Page 20 - The Gonzaga Record 1987
P. 20
MY MEMORIES OF GONZAGA
Anthony Spollen
I arrived at Gonzaga early in 1954 accompanied by my father for an
interview with Fr Charles O'Conor, the Rector of the College. He was a
very distinguished looking man, very tall and spoke beautifully. Our
meeting was in the Priest's House, where I subsequently served Mass on
many occasions. During the interview I could see that my father was
enormously impressed by Fr O'Conor and by everything which he had
to say. Following the interview I sat an entrance exam which had not been
made too difficult.
My schooling started in Gonzaga in September 1954; at that stage the
number of pupils was small, probably not much more than 100. It is hard
to put my memories in any sort of chronological order, so here is a wide
ranging sample from all of my ten years at Gonzaga.
Fr O'Conor was an enormously kind and thoughtful man. At the
appropriate time of year, Fr O'Conor would go to the orchard before
school started in the mornings, collect a large number of apples and hand
them out through the bars of the orchard gate, to the outstretched
grasping hands. He was not at all interested in discipline, preferring to
leave that side of things to Fr Wally White, Prefect of Studies, who
wielded the infamous "Biffer" with great dexterity. To protect oneself
from this weapon, one could purchase for a modest sum a jar of 'biff
lotion' which comprised a mixture of Brylcreem and Vaseline. One was
not biffed immediately for wrong doings or poor homework, but was
given a note which stated the situation and at 3 o'clock a queue formed
outside Fr White's office. He it was who decided the number of biffs to
be administered; legend had it that he dipped the biffer in vinegar during
the school holidays to give it an added sting.
Fr Jack Hutchinson was a wonderful Irish teacher and would bring the
more senior boys on bicycle trips to the Gaeltacht; he was a very popular
man, who didn't always have the easiest of time from the lads.
Fr Leahy, who is now on the African Missions, was always a very kind
natured person, who insisted on us playing cricket with a rubber ball to
avoid us getting hurt. Fr Stephen Redmond, who was nick-named
"Toothpaste" because of his initials, taught us different subjects at
various stages; English, Religion and Drill. He was always a very saintly
man, who would admonish us at length on those rare occasions when we
won a cricket match by too large a score. His religious devotion meant
that a Bible was never far from hand. Such a presence often acted as a
deterrent to those who would seek to cause trouble in his religion class;
I recall he once flung the Bible at Denis Quilligan in sheer exasperation,
who subsequently approached Religion with a new awareness.
18
Anthony Spollen
I arrived at Gonzaga early in 1954 accompanied by my father for an
interview with Fr Charles O'Conor, the Rector of the College. He was a
very distinguished looking man, very tall and spoke beautifully. Our
meeting was in the Priest's House, where I subsequently served Mass on
many occasions. During the interview I could see that my father was
enormously impressed by Fr O'Conor and by everything which he had
to say. Following the interview I sat an entrance exam which had not been
made too difficult.
My schooling started in Gonzaga in September 1954; at that stage the
number of pupils was small, probably not much more than 100. It is hard
to put my memories in any sort of chronological order, so here is a wide
ranging sample from all of my ten years at Gonzaga.
Fr O'Conor was an enormously kind and thoughtful man. At the
appropriate time of year, Fr O'Conor would go to the orchard before
school started in the mornings, collect a large number of apples and hand
them out through the bars of the orchard gate, to the outstretched
grasping hands. He was not at all interested in discipline, preferring to
leave that side of things to Fr Wally White, Prefect of Studies, who
wielded the infamous "Biffer" with great dexterity. To protect oneself
from this weapon, one could purchase for a modest sum a jar of 'biff
lotion' which comprised a mixture of Brylcreem and Vaseline. One was
not biffed immediately for wrong doings or poor homework, but was
given a note which stated the situation and at 3 o'clock a queue formed
outside Fr White's office. He it was who decided the number of biffs to
be administered; legend had it that he dipped the biffer in vinegar during
the school holidays to give it an added sting.
Fr Jack Hutchinson was a wonderful Irish teacher and would bring the
more senior boys on bicycle trips to the Gaeltacht; he was a very popular
man, who didn't always have the easiest of time from the lads.
Fr Leahy, who is now on the African Missions, was always a very kind
natured person, who insisted on us playing cricket with a rubber ball to
avoid us getting hurt. Fr Stephen Redmond, who was nick-named
"Toothpaste" because of his initials, taught us different subjects at
various stages; English, Religion and Drill. He was always a very saintly
man, who would admonish us at length on those rare occasions when we
won a cricket match by too large a score. His religious devotion meant
that a Bible was never far from hand. Such a presence often acted as a
deterrent to those who would seek to cause trouble in his religion class;
I recall he once flung the Bible at Denis Quilligan in sheer exasperation,
who subsequently approached Religion with a new awareness.
18
