CI-NEWS

SHESA mourns Brother Norbert Simms, most affectionate Marist Brother.

2020-04-23

No: 492

SHESA mourns Brother Norbert Simms, most affectionate Marist Brother.

Ex-students of Sacred Heart Mankon (SHESANS) are mourning the passing away of Brother Norbert Simms, considered the most affectionate Marist Brother who ever passed through that centre of academic excellence.

The family of the Scotsman announced his death on April 212020 at the age of 91 after a short illness. He passed away in Glasgow Royal Infirmary with his niece Marie at his bedside.

He was born on February 1, 1929 in Glasgow, Scotland. The Horizon publishes tributes from SHESANS to the great mind, builder and best friend of SAHECO students who passed through him and an interesting interview which brings out the extraordinary qualities of this icon. Read on:

SHESA mourns an icon:

Tribute to Brother Norbert Simms.

By Anong Evaristus, sitting SHESA PG

Do people or events make history? In the context of SAHECO history the answer is overwhelmingly the former (people). One of such persons that has impacted the life of Sacred Heart College Mankon, and by extension, SHESANS (Ex-students of Sacred Heart College, Mankon) is the Late Brother Norbert Simms (affectionately called krobo pidgin for bald head).

When the civil war ended in Nigeria, the Marist Brothers Society relocated their members to Cameroon and by choice to Sacred Heart College Mankon not St. Joseph College Sasse.

Brother Norbert brought with him some personal character traits that were to imprint attitudes for a life time. He was very devoted to his calling and carrying out his duties with such selfless love both to the college and the neighbouring community that he naturally was a people magneto.

Brother Norbert was multi-dimensional; an all-round teacher and sports man. In the classroom, Brother Norbert taught all the subjects, sitting in for absent teachers just to avoid a void in the class. As a sportsman, he was a player, a coach and a referee as the situation demanded. He brought Chemistry to football when he introduced a league for atoms (championship for very little boys). By this way, he was inclusive as everybody was given a chance to play football. Those atoms of yester years have metamorphosed into compounds today and giving hope and direction to society.

We cannot count the number of times he returned from his native Scotland on holidays with sportswear for the games room and medicines for the infirmary talk less of the confectioneries during house feasts and games competitions. To show his attachment to his former flock, Brother Norbert called his flock by their names decades after they left the college. He was truly a good shepherd.

For one thing we are happy and proud that a dormitory was named after him during his tenure at the college -St Norbert’s dormitory. He was truly saintly.

For ordinary mortals that we are, let us immortalize him by being very devoted to the ideals that govern Sacred Heart College Mankon; Excellence, Integrity and Service.

Brother Norbert Simms: Epitome of humility, servant leadership, wit, humour, cheekiness and total dedication

Below is an interview conducted with Brother Norbert Simms in the Spring of 2010. It shows many qualities of the great man: humility, servant leadership, wit, humour, cheekiness and total dedication to providing a holistic education for the students under his stewardship.

Q: Br Norbert. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up in the Marist order?

I was teaching in St. Joseph’s College for seven years – a Boarding School in 1957 and asked to take the place of Bro. Henry to teach Maths in C.I.C. Enugu, Nigeria

Q: What were your feelings about being sent out to mission in Biafra?

I thought then and still do that it was an honour and privilege to join what we later called the cream of the Province put in Africa and clearly saw what the Mission was- to teach and educate others.

Q: Could you give us a sense of the work you did in Biafra

In the College of the Immaculate Conception I worked with Bro. Martin Palmer (Principal) Bro. Vincent, Bro. Mark and Bro. John Phillips as part of the Marist team in Nigeria. I taught Maths, Physics and Chemistry and of course Religion building up both labs to O level and then to A Level standard. I helped run the school’s football team, trained the Athletic team and umpired Hockey and was also infirmarian for the College.

During the Biafran War the schools closed down and then we had to leave Enugu and took refuge in our Bishop Shanhan College, where I set up a feeding centre for the children in the villages around Orlu and managed to give some 2,000 children much needed food for three days each week. Having attached myself to Amaigbo Hospital run by the Holy Rosary Sisters I took medicine around 30 or so Refugee Camps within thirty miles of Orlu.

When the war ended in January 1970 I was taken to Port Harcourt with the Holy Ghost Fathers, put in prison and after six weeks deported back to Scotland and so was available to come out to Bamenda to S.H.C. in March 1970.

Q: When did you arrive Sacred Heart College and what were your first impressions of Bamenda?

Bamenda was a lovely change – a beautiful compound built by Fr. Martin and Bro. Josh ( Mill Hill)and vast. Bro. Chris said that it took him 39 minutes to run around it.

Q: Who were the other missionaries in Sacred Heart with you and how did you go about keeping a group of 500 boys in check?

Bro. Justin was the Principal when I came but Bro. Vincent took over from him fairly soon afterwards. Bro Gall, an ex-Provincial, was there along with Bro, Donnan. We always had a core of four Marist Brothers there working in conjunction with a fine Cameroonian Staff.

I was able to take charge of the Maths department and the Chemistry to O level standard and with Religion in Class Three. I updated the labs so that we were able to go to A Level standards.

The Prefect system was in place: School Captain/ Vice with a House system giving the House Captains the chance to show their qualities of leadership. With good administration from the Principal Bro John Phillips was able to coordinate the efforts of all the Staff and students.

We had an excellent Staff, Mr George Fobi, Mr. S Mbuye, Mrs Cecilia Awah , Mr. Richard Tima, Miss Aline Morisette, Miss Pat Michel and when we had the aid of our own Past Pupils who came back as teachers, Ernest Embola, Wilson Foluh, George Numen, Richard Egbe, Julius Njoke, Cajetan Ginti and so many others, the ethos was maintained : we were blessed and really had no trouble with the students who were always so busy studying, eating, playing five-a-side football, having videos in the Library at the weekends, a lovely sung Mass on Sunday, night prayers each night, dances in the Hall on the first Saturday of the month, Wednesday afternoon out (meeting your future wives !!) – There was so much freedom to express oneself as a student or a teacher.

Q: You had an interesting philosophy when officiating in sports Games – as long as one tried, you gave them a chance. Could you throw some light into this mindset?

Our educational system in Scotland gave us a solid base on which to build character and that’s why I feel that we were there in S.H.C. – to share with our students that same base of a good education, a discipline which would be centred on self, an interest in relating to one another, to enjoying life to the full and to work hard to maintain the standards set by those before us.

Q: You were a Maths, Chemistry and even Physics Teacher. What is your area of specialty?

I don’t know. It was simply great , a real pleasure to be able to teach; a lovely, liveable experience never to be forgotten- but an experience which will always be remembered because of those involved- the student, the Brothers, the teachers, all who come to mind so readily because of all the goodness and goodwill that was there. There was always that feeling of comradeship, fraternity – love, that was there, a spirituality which embraced life in its fullness.

Q: Why did the Marist Brothers leave Sacred Heart?

I don’t know !!!

Q: Any regrets?

Of course I would have loved to have stayed on – I’d imagined that I would have a nice wee place at the bottom of the Brother’s drive – a nice burial place!

Q: Any comments to Shesans who are looking forward to meeting you in London?

I do hope that you’ll have wee cards with your name, e-mail and profession – and family members on it to refresh an ailing memory.

Q: Are you keeping tabs on what is happening in Sacred Heart College these days?

Not really. Nostalgia allows me to look back on what S.H.C. was and on those who were there with me and hope that all is as it was and will be.

Q: If given the opportunity, would you go back to Sacred Heart College Mankon?

Again, of course, but only if I could be of some use to others.

Q: On a lighter mood, were you aware that you had a nickname? And if yes do you know what it is and what do you make of it?

Krobo ! Never knew that one. I hope it is a polite one. It must be of some help to others bringing back memories.

Q: What were the funniest things that happened to you during your stay in Mankon - Bamenda, and in Cameroon in general?

Sometimes what can be funny to oneself may not be so to others.

I do recollect standing, accidentally of course, on Emmanuel Muma’s toes the Student’s goalkeeper while Bro Joe scored a goal for the Staff in the last football match I ever played.

Well this one is only funny at the end.

There was I supervising the A Level exams in the Hall. It was my own subject Maths and the most difficult paper III of 10 questions in 2 and a half hours had started about 45 minutes and there’s one of my star pupils sitting back on his seat as if he couldn’t make head or tail of the paper. I was truly worried because if he couldn’t manage then it would be most difficult for anyone else. So I go up quietly to the back where Robert was and just looked at him and he said “ Oh, it’s O.K. Brother, I’ve finished !” and he just sat there quietly for the next hour and a half.. Of course he got an A but I did have a fright which turned out to be funny.

What about the time a Minister from Yaounde was coming to the College and I was in charge while the others were away. He only spoke French, I spoke only English! So the senior Prefect, Evaristus Mainsah, did all the welcoming in perfect French and I nodded in agreement with all that he said. Are there any other schools where a Senior Prefect was able to represent the Principal like that and do so well.?

Br Norbert Simms came to SAHECO Mankon in 1968 from SAHARCO Abba, Nigeria.

He was not only the Study Master but also the maths, physics & chemistry tutor. And assistant soccer coach to Br Vincent the principal aka Tete (he had what we used to call those days as “sokolo motor head” - today would be yam head).

Krobo was a go-getter. When Br Vincent left, Br Justin aka kwasi because he was about 5 feet tall; became the principal (1969). Br Norbert then accumulated the functions of Vice Principal with his full plate.

When Br Justin was deported in 1970 Br Norbert served as acting Principal & refused to be Principal because he felt he could do more for the students than being an administrator. He recommended & handed over the principalship to Br Evans aka John Phillips but continued as VP, soccer coach, science tutor, grounds master, discipline master, auditor of the cooks & cafeteria; etc, etc.

I visited him in Saheco many times while working in Douala. He gave me the idea to bring most of my technical magazines in mining & petroleum engineering that were put in the library by him as another means of providing career interests to the students. The Shesa Douala chapter then started the campaign of providing professional magazines to the school like Business Week, chemical engineering & other magazines. These magazines traveled all the way to a catholic college in Central African Republic (a story for another time). We benefited from scientific America publications & movies from the US embassy in Yaounde because of not only the presence of 4+ US peace-corps tutors; That’s what gave some of us the drive to come to America but all these were the coordinated efforts of Br Norbert.

He fought my battles with Br Evans on my behalf. Johnny was bent on ramroding me because I captained Kwasi’s deportation. Br Norbert & Mr Ralph Paddy Awah (who knew me since the age of 9 & was my literature tutor in Form 5 in 1970/71) defended me. When I was National President of Shesa America, some of the programs (unknowing to the association) were ideas blest by Krobo. I was in touch with him just like when I was in Saheco.

Do we say we have saints on earth? If yes, Krobo is a saint, a legend, an icon we should all emulate.

Rest in Perfect Peace, As one of Mentors. I hope you’re & would always be proud of your products from SAHECO.

We shall meet again.

The one you called Biochem. Amen

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SHESA mourns Brother Norbert Simms, most affectionate Marist Brother.