… Brother Michael Mackey, rector at St Mary’s College, Rose Hill, from 1969 to 1975, who passed away last February
EHSAN MUTHY
Student at St Mary’s College 1972 -1979
It is with great sadness that I learned about the death of our inspiring teacher and mentor Brother Michael Mackey. Brother Michael Mackey was the rector at St Mary’s College, Rose Hill, from 1969 to 1975. I was made aware of this tragic news when I called Brother Kevin McEvoy at Miguel House De la Salle Brothers HQ in Castletown, Portlaoise, Ireland, on the 8th March 2022. Brother Michael Mackey passed away on the 20th of February 2022. I understand his death was of natural cause at the age of 93 though he sustained and recovered from a broken hip earlier on.
As part of the missionary work undertaken by the De la Salle Organisation, Brother Michael came to Mauritius, from Ireland, to be the rector of St Mary’s College.
As a pupil at St Mary’s, I still have fond memories of those Brothers, often tall white men in sparkling clean white robes, some with blond hair and blue or hazel eyes. At this tender age we dared not ask who they were, where they came from and what were they doing in Mauritius.
Much emphasis was on discipline, which was strictly enforced by Br Michael and his staff for the smooth running of the college. If one was late for class in the morning, he was told to sweep and collect dead leaves in the school yard to « keep our college clean and tidy » – which was our school motto. Three bad remarks, such as « talking in class », « disturbing the class » or « insubordination towards teacher » on your fortnightly progress book would guarantee you a Saturday detention. Yes, you read it right ! meaning you would have to attend school on a Saturday morning. Now, try and explain to your already strict dad why you were asking him for bus fare to go to school on a Saturday morning. I leave the rest to your imagination.
In those days we did not have mobile phones, nor social media. No WhatsApp, no Meta, nor Instagram and whatnot, but we had FUN. Above all, we were passionate and the education we received helped fuel our dreams. Brother Michael and his team taught us fair competition through sports, intercollege football, athletics and TV quizzes. We had aspiring poets and jokers, all in a spirit of solidarity and brotherhood. I still remember a close friend of mine who would accost girls with the following opening line : « Tiens, Tiens, Tiens, Mademoiselle, quelle belle surprise que de vous avoir rencontrée! », in his bid to flirting with girls from Loreto or QEC colleges at the Rose-Hill bus station. Eventually, the poor Romeo was met with a barrage of insults from some of the girls.
It was also an age of creativity and flirting inspiration. I heard famous quotes like « Un baiser sans moustache est comme un beefsteak sans moutarde ». In class, I am proud to say that I was the best joker. I always had the ability to seize the opportunity to make the whole class laugh. The only drawback is that I have collected a few Saturday detentions for disturbing the class. Those were the days my friends, those were the really good old days. Those were the best days of my life. I wish I could go back in that time but alas it will never occur.
On a more serious note, let us not forget that Br Michael Mackey and many other Brothers and Sisters from the De la Salle Organisation sacrificed their lives for us, Mauritians students. They were mostly based at St Joseph’s, St Mary’s, La Confiance and Loreto Colleges. They left their motherland and their families, came all the way from Ireland to impart us knowledge through Maths, Sciences, Languages amongst other subjects. Today, many of us have prospered and benefitted from the hard work of those unforgetable men and women.
Visiting Brother Michael Mackey and Brother Anthony Furniss
On the 6th of January 2019, just before the Covid pandemic, I had the privilege to visit Br Michael at Miguel House, De La Salle HQ, in Portlaoise, Ireland. I travelled with my son, Yusuf, from London to Dublin and from there to De la Salle HQ. We were very warmly received by both the staff and Br Michael. My meeting with him after such a long time was emotionally gratifying. He remembered the sunshine of Rose-Hill very well. We talked about the challenges he faced in a developing Mauritius where education was not free. He remembered his staff and the daily routine at St Mary’s. We also talked about their Blue Morris Marina parked at their residence at Ambrose Street Rose-Hill. He did not forget his German Shepherd by the name of Keiser. He told me that due to a sudden illness of his mother he had to return to Ireland in 1975.
At Miguel House, in 2019, I was also introduced to Brother Anthony Furniss, who was mostly based at St Joseph’s College. Despite his advanced age – nearly 100 years – at that time, I was able to maintain a rational conversation with him. He reminisced his weekly trip to St Mary’s to teach us sciences. Br Furniss also talked about their summer residential home Senlis-Sur-Mer in Riambel. During school terms, he used to stay in Curepipe, he said. Interestingly, Br Furniss told me that he was part of the negotiating team that would advocate and secure free education for all Mauritians students with the then Labour Prime Minister of Mauritius in 1976.
The third Brother I communicated with during my stay in Ireland was Br Thomas O’Donoghue, who was 21 when he came to Mauritius. He took a few gap years from his studies at Trinity College, Dublin, as he would not miss the opportunity to come to Mauritius. He also related to me an anecdote whereby he was being continuously followed by a man in Rose-Hill. In the end, Br Thomas stopped the man and asked him why he was following him. The man replied : Are you the actor from the James Bond movies ? Presumably, he mistook him for Roger Moore. Br Thomas is still around and I understand he now lives in Dublin. He also remembers the lychees of Mauritius, Senlis-sur-Mer, Keiser and above all his trips on motorbikes from Rose Hill to Tamarin.
Well, my dear friends, this is surely the end of an unforgettable era. It also marked the end of a different system of providing secondary education. Thanks to the efforts of those Brothers and Sisters, many of us have achieved prosperous and professional lives and wellbeing. Farewell, Brother Michael Mackey, and thank you, Brothers and sisters.
From the bottom of my heart,
Adieu Monsieur Le Professeur
Je ne vous oublierai jamais
On ne vous oubliera jamais
C’est aussi pour vous dire combien on vous aimait.
Merci beaucoup, Brother Michael.
