Mark Morgan

Name ID 1807

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Extract Author: Mark Morgan Mark Morgan
Page Number: 2004 02 21
Extract Date: 1947-1955

Bill Morgan was a master at the school

I have just come across this interesting site, while gathering information for a return visit to Arusha later in the Year.

I was very pleased to read the history of Arusha School as my farther, Bill Morgan was a master at the school from about 1947-1955 (I think those dates are right) He was teaching there before the war and then returned after.

I have three brothers we where all born in Arusha and later moved with dad when he went to Oyester-Bay School in Dar, and then later to Mbeya. My elder brother was then a boarder at Arusha before we all where sent to school in the uk.

It was good to see photos of Bryn Jones,a great family friend ( he was kind enough to marry both my self and both of my brothers) he sadly died several years ago, but my mother still keep in contact with his widow.

Seeing the photo of the late Princess Margaret's visit to the school. I was actually in the photo( the top of my head) we have a copy in the family album, and the photo of my farther being presented had pride of place on my grandmothers T.V

We have many photos of the school, and activites going on, which you would be quite welcome to to put on the site.

I am looking forward to my visit in September but hope that the School and Town have not changed to much, but it is nearly 50 years since I was last there.

Will give the site address to my brothers so they can have a look

Mark Morgan

Thanks for your feedback and interesting email. Sorry for the delay in replying.

I received, at about the same time, an email from Andrew Hannah, at the school from 1957-60, although he had brothers there before him, and he lists Morgan as one of the teachers he remembers. I�ll put his, and your, emails up on the web site at the next update.

I think I was just out of the shot of Princess M - my duty was to hold the door open for her as she came in. I�ve got lots of other stuff about her visit, which I haven�t yet had time to publish on the site.

But if you have photos and other anecdotes, I�d welcome copies for inclusion.

You will greatly enjoy revisiting Arusha. It's changed much in the last ten years or so since I�ve been going back. From being a shabby backwater, it's now a vibrant small town, and slowly cleaning itself up. However, flying over it can be horrific in that it reveals a huge shanty town, just as poor as any slum in Nairobi or Johannesburg, but totally hidden from the main tourist throughways.

I called in on the school last May, and found one teacher very happy to show me round (and the tortoise is still there). The buildings are nearly all the same. The roofs have reverted from tiles to bati sheets. The dining hall still has the same long tables and sideboards, and the trophy boards on the wall. But whereas there were less then 300 pupils in the 50's there are now 1200.

The headmaster was very busy, but pleased to see me (I think).

Do tell me more about your trip - have you allowed time to explore Arusha, and a guide to take you round. Most of them just want to get out of town as fast as possible and get you out to see the game. Where will you be staying?

Apart from the obvious risks, I felt I could walk around the main part of the town with my eye's shut. All the road layouts are still the same, and many of the buildings are unchanged. You�ll be going round saying, Ah, I remember that.

Back in 1994 we found the old maternity ward in the Arusha Hospital where my brother was born - and maybe you.

The photo I took of it (http://www.ntz.info/gen/n00025.html#04073 ) appeared on the BBC web site recently - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3094543.stm but they claimed that it was obtained from a press agency in Dar es Salaam!

I could go on . . .

Hope to hear more from you.

 

Extract ID: 4703

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Page Number: 2006 07 30
Extract Date: 1956-57

Gaynor Watkins, Arusha School, 1956-57

Not sure if this is the right email address but will give it a try. I went to Arusha School from 1956 - 57 and am about go back to Arusha for the first in nearly 50 years in four weeks time I saw one of the emails was from Mark Morgan who I knew well. Any chance of exchanging email addresses. My name then was Gaynor Watkins

Many thanks

Gaynor (Watkins) Hicks

Gaynor

I'm copying Mark with this email, and hope you can then make contact.

Enjoy your trip - you will find big changes in Arusha, but suprisingly most of the layout and the main buildings around the clock tower remain the same (except for the New Arusha Hotel which has been rebuilt). There's been a lot of clean-up also over the last few years, but the population has grown enormously, and behind the main roads there are extensive shanty towns. School is still there, with about 1200 pupils in buildings which housed 300 50 years ago. I heard recently that some of the eucalytus trees had fallen on the headmaster's house. Not sure if the school will be open in August/September. And of course the tortoise is still there.

We must have overlapped - I was there 1953 - April 1957.

Will be interested in any feedback after your visit.

Thanks so much for getting back to me David. Our paths must have crossed!

My brother Keith Watkins was 4 years older than me so was there longer. I was only 5 and think was only there 18 months before we left Arusha to go and live in Fiji. We used to live at Olmitonyi - my father was with the forestry department and buil a school out there 50 years ago It was a long way out of town and we lived across the road from a masai village.

I am going back to there to help be part of a team of volunteers with Rotary who are going to help with the building some more classrooms for St Judes School - a school built for children from extremely poor backgrounds. Expect it will be quite emotional. I started looking at the website so I could pych myself up to see the changes. I was born in Arusha Hospital in 1952 so hope there is something l left of that.

I remember the tortoise and have photos of it somewhere - amazing it is still there! I will be in Arusha for 4 weeks so hopefully the school will still be there.

I was in Mark Morgan's brother class - Brian - My parents were good friends of theirs and we did catch up when we were in England about 35 years ago - the last time I say Mark. I say his mother and father on another visit 20 years ago. My father is still alive and still keeps in contact with some of the people he knew there.

Great website. Will be great if I hear from Mark as it sounds he went there last September so will maybe will be able to give me some more info.

Will take photos and let you know how I go.

Extract ID: 5157

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Extract Author: Jackie Little
Page Number: 2007 07 07

I remember Mark Morgan at Mbeya School

Unbelievable - I remember Mark Morgan at Mbeya School,

Mr Morgan was headmaster and my sister (Kitty) also went there around 1958 (I was in Wallington, the red house). We watched old laurel and hardy films on a Saturday night as a treat and there were fancy dress parties at end of term.

I remember so much of Mbeya, even the food and the sick bay (huge jabs we used to have)! I would love to hear from anyone who went to Mbeya, Turi or Kenya High School - I have quite a lot of pics of Mbeya - remember so many names still! Great times growing up in East Africa in the '50s/60s!

Extract ID: 5421

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Extract Author: Mark Morgan
Page Number: 2007 02 05
Extract Date: 2004

Arusha Visit

Hi I have just read the Arusha School information again and it was really great reading.

I have emailed you before, about my time at Arusha, my farther was one of the teachers. My wife and I passed through Arusha in 2004 and where able to visit the school, and indead our old home. The school has really changed but it is 50 years since we lived there.

I noticed from the web that a very great friend Gaynor Watkins was trying to contact me please give her my email address, as it is a long time since we have met and our familys where realy good friends, It was with the Watkins that I stayed while my mother was in the hospital in Arusha having my brother. We were able to have a quick tour of Arusha and glad to see that the Hospital was still there!.

Extract ID: 5170

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Extract Author: Gaynor Watkins
Page Number: 2007 02 16a
Extract Date: 2007

Arusha

I had heaps of pictures but unfortunately on my way back to Australia we stopped off in Mauritius and all my laptop, camera and video camera were stolen and I lost all my pictures. Was pretty heart broken.

I managed to find my old house up at Olmotonyi - will attach a photo of that as a friend of mine came with me that day and took a couple of pictures. I will send one to Mark as he and his family used to visit us every Sunday. Was wonderful to be back and I hope to return again. The Forestry school which my father started is now well established - he is now 83 but after my reports of the school he wants to go and see for himself so I said I would go to..

As it had been about 45 years since I had last visited Arusha I only recognised a few things - of course the clock, the school and little bits of the town.

Had a wonderful 5 days on safari too. I was able to do quite a bit of work over there and trained 90 people in suicide intervention - they were so grateful as suicide is such a taboo topic and most of the focus is on HIV and poverty. Some of the people I trained have now translated what I gave them into swahili and are going into the villages and schools - if i can get some funding would love to go back and follow it all up too.

Extract ID: 5171
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