By Brother Stephen O'Gorman, Congregational Leader.

Fifty years is a long time. It is a huge portion of the life of most people. While there is no magic in the number, nevertheless there is a symbolism in it; and an occasion like this one offers an important symbolic opportunity for renewal in commitment, for gratitude, for reunion and reconciliation.

Some of you will wish to use the occasion to revive and relive old and treasured memories, to revisit familiar haunts to renew old acquaintances. I wish to pay tribute to the men and women who have laboured to earn for Presentation College, the outstanding reputation it has in Trinidad and Tobago and beyond, and to acknowledge the achievements of so many of the people associated with the story of this College. But above all else, we wish to thank God for His goodness and His blessings during the past fifty years.

For somebody like myself who never had the good fortune of working in Trinidad and Tobago or in Presentation College, San Fernando, it is indeed a rare privilege to be here to share in your celebration and to represent the Presentation Brothers on this important occasion.

I have been blessed in another way also. Over recent weeks I have been able to speak with the first Presentation Brothers to become Head Master of this College - Bro. Livinus Kelly. I have met with and spoken to his immediate successor, Bro. Bartholomew Browne. And I have listened to Bro. Jerome Kelly, Bro. Matthew Feheney, Bro. Tom Canning speak about Presentation College, San Fernando.

From these men and from many of the Brothers here today (Brothers Anthony, Cyril, Dominic, deLellis, Donatus, Robert, Matthias and Bro.Michael, the present Head Master, and Fr. Stack and Fr. Reynolds (I have learned a great deal about this College and about the people who have supported and helped to develop it during the past fifty years.
I grateftully acknowledge the great debt of gratitude we woe to Archbishop, Finbar Ryan who first invited the Presentation Brothers to the West Indies, to the Members of the Benedictine Order from whom the Brothers took over the College, to the Dominican and Holy Ghost Fathers and to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny.

Each and every Brother who has worked here has been loud in his praise of you the people of Trinidad and Tobago. They have spoken in glowing terms of those of you who have formed the student body over all of those fifty years.

• of your belief in the values enshrined in the education provided in this College
  
• of the wide-ranging curriculum available
  
• of the relevance of the educational programme to the life of the country – nowhere was this more marked than in the establishment and production of a model science faculty which provided highly quahfied personnel for the growing oil industry they speak of your diligence in applying yourselves to the task on hand
  
• of your capacity for hard work ·of your confidence in your own ability to succeed
  
• of your very laudable ambition and your determination to achieve.
  
• of your fidelity, your loyalty and your spirit of trust in God.
  

These form an admirable array of qualities and the use you have made of these gifts is cause indeed for celebration. It is no wonder then that Presentation College gained a reputation for promoting the development of the full person and for the pursuit of excellence at every level of endeavour - academically, in sport, arts and culture.

It is important to acknowledge here that this exceptional success has not been due just to the work of the Brothers alone. All through the years and from the very beginning this College has been blessed with gifted and highly committed and motivated lay colleagues - men and women whose competence, dedication, efficiency and loyalty have been second to none. I salute you and the efforts you have made for fifty years. You have been part of our mission and our ministry here and you have earned our admiration, our respect and our deep, deep gratitude.

From those early days, fifty years ago, this College built a reputation that has earned the admiration and respect of successive governments. It is very fitting and a great honour that in this year of celebration the Office of Head of Government should be held by a distinguished past pupil. Through you, Honourable Prime Minister Panday, I express our sincere gratitude to all the people in public life who have supported and promoted our work here in your country.

The first invitation to the Brothers came, as I already mentioned, through Archbishop Ryan. I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank publicly his successor Archbishop Pantin. Thank you, Your Grace, for the support you have given our Brothers, for your belief in what we are about, for your leadership and for your friendship which we treasure. Through your Archbishop and Bishop Mendes, I thank the priests and workers of the Archdiocese for a service of love and care.

The story of the past fifty years has not been success. As with the story of any country; as with the story of every people; as with the story of any group or indeed the story of every individual who ever lived, there has been pain, failure, sorrow, misfortune. These are part of the human condition and such must be acknowledged and owned.

During the past fifty years there are people who have come here and whom the system has failed, people for whom life has been painful, people who have been hurt - even broken by the burdens of life, people who are unable to cope with life's problems. To these especially, our hearts go out. To those whom life has hurt must always have a special place in our thoughts and in our prayers as we gather to remember.

Today, Bro. Michael and his team carry on the noble tradition of Presentation College, San Fernando. They continue to encourage the pupils of our day to identify, develop, own and use the gifts and talents that God has given them for their own enrichment and for the good of the wider community. The primacy of the person continues to be promoted and the dignity of each individual is still respected.

In this context, I wish to address a special word to the parents and the young men who are students here. For fifty years you have witnessed the life and the work of the Presentation Brothers among you. On your own admission, this nation has benefited from the Brothers' presence. If you want this work to continue, you, the parents, must be prepared to encourage your children to commit themselves to our life; and you, the young people, must be prepared to accept the challenge of that life. I believe that there is still a need for Brothers. And I believe, that in this age we live in, the world needs the witness of people who are prepared to dedicate their lives to the service of other people.

This is your opportunity if you wish to give the Brothers a Jubilee gift.. As we begin the next fifty years and look forward to setting the standard that will lead the people of this nation into the new millennium we wish them God's special and continued blessing

. The years of adventure and discovery that teachers and pupils share together, the maturing, the parting and going their separate ways and the joy of reunion are all part of the life, the journey, the story of Presentation College.

All this is illustrated for me in this poem with which I will conclude:

The leaves have known the trees for so long
For days and days They've danced together in the wind.
But now, growing older,
And wiser and gentler,
They know they can 't cling
To the trees forever
And so they say goodbye
Falling to the ground
Waiting for some new mystery
To touch their lives with its presence.

And the trees?
But they are at peace
Waiting too for some new mystery to surprise
Them with its presence.
When I saw you leaving
I wanted to cover my face with my heart
I wanted to cry
a little

For the sheer joy and pain of it all
But it was then
I remembered the trees
And I stood at peace
Already waiting for your return.

When you come back
We will be new to each other
Much will have happened in our lives
There will be more for each of us to love
More for each of us to know.
The Spirit will have left a footprint In our lives
And we will be excited
Like a new leaf
Come home
To a tree.

We welcome you all home, even for this short time.
We are glad to have you back. God bless you all.