Br. Oscar reflects on unique community project
Br. Oscar Mifsud, has shared an article describing his personal ways of trying to bring Brothers together and create a sense of community through a particular project, in his case the building of a boat.
On Building Community - Tosca the Boat
After my first two years of teaching in St. John’s College, Southsea, UK, I came back to Stella Maris College. Soon, after ‘finding my feet’ at my new Community, I started looking around to see what I could do personally to bring people closer together. This was around the early 50’s!
I noticed that for the summer months, the Brothers had no sea craft (not even a canoe) to help enjoy the long hot holidays. So I obtained a book on how to build a canoe, as I was handy with carpentry.
Br. Oscar Mifsud
At once, I realised that a two seater canoe would be a better idea, but then only two can use it at a time, which is not so good. I next switched over to building a 12- foot long boat, which will take more on board. The book I consulted offered a v-bottomed (almost flat) river boat, and as we have no rivers here (and being surrounded by sea (sometimes rather rough) I decided to increase the height of the boat. As in those days, at least here, marine plywood was not available, I applied at the Malta Drydocks, but even they did not have any. Not to be stumped so early in the project, I decided to use wood, but what was available was too thick, so I had to saw it into strips and then plane those strips to the thickness I needed. When this was done, and I started in earnest, Bro. Aloysius, who was also very handy with tools, became very interested in the project and quickly and kindly offered to help me, which was very welcome.
A problem arose when it came to fixing and sealing the strips of wood to make them leak proof. The traditional way was ‘calking’ (without glue). Looking at this practice as ‘old fashioned’, and sticking my neck right out, I decided to use glue; but which glue would resist water? Fortunately, there appeared at the time a wonder glue called ‘Cascamite’. It was made by mixing a certain special glue powder with water, but once it is set and dry, no amount of immersion in water would affect it – solid as steel. Those who knew what I was doing called me crazy, but I had the last laugh!
When it was ready, and built as a sailing boat, I constructed a simple three-wheel trailer for it.
One fine day, some Gzira residents were entertained to see a group of schoolboys happily pushing a boat on a trailer along the streets to Manoel Island for the official launching. There was no champagne, of course, so we just pushed our handiwork into the water and got in, off the jetty for a celebratory short row!
“Tosca”, for that is what we called the boat, sounding like “Oscar’s” was a success for rowing and outboard motoring – a mighty wave eater!
The proof came when one day, with about four Brothers on board in rough seas, I dared to motor right over the shallow reef (normally safely) at St. Paul’s Islands, on our return home at the Bay.
All of a sudden I looked to the left, and to my horror I saw a huge 5-metre wave approaching to engulf us and the boat – never seen anything like it! The others were busy chattering away, and I thought: ‘OMG! This is the end!’. Not so; the wave broke and just passed under the boat, and we got home safely! Nothing happened to the boat and we enjoyed its use for many years after!
Something similar happened when Bro. Joseph and myself crossed over to Gozo, so that the Brothers there could use the boat too. No huge waves this time, only rough seas. We left Msida at five in the early morning. The small fuel tank perched at the back of our 5 horse power outboard Seagull motor, had to be refilled every 30 minutes, but as it was very rough some of it just spilled into the sea, as I knelt on the back bench, balancing the funnel and the jerry can, while trying to remain in the boat! Approaching Marsalforn hours later, it was calmer, and I just glided over the dangerous reef there on the left. When we finally touched land a small group of mostly men, stood there, open mouthed. “Where are you coming from?”, they asked incredulously. “From Malta”, I replied.
“What!”, from Malta, “Madonna tal-Ħniena!”, because they saw us passing over the notorious reef!
I can’t leave out the epic end of the “Tosca”. On the last day of the holidays, after an uneventful but happy summer, I berthed the boat in the ‘safe’ sheltered menqa at Gillieru, removed the sails and the motor and we all went back to Gzira in high spirits. The following day was the first of the new scholastic year, and as I stood at the first assembly with the students, someone whispered to me, “there’s an urgent telephone call for you’ – no mobiles in those days! I dashed into the school to the nearest phone and got the most unpleasant surprise. “Tosca” was no more! An ugly water spout entered the Menqa smashed the few boats left there to smithereens! After school, I drove to St. Paul’s to verify.
True enough there was nothing in the Menqa but small pieces of broken boats! However, the following summer when I visited Il-Fekruna Bay, among the scattered rocks, I found the small ladder with a broken leg, I had made to climb back into the boat!
And that was the end of “Tosca”, never to be forgotten!
This little reflection on “Tosca” convinces me that Communities become more vibrant and strong when the people that live in them create for each other diverse situations that can potentially bring people closer together. Of course, for us Brothers, the biggest project that brought us together and unifies us is our calling or vocation. For that calling we committed our lives. Our recreational life also, however, as well as the quality of our spiritual life, may potentially be a powerful source of strength on the human level. Through the building of our little boat many hours were spent talking, designing, joking and actually hands on working to make our dream become a reality. Needless to say, over many years, many Brothers as well as students were able to come together to enjoy the long hot summer holidays.
Now that we are getting older we need to continue to search for other ways to bring people together and to serve the common good. Each one of us is able to create a small project that reminds us of our responsibility to live in the spirit of community. I, for one, even at this stage of my life will continue to promise to do my best for the Brothers I live with and for all the Lasallian family through my humble prayers.