St. Anthony's High School, Monte de Guirim, Bardez, Goa

During my time at the school during the late 1950's and early 1960's the trucks with firewood arrived and unloaded their stuff on the concrete paved area in the foreground. Seen in the center of the picture are the stairs leading to the play area below the refectory and the Junior dormitory above it. The rear of this building led to the teachers quarters and the chapel. This area was our stomping ground throughout our scholastic years - a favourite spot for everything that defines recreation.

I remember the famous Sacrula de Saligao, dressed in a brown tunic, standing on the parapet on right side of the stairs leading to the refectory and delivering his speech with an umbrella. The building on  the right side of the refectory consisted of an art classroom run by the well-known and legendary Capuchin Brother Vitalis who was my art teacher. Next to it was the Infirmary, and the Music Room that had a LP Record Changer, a microphone and a PA Amplifier.

This sound system was used for playing instrumental music during the afternoon recess and music from Radio Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the evening before the recitation of the Holy Rosary in Konkani by two boarders at 8 pm. One horn loud speaker was placed on the top of the school building steeple facing the Guirim side and another on the side of the refectory directed towards the Sangolda side. Families living down the hill and beyond could hear and join in the Rosary in the stillness of those nights of long ago, perhaps even more than a mile away.

Incidentally and interestingly, a bell that consisted of a 2 feet length of a railway track and an iron bar was used to call students to dinner and studies. It was suspended on the horizontal beam of the roof near the stairs leading to the right of the refectory building. The covered garage and service station for the school Land-Rover was located to the left of this picture taken from the spot where stood the mango tree.