Brooklands

On Friday, March 16 I was privileged to be one of the staff members who accompanied the Standard 13's for their Leaver's Weekend in Brooklands. The students made their own way from school in Ooty down to Brooklands, in Coonoor. Some took the local bus, others hitch-hiked, and a few were driven! Most of the staff went down in the Trax with all the equipment for the weekend. Brooklands is a retreat centre and has been around for a long time. Since my last visit in 2007 a new coat of paint has been applied, buildings have been freshened up, and the meals have improved considerably.

The weekend was well planned with sessions on re-entry into the Western World and discussion about universities in various countries. One of the sessions was on Canada. The fact we speak two languages and have some rather extreme weather in certain parts of the country formed part of the presentation.

The views of the tea plantations are stunning as you can see from the photo. As my wife, Gigi, stayed at school to be Dorm Parent to our 15 boys, I had a room with bathroom, attached, to myself. There was cold water in the sink, a toilet, and a hot water faucet along with a large tin-tub!

This week has been the presentation of candidates for the position of co-president of the Student Council. The election was held earlier today with the team of Ande and Sam being declared the co-presidents. I am sure we will hear all about it in the Dorm meeting later tonight.

On our day off, Monday, my wife and I visited the local Tea Museum and then walked back down to town along a rather smooth road with very little traffic. We came down on the Selborne side of Ooty and saw scenery not seen previously. It was a wonderful sunny day and we enjoyed our time together.