- TR Raghunandan
- Nov 26, 2021
- 5 min read
(A post taken from a whatsapp note from the inimitable MN Raghunandan!)
I know one of the Crannenburgs well. Lionel. He lives in Perth.
That list brings back a flood of memories. When I took delivery of my MG TC car in the late eighties after its so called restoration, there seemed to be a distinct twist in the car. The lines were really odd. Anyway the engine was making a sound like a Sumeet Mixi, so I took out the engine for a complete overhaul. Then I removed the body and began a frame up restoration on the car at my home, in Hutchins Road. When I took the chassis for shot blasting, an entire chunk of it fell off; it was built up with metal paste! I could poke holes in it with my fingers. I levelled the chassis and welded in a new box section reinforcement to straighten it. And then I built the body's wood frame myself, along with a carpenter named Selvam.
Luckily for me, Lionel, a good friend, helped me with references from the most authentic source for restorations of MG TCs.
Lionel had emigrated from Bangalore to Australia and lived in Perth. He knew Mike Sherrell, who is considered to be the guru of MG T series cars. Mike had written a book for MG restoration, with detailed drawings of the woodwork required. There were many nuances of the woodwork which Indian restorers were completely disregarding. Lionel got me Mike's book. What's more, he got the book autographed by Mike! So I had authentic references whilst doing the woodwork of the car.
_Pics here _
A glimpse of Mike Sherrell’s invaluable reference book. And his precious autograph.
The story doesn’t end there. Mike and his wife Loretta set off on a round the world trip from Perth, in their MG TC. While driving through Europe, the car broke down near Frankfurt in a snowstorm. My cousin, who also owns an MG TC met Mike and helped him to haul his car to a safe place and both of them worked on it. Mike then continued on his journey.
My cousins car is superbly restored. That inspired me to put my car into reliable mechanical condition. Have some great memories driving through the Black Forest in Germany in his car.
All rambling memories triggered by the name ‘Crannenburgh’!
And Mr Raghunandans post on the Cranneburgs was in turn triggered by this whatsapp forward from Andrew Lobo in our #HeritageBeku whatsapp group.
‘These are complied names of famlies living in a 3 kilometre radius in Richmond town in the 1960's made up of English, Anglos, Goans, Mangalorens and Indians.
One of Bangalore's dear old ladies was "Babs", whose name definitely brings a smile from many an oldie.She taught dancing on Albert Street .. later Connie & Danny took over!! Some of the names (only a few listed) of the Families were Pacheco, Goodman, Simmons, Wilson, Croning, Johnson, MacDonald, Fullinfaw, Aquino, Freeman, Mersh, McKennin, Coombes ( this was a place that all the youngsters in the town gathered to play tennis, throwball , sing around bonfires, ring in the New Year, and all that they couldn't do at Richmond Institute, the old lady is in Adelaide and still plays tennis at 90 plus!), Macedo, Thomas, Moore, Hayes, Martin, Rodgers, Rogers, Roberts, Herbert, Souce, Reins, Fernandes, Maywall, Stacey, Stracey, Kendall, Kennedy, Crannenburg, Peris, Felix Weckshler ( the photographer who did a beautiful portrait of Rev. Fr. A.M. Tabard ), Galloway, Welsh, Keys (ran a boarding house in Cheerful Lodge, now Wellington Apartments),Noreen Sales (nee Nicholas)- who stayed at the Ashes which apparently became the Richmond House? as per Audrey King which later became the Survey of India and now a doomed and broken down place of a ghastly murder a couple of years back!) Longsworth (who used to run a "Family Taxi" service to Ooty, Mysore, Nandhi, who stayed opposite Cheerful Lodge) , Bantlemann, Bywaters, Wilson, Millett, White, Corbett, Jones, Pereira,.
Family names around the town were Duckworth, Wollen, Rondo, Noronha, Thompson, Lopes, Scully, Hennacurri, Rodrigues, Miss.Mortima (used to be a teacher of Bishop Cotton's Girls' School, annd who lived on Convent Road), Vaz, Strentz, Furnell, Bernard, talking to William "Bill" Marley and his wife Olive, popped out some of the older names like Bornshin, John Webb (Webb's Garage on M.G. Road), Colin & Olive Dozey (used to have Dozey's Garage at the Petrol Bunk next to Mayo Hall), Armstrong, Young, Dick Anderson of the Police, Jock Anderson, Ross, Turner, Colin Cowdrey (the famous English cricketer) had his parents in Bangalore, Preston, Col. Bill Davis, Trevor Lushington, to name a few old timers.
Some of the famous teachers of the schools were Webster, Morris, Hemi, Mother Good Shepherd, Mother Mecthel, Mother Veronica, Fr. Eustrace Jacques, Fr. Eric Vaz, Ann Beck, Late Miss. Bernie Pinto ( and Dr. Francis Pinto, (whose father built the first Mills in Bangalore, Mineva Mills), Jean (Morris) Murphy, May Rosario, Davenport, Lynch, Mcbride (Hockey Coach),the Late Luke (Loogan) & Ann DeSouza, Alec & Dorothy Alvarez, Richard (Dick) & May Pereira, Hartwell (Papa) Yates, Percy (Smiler) D'Silva, Francis, F.X. Paul, Miss. Dias, Aswathnarayan & Bhat, many of them have passed on from this world. Miss. Flannigan (Internationally famous for her pretty bridal bouquets) and her sister Mrs. Gidney are well known in Richmond Town and across the world, for her old car (it was used in the movie "Gandhi"). Another well known couple in the town was Margaret & Richard D'Cruz, who entertained all the young crowd, as they had friends of their four children (Geraldine, Cynthia, Dr. Mario and late Mark) coming in and going out all the time. Now they are settled down in Melbourne, Australia.
If I have left out any known names, please forgive me, let me know and I will try and include the same when I update the file. The photo above is taken of some Old Bangaloreans at Catholic Club probably in the late '50's during Christmas or New Year bashes, courtesy Barbara & Tony Thomas. Those days it was 'May Queen', 'June Rose', 'Easter Ball', 'Blue & White', almost every month had some activity except during Lent and Advent the periods that Christians prepare for Easter and Christmas.
Some of the boy's on the block in my time were Massimo DaCosta (now in Italy, whose mother ran Italian Guest House at the top of Convent Road), Rudolf D'souza (Bombay), Chris Rai (Canada), Godfrey Cabral (England or Oz?), Freddy Marler (England), Andy Morris & Brian (Canada), Freddy Stacey (Perth ?), Lal Brothers, Christopher Hoffland (England), Bala Nair, (Late) Maurice & (Late)Donald Fairman (Australia), Phillip 'Pop' Wollen and his famous 'red' dog (thank you Phillip for remembering me and Bangalore), Late Eugene Noronha, myself Ronnie Johnson ( famous for his Red-Indian haircut), Denzil & Glen Fernell, Terrance & Bonnie DeNazareth, Graiden & Clive Ross (Australia), Errol Thompson (in England,whose father had a billard table in his house on Serpentine Street which we used to have a go at), George Webster (Australia).
There are lots of people from the town and Bangalore who are around the world, St. Joseph's Old Boy's Association is trying (with Faith and Toil) to link all Josephites on land and on the Web. In Australia, the Cottonians Old Boys and Josephites jointly conduct functions!! I am not too sure if Baldwin Boys & Girls join in? Something unheard of and not possible in Bangalore .... the rivalry between the schools is too warm for comfort!’
