Words of the boys

Umesh Chand

Having to discontinue my High School studies due to serious financial problems, my future appeared to be very bleak.

The Lady luck passed my way when I was enrolled at Montfort Boys' Town. I did not hesitate to join Montfort Boys' Town, thanks to those kind Brothers and the members of the management selection committee who found me fit to be part of this glorious town.

At first I found it difficult to adjust since life was different without near and dear ones. The initial joy and thrill of being at Montfort Boys' Town soon gave way to growing feelings of homesickness. The disciplinary activities and hard training with repeated encouragement from the kind Brothers and the staff hepled me to motivate myself.

After completing my three years course in the trade of fitting and machining, and graduating with flying colors, I had become a young confident man.

I found an employment which was just enough to support me and my family, but the desire and the ambition to grow much higher in life led me to further continue my studies. The further studies at the Fiji Institute of Technology and the Fiji National Training Council blessed me with better employment and again my life continued its upward swing. In 1989 I was called up to serve my Star of Life, the Montfort Boys' Town, as a teacher. I felt so priviliged to serve my school which lit my life.

After serving my school for six years, and passing my knowledge to the students, lighting their life, I was once again rewarded with my continued effort to glow as bright as I could in life. I was selected to serve the Government of Fiji.

In 1995, I said goodbye to the Montfort Boys' Town, still keeping very high spirit, and to be a true Montfortian, I joined the civil service as an inspector of trade measurement and fair traiding, in charge of the Central and Eastern division in the Ministry of Trade and Commerce. My life increased its brightness when the Fiji National Training Council nominated me to be an examiner, conducting examinations into their trade testing scheme.

Today I am really proud to convey a message to the whole nation and the world, that nations such as Fiji are very fortunate to ahve an organisation where unpriviliged students cannot be deprived of education when there is Montfort Boys' Town, and the kind Brothers of St. Gabriel.

Thank you Montfort Boys' Town for what I am and I am proud to be what I am today. May God bless Montfort Boys' Town and its kind Brothers.

Before joining Montfort Boys' Town, there was no hope for my future. I did not know what I was going to do next with my precious life. There was no one to guide and advise me, I had no source of inspiration in life and no role model to follow.

Then in 1996 I joined Boys' Town. With God on my side I was very fortunate to be enrolled and thus began a journey of thousand miles. Here I have learnt many of lives attributes such as being responsible, honest, hard working, being self sufficient and acquiring good mannerisms. A life destined for doom and gloom I saw light at the end of the tunnel.

With the great help, encouragement and dedication of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, I have learnt to think positively, to live selfless life, maintain self discipline and I try to make others happy. I have now learnt to say positively where there is a will there is a way. Academically, I have learnt tradesman's skills which I now realize is in great demand in the job market. I now have an idea of where my future lies; a good job and an equally good income.

As I will be graduating at the end of this year I will be stepping out with a whole new outlook in life, with an aim which will lead me to acquire independence and be a responsible young man of this nation.

At Boys' Town dreams are not only dreams. They can become a reality if one wishes it to be so. It is a place where attitudes changes and talents developed.

Spending a whole year at home after leaving high school and before entering this institution my future was very bleak with no goal to strive for, no self motivation or discipline instilled in me. With the pressure of my peers I was simply living a life of no hope at all.

As a first year student entering Montfort Boys' Town I brought along with me my indiscipline and the ways and life style of my peers, only to be surprised at the self discipline showed by the senior students.

Now going into my second year with the discipline instilled in me by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, I have come to realize the importance of self discipline and have learnt to live a selfless life. Apart from the trade training, the abundance of activities being hosted here in this institution I have come to realize my hidden talents which I can now use to the best of my ability.

Living in this multi racial institution I have acquired the knowledge and skills of my trade which I never thought possible, and I know when I graduate from Montfort Boys' Town I will become more than an able tradesman and a better citizen of this nation and for this I have a lot to thank the Brothers of St. Gabriel, for they have made me realize that dreams can become a reality.

My name is Emori Toge, I am 18 years of age. I attended Ratu Latianara Secondary School before joining Montfort Boys' Town.

I have taken a step in building a better future for myself and here at Boys' Town is just that stepping stone towards building a bright and prosperous future.

I have learnt a lot from when I first came here. Mainly I have learnt to become independent, to be co-operative with each other and be self disciplined in all our activities here at Boys' Town.

I will never forget my first day at Boys' Town. On the first day I felt alone and afraid of the strange faces that I saw. By lunch time the same day all that had changed as I felt relaxed meeting and greeting the boys. They appeared to be friendly with pleasant words of welcome and by evening it was as if I was one of the old boys of the town. I would like to acknowledge my parents selfless devotion in bringing me this far.

Such an opportunity has brought about a change in me and for me where everyday becomes a memorable day and I am very grateful to the Brothers of St. Gabriel at Boys' Town for giving me the opportunity to show my hidden skills and talents and I will end with the following proverb:

"OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS BUT ONCE"