charge to (each couple) members requesting a copy. Extra copies of the video will be available at $15 per copy, plus shipping and handling charges.

 

Harbour Cruise: The Celebrations kicked off with a Cruise aboard the 3-deck Northern Spirit which steamed around the Toronto harbour on Thursday June 24th, and luckily all the hype and anxiety of getting to Queens Quay due to the G20 Summit that was scheduled to start the next day, did not disrupt our travel plans.  The KGI Banner was prominently displayed on the ship and people enjoyed meeting friends they hadn't met for 38 years...some had difficulty recognizing each other - no need to mention why! As members came aboard they were treated to a glass of punch - alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and while some members socialized, others sat down to the first sitting of a very tasty hot dinner consisting of grilled chicken, salad, pasta, vegetable, dinner rolls, tea and coffee, followed by dessert and fresh fruit, while the Rhythm Nation Band and DJ, led by (Ugandan) Chris Lobo, played the old and new favourites for their dancing pleasure. The music started off with the theme song, "KGI Forever", lyrics, composed by Tom and Joan Francis, to the the old tune "Forever and Ever", and sung by Tom, Joan, Errol, and Delphine Francis and accompanied on the piano by that very popular and talented pianist, our own William Fernandes.  The weather for the cruise couldn't have been better; and laughter and shouts of joy could be heard throughout the ship! Coming in to dock at around 10.15 PM members caught an extraordinary sight of the beautifully-lit Toronto downtown and shoreline and the lights on the several high rise buildings in the area gave all aboard a grand view of Toronto by night - a city of fun and entertainment!

As people disembarked the Northern Spirit they were handed a copy of the "action"- packed Souvenir Brochure painstakingly put together by John Nazareth and Al Mathias and edited by John Nazareth.

Those who came in on specially arranged buses had to hurry to get back on, but many others who drove down seemed reluctant to leave and hung around chatting and catching up with the intervening years!

Gala Ball: The Grand Gala Ball was held at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton....a huge and beautiful venue and well-suited for such a special occasion!

People started gathering in the foyer at 5.45 PM.  What fashion!  What glamour!  What glitz!  Everyone - men and women alike  - dressed up and looked resplendent and in fitting style for this once-in-a-hundred-years event!  With the help of some alcoholic and non-alcoholic punch and appetizers, continued their meetings with friends  of yore , and with those who weren't able to make it to the boat cruise, until 7.00 PM when the doors opened and members entered the hall to the sounds of the Dixie Land Brass Quartet. Although the wait in the foyer was a little crowded, once in the hall, members were very impressed and were heard to comment on the ambiance as being awesome!

The anniversary cake, in the form of the KGI building, was crafted by Osbert Remedios and decorated by Eurema Colaco and Greta Dias. As soon as the Champagne was poured, Chairman Antonio Mascarenhas, in his speech, recognized and thanked all the members of his committee-Denis Pereira, Greta Dias, Eurema Colaco, Seira Furtado, Bertilla De Souza, Almir D’Cunha, Norman D’Souza,  Nick D’Mello, Al Lobo and Al Mathias who all worked hard to ensure the success of the three days events and then raised the toast to the occasion. This was followed by a heartwarming speech by Mr Rajni Tailor, Secretary to the KGI in Kampala -unfortunately, the current President of the KGI, Mr Sudhir Ruparelia, could not attend. Three former Presidents of the KGI - Neru Rodrigues, Mark Vaz and Al Lobo - joined Antonio and Ruby in the cutting of the cake. Eurema Colaco said the grace and after that, people were treated to a sumptuous meal of Surf and Turf - Shrimp and New York Steak - with all the vegetables and trimmings and every table was provided with complimentary Red and White wine.  At midnight we were treated to a table of delicious late night snacks and refreshments. Dancing, to the multi-lingual band of Goa Amigos and DJ Logan, continued until 1.30 AM and again, there were lots of photographs taken especially with the KGI Banner/Building photograph in the Hall as a backdrop, and lots of catching up with old friends. Once again, some found it hard to recognize old friends after so many years but were visibly happy when they were identified! Perhaps name tags would have been a good idea but would also have detracted from the " wow"  element of eventual recognition!

Mass & Closing Ceremonies: The following day, this event was also held at the Pearson Convention Centre and about 450 people attended. We were honoured that many of our seniors graced the event.   Holy Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Joe Rodrigues assisted by (Ugandan) Deacon Dr. Terry Da Silva (son of Remy and Mabel Da Silva).  The Mass and Choir were extremely well organized by Delphine Francis and Elma D'Costa who made sure that non-Torontonians participated in the readings, offertory gifts and collection baskets, and Michelle Coutinho, who designed and made the beautiful candle holders in the Uganda flag colours. A fine and eloquent reminiscence by a grandson of one of the Founder members, Mr. E A Pinto, was delivered by the Deacon, Dr Terry Da Silva. In remembrance of our founders who sang the Konkani Blessing 100 years ago at their first meeting, the choir sang the same Goan Blessing, Uddon Guellem, with enthusiastic participation by all the attendees!

After Mass there was another sumptuous lunch catering to vegetarian and non-vegatarian needs, followed by dancing and the Closing celebrations.   One senior - probably the oldest attending - was  that great and popular sportsman and  international hockey and cricket player, Michael Teixeira, who completed 92 years a few days later - on June 30th.

Thank you Speeches by Chairman Antonio, and  ex-tempore speeches by former KGI President  Neru Rodrigues and by Dolly Braganza, all of whom recognized and applauded the three wonderful occasions and thanked all those who worked hard towards the 3-day celebrations. In her comments Dolly Braganza very clearly made the point (loudly cheered by the attendees!) that, regrettably, the women were not featured at the podium! Point well taken and noted for the future!   And a final speech by Al Lobo (the executive member responsible for the website) who, on behalf of the Organizing Committee, thanked Denis Pereira for the fine job he had done as emcee for all the three events, and also thanked all the Committee members and their spouses . A special thank you to the Chairman,  Antonio Mascarenhas, for all his hard work over the year that it look to plan the celebrations  and  his 24 hour, seven day a week commitment to the "project; he also thanked Antonio's wife, Ruby and their daughter Maria Renata, for all the support they provided our Chairman.  Secretary, Bertilla D'Souza, then presented a lovely bouquet to Ruby on behalf of the Organizing  Committee.

All in all, several people who were not initially keen to attend were very glad that they changed their minds and came.  By a consensus this was acclaimed to be an absolutely wonderful celebration of the KGI's centenary, and one that will be remembered for a long long time!!

P. S. Brochures & Video:

Those seeking additional copies of the Brochure ( at $5.00 each) , should contact Antonio Mascarenhas or Al Mathias. Those wanting copies of the Video should complete the Form posted on the website and send them in to either of the above two gentlemen. One copy will be given Free of Charge to every couple who attended...extra copies may be purchased at $15 each plus the cost of mailing.

Al Mathias