Skippy Dies: A Novel

A chairde,

I write this, my first Christmas Bulletin to you, with both a great sense of privilege and a deep sadness. Privilege, at taking on the mantle of Principal worn by so many illustrious men, most lately Father Desmond Furlong; sadness at the tragedies that have afflicted Seabrook College in the last two months.

Approaching as we do the end of the year, the temptation is to keep one’s gaze fixed on the future, and draw a veil over the events which have already caused us such great sorrow. However, it has never been the way here at Seabrook College to shy away from problems or to flee the past; and although Seabrook’s 140th year has not been an easy one, I think that we, as a school and a community, can take heart from the spirit in which we rose to its challenges.

That spirit was never more clearly demonstrated than during the events of 8 December. We know from our history books as well as our trophy cabinet that Seabrook has long been a nursing ground for heroes; that that terrible night was not more terrible still was due to the courage of three more. By now you have heard these stories many times, but you will forgive me if I take a moment, on behalf of the school and on behalf of you the parents, to remember once more the bravery of Brian Tomms, woodwork teacher and Dean of Boarders, in evacuating the Tower so promptly, and of Howard Fallon, history teacher, in rescuing from the premises a boy who had been trapped there. You will be pleased to learn that Howard’s doctor in Seabrook Clinic (Milton Ruleman, Class of ’78) is very happy with his progress and predicts a full recovery. We look forward to Howard ‘togging out’ for us in the classroom again very soon. The boy in question is also, I am happy to say, on the mend.

Jerome Green’s courage was apparent to all who knew him. He devoted his life to helping the weakest members of society, both in Africa and in his native land. His unstinting energy, his unflinching morality, his refusal to brook compromise, marked him out as a man in many ways too good for these times. It is fitting that his last act should have been to raise the alarm, and in this darkest of hours we may take some solace in the thought that this is how he might have wanted to go – in the service of his beloved Seabrook, the good shepherd protecting his flock. Ní bheidh a leithéidse ann arís.

Police are still looking into the causes of the fire, but it is believed to have been started by a similar electrical fault to the one that interrupted the Christmas concert. There has been much understandable concern among parents at the speed with which the flames spread in an area where students were housed. It goes without saying that these anxieties have been voiced at the very highest levels of the school. My personal feeling is that now is not the time for laying blame. Instead, we must set our minds to the future. For some time now, plans have been circulating to replace the 1865 building with a new, modern wing, and there is no longer any excuse for delay. Until that work is completed, classes for second- and third-years will take place in prefabs that have been very kindly donated by friends of the school; the boarding school will, as you have been notified, remain closed.

You will have seen reports in the media that the Holy Paraclete Fathers will shortly be turning over the day-to-day running of the school to a private management company. Contrary to these reports, this is a change that has been in train for a long time and is totally unrelated to recent events. More details will be made available in the coming months. At present it suffices to say that the management company will be headed by myself and a board of directors from the Seabrook alumni community, with representatives from parents and from faculty. The company will take care of mundane business and financial matters; the Paraclete Fathers will of course preserve a unique advisory role in the school and have the final say in its spiritual direction.

Before taking my leave of you – not wanting to overstay my welcome on my first turn out! – may I take this opportunity to congratulate Tom Roche, another Seabrook hero of long standing, on his appointment to the position of Director of Sport at Mary Immaculate School in Mauritius. We will all be sorry to lose ‘Coach’; still, we know that he will not forget his alma mater, nor his many friends here, and we are proud to know that in this 140th year of the school, the Seabrook message is, as the founding fathers dreamed it would, still being carried to faroff countries, and to new generations of boys.

A very merry Christmas to you all,

Gregory L. Costigan,

Principal