Good afternoon, L & G. Thank you, Cecilia, for inviting me to reflect on my memories of, and interactions with, Benny. Although Benny and I were classmates for 5 years (we were the Class of 65), we did not have much interaction in school. I perhaps just said Hi to him if we crossed paths, which was seldom. I recall that in STD 7, he excelled in drawing and painting, and his work was often singled out to us by Teacher Mrs. J.V. de Souza, as something we should aspire to. Then came Secondary School where I remember Benny as the renowned guitarist who played for Connie Telles band, and who later formed his own group, The Shiftars, with two other classmates, Rudi Lopes and Pauly Dias. While in school, I heard the Shiftars play twice, once at a Talent Contest show at the Mombasa Goan Institute, and then when they played for our Class of 65 Farewell Party. I don’t think any class before us had a band play at their party! That was cool! (Or as the ‘Young Ones’ of today would say, awesome!) and we were truly proud of the Shiftars. I then moved to Nairobi, but every time I came home, Saturday nights were meant (not for fighting, as Elton John once sang) but for going to the Nyali Beach Hotel to listen and dance to the music of the Shiftars, and perhaps meet some hot chicks! Fast forward to 40 years later in Toronto. Whenever classmates Pauly Dias, , Robert De Souza and I met, the conversation would invariably turn to the topic ‘those good old Mombasa days’ - We reminisced about our classmates, teachers, shared school anecdotes and wondered where our classmates had scattered to. Pauly was curious as to the whereabouts of the only Muzungu in our class, Andreas Reichmannis, saying that he was one of Benny’s closest friend and Benny would dearly love to reconnect with him. That name jolted my memory as a friend of mine in Mombasa had once told me that he and Andreas were good friends. I contacted this friend, obtained Andreas’s email which I promptly forwarded to Pauly, and in less than 24 hrs., Benny connected with Andreas and their friendship was rekindled! Benny, clearly over the moon, reached out to thank me and we have kept in touch ever since. I credit the next sequence of events to another class mate, Cassian De Cruz. Cassian, like Benny, loved to travel and meet up with his classmates and teachers. As a result of this, Cassian collected a number of photographs including a digital compilation of school photos belonging to Mr. Cordeiro, our biology teacher. Recognizing in Benny a kindred spirit, Cassian gave him a copy of this collection. Among these was a group photo of our class excursion in 1963 to the Mazeras Botanical Gardens. Benny & Cecilia, with the help of a few other classmates, identified most of the students in that picture. Benny forwarded this photo to me and I was entrusted with the task of contacting as many of them as possible and setting up a database for the Class of 65. This database, comprising email addresses & phone numbers of 38 members of the Class of 65 was then circulated among the group, and most members, particularly Benny & Cecilia, have kept in touch with each other, either by phone or email and now on WhatsApp. And this all started because of a class photo that Benny shared with me. Benny loved keeping in touch, and to this end, initiated and organized a number of class reunions in London, initially with those living there and later, whenever classmates from other countries visited their shores. These began as early as in 1982 at the GOA Clubhouse, or at their homes, or at the London SCOGO Festivals. Then in the 2000s, such reunions were held at various pubs in London. A couple of such get togethers were organized when Chicky and I visited London in 2011 and 2013. At the 2011 reunion, a surprise guest was Teacher Aguiar who was thrilled to see so many of her students meeting socially, and later wrote a touching letter to Benny and Cecilia congratulating them on their efforts in getting former classmates together. At this reunion, I reconnected with my mates after nearly 45 years, and was totally overwhelmed by the occasion. I am eternally grateful to Benny and Cecilia for making this possible. The example Benny set regarding Class reunions have been followed by our classmates in Goa, Edmonton and Toronto. Benny and Cecilia have been gracious hosts whenever we visited London. In addition to arranging reunions, they hosted Chicky and myself to a multi course lunch at their place. This was the first time I met Benny on a one-on-one basis and we had a long chat about all things Mombasa. He also played for me some music by the Shiftars that was recorded at the band’s Toronto reunion in 1991. Later that year, to my pleasant surprise, Benny & Cecilia mailed a copy of this CD to me. The music evokes nostalgic memories whenever I play that CD. Cecilia, you have a flair for writing and have kept the legacy of Benny and of the Shiftars alive through your articles on various forums, which we, their fans , are immensely grateful for. You have been Benny’s scribe and Communications Director and have done more to help the Class connect than some of our own Classmates. And you did not even go the SHHS! Thank you for that. These are my recollections of Benny –a very talented and accomplished musician, a person who loved keeping in touch, and a classmate whom I barely knew in School, but who later became a close and respected friend. Cecilia, I hope these memories, as well as the countless memories that you personally have of your beloved Benny, will be a source of strength and comfort as you mourn the loss of your soulmate . May Benny’s soul rest in peace. Thank you