21 October: Alban Kelly, 1914-1981 Esmond Robert, the son of a railwayman Joseph Kelly and Ellen Forder, was born in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, on 26 February of the fateful year 1914. His parents emigrated to Natal and Br Alban’s boast was that one of his teachers was the world-famous author of ‘Cry the Beloved Country’, Alan Paton.

He entered our Juniorate in 1930 and next year travelled to Italy where he took the Habit on 15 August 1931 at the Santa Maria Novitiate. After making his First Profession one year later he returned to South Africa (see the accompanying photo) where he did one year’s Scholasticate in Uitenhage.

Thereafter he taught at Koch St 1934-36; Durban 1937-38; Observatory1939, 1942-43, 1949, and 1958; Rondebosch 1944-45; Inanda 1946-48; Port Elizabeth 1950, 1952-53, and then joined the first community at Walmer 1954-61, taking on its principalship during 1960-61; and St Charles in 1962.But the School at which he was best known was St Henry’s, Durban, where he was posted for two spells-From 1937 until 1938 (where he made his Final Profession on Christmas Day 1937) and from 1963 until his death there nearly two decades later.

Over the years he became known as an excellent sportsman, particularly in later years with the very young learners, and as an Afrikaans teacher, by the mere fact that he was South African, and thus had to fill in his post in our schools as the language was beyond most of the foreign Brothers.

Gradually his problems with his legs increased and he spent the last years of his life in increasing pain, finding it often very difficult to get any rest. Finally in 1979 the doctors decided the only relief he would get was to have his right leg amputated-to his enormous relief. Before long Brother was walking on his artificial leg, but the strain must have been too much for his ageing body for he died suddenly the following year, still in his “Beloved Country” of Natal.