Nyeri News

Steve le Feuvre

I have a number of photos from my time at the school 1967-8, and also when I returned to visit in 1980 and 2003. The 60s and 1980 photos will need scanning, so will try to do that in the coming weeks. The 2003 photos are all digital, so I'll sort through them and get them off to you so you can fill up the photos directory!!

Looking at the list of students, it would be good to put the years spent at the school. Also, please note the following:

Le Feuvre, Kathy ......... she is Cathy. Years at NPS 1967 & 1968. She then went on to Nairobi Primary for two years, and her secondary school was Imani School just outside Thika. It was a state of the art school established in 1970.

Le Feuvre, Steven ........ I am Steve. Years at Nyeri 1967 & 1968.

Ghadialy, Narendra ....... his brother, immediately beneath was Ghadialy, Prakash and both brothers went to PoW.

Hutchinson, Nicholas ........ he lives in Kenya

Monari, Carlo .......... he went to PoW

There's lots of information on my Old Cambrian Society web site Alumni section (http://www.oldcambrians.com/alumni.html)

If you get contact details for either of the Ratanzi twins (Michel & Maxim), I would be pleased to hear from them. We were great friends at Nyeri Primary, and I lost touch with them from when I left Kenya in 1976. Also same applies to Peter Boyd.

anyone wishing to contact Steve please email me Thankyou for your informationSteve

Calvin Mckay

Well, How amazing!. Yes the Photos evoked allot of memories especially our school 'bus'.. I was at the school as a border from Jan 1951 till the beginning of 1957, so its possible we were not in the same class. I was in dorm c bed 7 most of those years and remember a housemistress called Morris There was also a young woman teacher ,whose name I forget who had a boyfriend who smashed his car in the middle of the night near the school while drunk, I remember the wreckage causing much excitement!

In 1954 my younger brother Nigel came to the school, he seems to have survived as he is now a professor of psychology at Woolongong University. At the time my brother arrived at the school my mother became the housemistress for the girls together with a rather wide lady called Donaldson. I have somewhere-I think-the same photo of the boys , I believe I was one of them-not sure which one! Maybe they didn't have too many mirrors as I don't recognize myself although the note on the back says I was there! The bus was fun I remember going on outings in it, especially with the cubs/scouts. We used to have to weed Baden- Powell's grave in Nyeri amongst other things.

On a different note I have just returned to South Africa after a 5 year stay in Boston MA in the USA turning around a listed software company. While I was there a man called Ketan Patel came to visit me in my office. I asked him which part of Kenya he came from. After he recovered from surprise ( he had not realized that all the Patel's in the UK Canada, Aus and the USA came through Kenya). Anyway it turned out his mother was a teacher and a matron at the school in the early 80's. So we had an interesting conversation. I understand from him that the school has become somewhat run down in the last 20 years and that the school has been struggling . It would be interesting to find out if this is in fact the case. Thanks for all the effort.

anyone wishing to contact Calvinplease email me Thankyou for your information Calvin

. Carol Munro nee Webb

I was born in Kenya (as were my siblings and our father). I remember you and John and his mother and father. We called the old man 'Pop' Gasson when we saw him at the KFA in Nanyuki. Our mother and father have passed away now.

It's quite amazing how, the older one gets, the easier it seems to be to come across fellow pupils from both primary and secondary schools! In the last year I have come across three people that I have not seen for 40 and even 50 years! Perhaps we were all too busy raising families and living life to the full before?!

My sister, Patsy, and brother, Trev, were both at Nyeri with me. Patsy still has a small group that she keeps in touch with from Nyeri, so I will pass your address on to her. All my siblings and I live in England now. I remember Daphne Spiers, who has replied to you. We speak occasionally and have met in the past at KHS Reunions.

I have one daughter, Heather Munro, who is 37, an Osteopath living and lecturing in Melbourne. We are very close and keep in touch often. I look forward to a visit from her in October.

Miss Platt was one of my wonderful teachers and Mr Bullock was our Head Master. The Jenners replaced Mr and Mrs Bullock, as far as I remember. It is difficult to remember dates.

The Jenners encouraged everyone to sing, play and perform musical extravaganzas, including entering the national music festivals in Nairobi, where the school did very well. Mrs Jenner had a trained voice and Mr. Jenner always played the piano. Before his voice broke, Trevlyn was a boy soprano, who won his category one year in Nairobi. Quite an achievement after being stage struck at rehearsals!!!

anyone wishing to contac Carol please email me . Thankyou for your information Carol

Patsy Robinson (nee Webb)

I am living and working in London having left Kenya in 1977 to live in Hong Kong. We still have a house on the Kenya coast at Shanzu, the south side of Mtwapa Creek where Adrian Grimwood also lives!

I am in touch with the following who were all at Nyeri: Helen Wainwright (nee Shaw) who lives near Brisbane, Australia; Angie Hodge who lives in Derbyshire, UK; Rosie West (nee Melhuish) lives in Buckinghamshire, UK; Hilary Richards (nee Abrahams) lives in Wales, UK; Francis Davis (nee Pickering) 'Pickie' lives in Manitoba, Canada; Helle (nee Anderson) Mortensen, Uuerslev, Denmark and Hamish Kinghorn, London, UK. We all started at Nyeri some time during 1955/6.

When I last heard, Christopher (Chris) Oddie was living in Perth, Western Australia. His father worked at the Police Training School at Mwega.

We also had a visit from Rory Whitfield a few years ago. He now lives in South Africa but we have not heard from him since!

David (Dave) Roberts is married to Monica and lives in Nairobi. You have a picture of his younger sister, Marian Roberts.

The Carnelli boys were Brian and Tommy and I bumped into Brian a few years back in Hong Kong.

I would love to contact Georgie Becolloni in Italy. He and his mother lived in Nanyuki after his father was murdered during the Mao Mao. Also, Jeremy Randall in South Africa, ex-Nanyuki.

Antony Williamson's recollections see photos in Students page

.The main drive pictured in 2002, hurriedly 'snapped' from a tour coach en route to Nanyuki. You can see the entrance to the tuition block (the 'Chewishy' in our parlance) at the peak of the driveway. Does anyone remember (how could you forget!) the vicious christ thorn hedges that lined the drive, ready to pounce on any bare leg? Of course, a few horrific injuries were sustained by people like Mowbray and Hartley and similar idiots who showed off their athletic prowess by trying to broadjump across the hedges. The thorns would break off and the wounds would go septic overnight. Then it was off to the san to see Ma Charley (Mrs Charlton), to return covered in iodine, mercurochrome, gentian violet, or whatever colour of 'dawa' she had on the shelf.

The most spectacular injury I recall at Nyeri occurred when Neil Roberts jumped belly-first onto a stack of hay after the long grass was cut and managed to split his scrotum on a stick that was artfully concealed by the hay. The poor lad was in agony and not unnaturally wanted someone to run to get Ma Charley. Nobody moved...we all wanted to see what human balls actually looked like!

The Nyeri-Kiganjo road past the school is now lined with shacks, dukas of all descriptions and a servce station. The playing fields are now occupied by buildings of the Moi Education Centre and the kai-apple hedge is still there. To the centre left of the photo you can make out the top of the water tower against a tall tree. The next tree to the right of the tower is possibly the 'Tarzan Tree', much beloved by Welmans and his crowd who were never happy unless they were swinging from a tree branch.

Micheal Little

By a long route I have just heard about your website and seen all the information on Nyeri Primary School there. You have done a wonderful job! I was there from 1957 to 1963, and my brother Peter from around 1959 to 1963. We left Kenya at independence (like so many others) and came to Australia -- first to Tasmania, where Peter still is, and in my case later to Melbourne, Victoria.

Unfortunately I have only got one picture, which has scanned really badly because I can't get it out of the frame! It is of Standard 2A in 1958, with Miss Platt. I am in the back row on the extreme right. Other names I can remember from the class are David Montgomery (front row extreme left) and Teresa Biggi (back row, in the middle). Also I think Martin Elliott in the front row, extreme right. Peter may have some other photos.

In my time the school was called Nyeri European Primary School. The headmasters I remember are Mr Jenner (whose wife was the choirmaster and took our school to winning the national choir competition I think in around 1960 -- I was best boy solo or somesuch that same year), Mr Paxton and Mr Langley. Apart from the teachers you mentioned, I can remember --

Mr Mortimer, who taught Standard 7 from around 1960 onwards. (About 20 years ago I met up with David Montgomery in the UK and we both asked each other if he was really as bad as we remembered! In one handwork class we had to build model boats out of cardboard. On picking mine up Mr Mortimer exclaimed: "Now I know why they call a Chinese boat a junk!")

Mrs Pella Montgomery, who was junior boarding house matron. Her sons Nigel and David were both at the school. In around 1983 I stayed with her in Nairobi.... she had remarried and was then called Mrs Wilson. Nigel was still in Nairobi at that time, though I suspect he has since left for the UK. David was a major in the British Army.

Someone we called Miss Turkey but I don't think that was her real name. She was an older lady who had been there for years when I arrived in 1957.

One of my favourite teachers was Mr Standring. If you had been good, he would send you after morning tea to get the left-over sandwiches from the staffroom. You were allowed to eat some of the sandwiches! He would also send you to his house on the school grounds to get sweets from his wife. I also remember a group of young lady teachers from the UK who loved to wear the latest 1950s fashion and stand in the class doorways chatting with each other while we were busy copying from the board! How things have changed. One of the most interesting times in retrospect was the period between internal self-rule in June 1963 and independence in December 1963. For the first time there were non-European children in the school, and an African Education Minister came in December to hand out the school prizes. On the last school day I collected my prizes, and the next day drove to Nairobi to leave for Australia!

I was interested to see Steve leFeuvre's mention of Narendra and Prakash Ghadialy. My father sold his legal practice to their father when we left Kenya, and I still have occasional contact with the family.

The school has many wonderful memories for all of us. Maybe some of us would be interested in exploring ways we can help the school today. It would be a great way to demonstrate our ongoing interest and maybe make a contribution to the development of a country that means a lot to us. If anyone is interested, maybe they could contact me (schrodi@bigpond.com).

News item sent to me by Antony Williamson

Suitcase Museveni child left at a Kenyan school

By Amos Kareithi

Ugandan President's daughter Natasha was in Standard Two in 1982 when the mother came for her at night to get her out of harm's way It is well-known that Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni was resident in Nairobi when he was a rebel leader waging war against dictators in his country.But what may not be in the public domain is that his eldest daughter, Natasha, went to school at Moi Nyeri Complex Primary, then known as Nyeri Primary, a public school.And the story gets more interesting. There came a time when the powers-that-were in Uganda were feeling the heat of Mr Museveni’s guerrilla warfare.They, therefore, hatched a plan in 1982. They would kidnap his daughter , who was in Standard Two at the Nyeri school, and use her as a bargaining chip. But the then head of the National Resistance Army was well ahead of them. In the dead of night, Mr Museveni’s wife, Janet, came calling and took the daughter away. The Uganda Government forces were outmanouvred.To date, a red leather suitcase is still in the school store. Recently, the administration opened it for this writer and the evidence was there for all to see — on the inside it is well-labelled "Natasha Museveni".Inside are a green sweater, checked dress, white shorts, T-shirt and a white petticoat. The school discloses that her admission number is 3865.Natasha, who is now married to Mr Edwin Karugire and a renowned fashion designer, is truly East African. She was born in 1976 to Yoweri and Janet Museveni on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Due to upheaval in her country Uganda, the family moved to Nairobi in 1980.They stayed here for three years. That was the time Natasha was a pupil at Nyeri Primary School. But the family moved back to Tanzania where she continued with school. Later, they moved to Sweden. The family returned to Uganda in 1986 when Mr Museveni became President.Back to Nyeri Primary, a school for the children of the mighty. And it has experienced plenty for this. An example. In the 1970s, a Cabinet minister landed in a helicopter on the Nyeri Moi Complex Primary School’s compound. With him were two of his children in school uniform.Mr Jackson Angaine, the then Lands and Settlement minister, had only one mission — to have them admitted. He would not take No for an answer. It was a Saturday and the principal was called from his house by frightened teachers. In a record 10 minutes, the minister left, alone. And as he left, Mr Angaine (since deceased) had a parting shot: He would inform the Education minister that his children were at the Nyeri school to ensure that they were well-treated. Started in 1948 by colonial settlers, no expenses were spared to make the school a citadel of academic excellence. It is on a 57-acre piece of land just a kilometre away from Nyeri Town. Until 1963, it was a no-go area for African children. The school head must be the rank of a secondary principal, Mr Charles Thiong’o, the head teacher, explains. It also has two deputy head teachers.The school has 1,300 pupils and 38 teachers. Its facilities are good: Two dining halls, two kitchens, a swimming pool and home science room. Pupils who board do not wash their clothes. This is done at the school laundry by employees.Dormitories are attached to teachers’ and matrons’ houses. The school has two nurses who paid by the government and stationed at the sanatorium.The Central Provincial Director of Education Wilson Wanjau says Moi Nyeri Complex Primary is one of the few schools recommended by the government for the children of diplomats returning from foreign service.It is perhaps the only public school in the country where handball players are assured of an annual trip to Sweden. "Every July, we send a team to represent the country at the Partille International Handball Championships," Mr Thiong’o says. Last year, for example, Moi Nyeri Complex Primary sent 12 pupils to the games. Besides handball, the school also has badminton pitches, three soccer and volleyball fields and a lawn tennis court.The principal says free education funds are not enough to run the school. "We have 41 non-teaching staff on the school payroll. The laundry, swimming pool and lawn tennis court have to be maintained and so is the school bus," he adds.The school sets aside Sh4 million a year for food. Its annual budget is Sh14 million. It was reduced from Sh19 million two years ago after parents complained.Every morning, the children wake up to a breakfast of porridge, tea and bread. At 11.30am, pupils have tea and bread. For meals, the menu includes meat, rice stew, mashed potatoes, githeri or ugali.The school does not discriminate on admission. However, the pupils are like a list of who-is-who in the Civil Service and local business community.Although free primary education forbids any fees, the school is an exception. Boarders pay Sh19,850 a year and day scholars Sh7,360.Last year, the school competed favourably with private ones.Its top candidate in KCPE, Moses Kimotho, scored 464 marks and was second in Central Province. It presented 157 candidates, 59 of who scored 400 marks and above. The mean score stood at 376.93 compared to 360.42 in 2003.

School and Career is published weekly by the Standard Newspaper Group.

Wednesday January 12, 2005

Carlos Monari

\I was at Nyeri Primary with my sister Vivian from 1955 to 1961. I became a boarder in 1959 because my old folks left Nyeri and moved to Embu and then Meru working for governmental MOW Road Constuction Scheme around Mt. Kenya. Although sometiimes I felt homesick I must say that still today after so many years I am still.....Kenya sick! I now live in Italy with my family (wife and 2 kids 15 and 21) and regretfully have never been back to Kenya since 1963: still hope to do so one day..!

I am so pleased to have contacted some of my old Nyeri schoolmates and hope to find others thanks to Joan's great website. I would love to hear, for example, if those mad guys who were in my gang remember when we had that brilliant idea on a boring afternoon : the plan was to strike the milk van with balls made out of genuine kenya mud (see matope). We got some "ammunition" ready and when the van drove up the main entrance on his daily deilvery service we would hide behind the christ-thorn hedge (very well described by Antony Williamson !) and suddenly jump up and literally pelt the van. Unfortunately one of our shots missed the van but went through the open window and hit the poor milkman right on his cheek. He was obviously furious and yelled (something not too kind....) in kikuyu and reported the whole thing. The day after during assembly Headmaster Mr. Jenner called us out and showed our blushing faces to the whole school, how ashamed we were ! After the last hymn - I can stilll remember no. 508 "Guide me o thou great redeemer....." (this was at the time the school's favourite hymn with Mr. Jenner at the piano....) we were taken to the headmaster's room and we each got 3 strokes of Mr. Jenner's tackie.........my poor backside burned for quite a while! However we really deserved that.

I'm sure most of Nyerities have enjoyed at least once putting "stinkbombs" in the teacher's wastepaper basket. Usually during break we would collect a few seeds from a particular tree on the school grounds, get them mashed and finally drop them under the teacher's desk! The teacher's face as reaction to the terrible smell would get the whole class giggling like mad....all our faces under the desk or hiding behind a schoolbook !!

Yes, I too remember something about the Mau-Mau affair especially in October 1956 when Dedan Kimathi, leader of the Aberdares Mau-Mau, was captured not far from our school. At the moment of his arrest, Kimathi, self-proclaimed "Knight Commander of the African Hemisphere and Lord of the Southern Hemisphere", had built up his first clandestine government in the Aberdare forests in 1955, which he named Parliament of Kenya. After his arrest, he was hanged in early 1957. I can remember what a great relief it was for all of us at Nyeri school.

Finally I'd like to ask Micheal Little about his class photo; if he has any news about Teresa Bighi (mind you, Biggi is not exact) or her brother George ?

I would also like to say hello to Trev Webb or anyone else who knew me at that time.

Carlo Monari.

carloenrico@tin.it

thanks for the correction Carlos re Teresa

Brian Tofts

Having just browsed through the web and picked up your site i was delighted to turn the clock back many years ..take timeout and reflect on the good times we had as kids in Kenya

Yes i was at Nyeri primary from 1955 to 1957 and then went on to St marys for a year or so and then onto POW

We lived in Nanyuki as Dad was in the 3rd Battalion KAR having come over from the Lancashire Fusiliers in UK after his and Mums return from India where Mum was born

Mums maiden name was Hawksworth and they were farmers in Eldoret and Kitale and Grandad ran Sadler house in Nairobi

Adrian Grimwood and richard Cox were my best mates and we went to POW..At POW besides sport I did the Mikado Play and the musical Oliver at the Donovan Maule Theatre in Nairobi

I am now living in Singapore and am the General Manager of the British Club there ..Please check out the website and please drop in when passing ...that goes for all of you

My E-mail is .....briantoft@britishclub.org.sg

please pass onto all

kindest regards

Kwheri

Brian

Brian Toft

General Manager

The British Club

73 Bukit Tinggi Road

Singapore 289761

MAIN: 6467 4311

DID: 6410 1103

www.britishclub.org.sg

] Ian Roberts

At the age of 8 yrs. and a member of Lion House, I was present on opening day of Nyeri School in May (?) of 1950. O.T.Davies was first head followed by Mr. Bullock. I have good memories of school and the Baggot girls, Randals, Springers, Suzanne DuMare, Gillian Gasgoigne, Pippa Casson, Diane Grimwood, and the Foxley-Norris girls. Also, Len and John Potts, Kerry Smythe, Mike Lorenzi, Alan Doig, Alec and Dave Roberts, Don Rungren, Peter and Ruth Peterson, David and Margaret McCreath, George Thornton, The Poulter brothers, just to name a few. I remember your brother Anthony, Joan. In 1955 I went on to POW followed by the Kenya Regiment in 1961, London Metropolitan Police, then emmigrating to Canada in 1963. In British Columbia I hired on with Canadian Pacific Railway as a brakeman and retired after 35 yrs. as a supervisor of train engineers in western Canada. I married Julie in 1972 and have a son in Vancouver and a daughter in London, England. We go to London quite frequently and take part in POW or Regiment reunions.

We hope to go to Australia sometime to catch a reunion there. Is one of the Springer girls married to Mike Tucker in western Australia?

David Law-Smith

David Law-Smith Well, well -surprise,surprise!! The Old Cambrian site works.

I went to Nyeri after coming back from England and going to Eldoret School ( OT was here too!! ) that burnt down.

I was then sent Nyeri at the opening and went to the POW in 1953.

My grand mother - Mrs. Alexander ran the dining room and Mrs. Moon, Mich Moon's mother was the boys dorm matron.

I was head scout and looked after Baden Powell's grave in Nyeri and wore his belt when we set up a guard of honour for then Princess Elizabeth going up to Tree Tops!! Was school cricket captain and was first pupil awarded the Victor Laudanum trophy for the all round student in 1952. I have seen Peter Petersen and Ruth as well as the Baggot sisters over the last few years. I married a convent girl and worked in several places around the world with 25 years in the USA before retiring and returning to England.

Will see what photos I may have and be back in contact when time permits - so nice to see all those familiar names - I fell in love with Inga, the teacher!!

Well done to you.

David Law-Smith

ali dawood musani Thursday, 6/21/07, 3:38 AM

Hi I attended NPS in 1966 at the tender age of 6 and was there for for only 1 year. You have me listed as Daud Alimohamed on your list, I have changed my name to the above since then. I then went to Nairobi School for my secondary education, then I left and came to England for my education. I have been here since 1975. I reside in Harrow, Middlesex, and am a hotelier and property developer. My address is "Sheepcote", 269 Watford Road, Harrow, Middx., HA1 3TS. The only things I remember are the music classes, and there were 2 jewish brothers who used to play the violin brilliantly, and the swimming classes, there was also a girl I recall in my class I think her name was Angela, and also the housemistress Mrs Bell I think, she used to make us leave our teeth that had fallen out on the slippers outside the dorm and she would leave a fudge or a sweet in its stead and tell us that a tooth fairy had visited during the the night, and i used to believe that until I caught her out one night, what a laugh, she shooed me away back to bed.

From: originally meru

Email: ali@dewood.co.uk

years at Nyeri & Memories also High School attended 1966