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OVER THE NEXT
few days there will be many tributes and eulogies celebrating the life Elsie
Maciel will be written, spoken and recorded in many places. Below is a humble
effort incorporating Mervyn’s thoughts from the last days of her life and a
small excerpt from Bwana Karani.
Condolences to mervynels.watuwashamba@gmail.com
Goa-born Elsie spent most of her early
life in the Kenya Highlands (Kitale). Following her marriage to Mervyn, she
moved to Marsabit in the inhospitable N.F.D. (Northern Frontier District) and
fell in love with the place and the people. Sadly, however, she had to leave
the area as there were no medical facilities for their second son (Conrad)
who was born with a congenital heart condition, a condition that eventually
claimed his life at Kisii, at the tender age of under two years.
Elsie and Mervyn had been married to 68
years: Elsie Antonette Collaco and Mervyn Maciel tied the not on August 16,
1952, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Kitale, Kenya with Fr
John officiating.
End of a Bachelor Era (excerpt from
Bwana Karani)
As each day passed, I soon became aware
that my days of bachelorhood were not to last very much longer. My fiancee
and I had planned a wedding in August (1952) — there was much to be done in
the way of organizing the whole affair. We were hampered in the planning of
this event by the fact that there were no telephones at Marsabit. Most of our
arrangements had to be conducted through letters, and with the mails being
infrequent, things did get hectic at times. The local post office must have
made a small fortune from the many telegrams we often had to send!
I spent Christmas of 1951 with my
fiancee in Kitale, and on Boxing Day that year, we got engaged. A very simple
occasion at home where only the immediate family and the Parish Priest, Fr.
John Hawes was present. The announcement must have taken everyone by surprise
as nothing had been planned. We were certainly thinking about plans for the wedding,
but the engagement itself was a spur of the moment decision. The following
week, our engagement notice appeared in the local Press and many messages of
congratulations started pouring in from relatives and friends alike. We had
also informed my brothers abroad of the forthcoming event. Within a few
months of my returning to Marsabit, the Notice of Marriage was out in Kitale
(my fiancee's hometown), and the DC's office there had sent a copy to the DC
Marsabit so that it could be similarly displayed locally. Our friends were
quick to offer congratulations. I felt really great — it was a proud moment
in my life, even though some remarked that we were too young to be thinking
of marriage. Young we may have been, but we certainly knew we were in love
and were equally aware of the great responsibilities that lay ahead of us.
The only preparation I had so far made, was to save up a whole case of Scotch
whisky from the monthly ration of one bottle that my friends and I received.
I was grateful to all those who had sacrificed their quotas so that I could
build up this stock. Scotch was hard to come by in those days, and since my
fiancee's parents would be doing all the catering for the wedding at home, I
felt that this small contribution would not come amiss.
…………………………….
Fully satisfied that the arrangements
for our wedding were proceeding very smoothly, I returned to Marsabit after
my short leave in the certain knowledge that there was now not long to wait
before the Big Day or Siku Kuu (as they say in Ki-Swahili). On many an
evening, there would be 'extra' celebrations at Marsabit. Some of my friends
who knew I would be losing my bachelor 'freedom' felt that the last few days
of this carefree era should be suitably remembered. I must admit that the six
months between returning from my casual leave and leaving to get married,
flew by. I was back at Kitale once more a few days before the wedding, and
together my fiancee and I were able to attend to the last-minute details.
My future in-laws had recently moved
into their brand new house — an architect-designed bungalow with four
spacious bedrooms, a modern lounge-cum-dining-room, with an equally modern
bathroom, toilet and kitchen. The whole house had been tastefully decorated
and adequately furnished; as this was to be the first family wedding to be
held in the new home, no expense had been spared to make the place look like
a mini 'palace'. The builders had also worked round the clock to ensure that
the house was completed in good time for the family to move in well before
the Big Day.
My fiancee was very popular in the
Kitale area and the district generally, and the wedding presents that were
beginning to arrive from all manner of people, brought home to me the great
regard and affection these people had for her. There were gifts from the
simple folk and the well-to-do alike, among the latter was one from the then
Secretary to the Duke of Manchester (Mr N. O. C. Marsh — an imposing figure
of a man). Many local farmers who knew her well when she worked at the KFA (Kenya
Farmers Association) had also sent in their gifts and good wishes, and we
were greatly touched by the generosity of so many. Even those who could not
make it to the wedding, and those who weren't even invited (we had to
restrict numbers because of the available space), had sent tokens of
affection. Most of the arrangements for the wedding were well advanced by now
— the bride's trousseau was complete, so were my suits, the bridesmaids'
outfits, etc. The parish priest of the small Catholic Church had asked us
over a few days before the big occasion — for a general face-to-face talk on
the all-important religious significance of our marriage, and the great
responsibilities we were soon to undertake. Being a close friend of the
family, talking plainly to us both came so naturally to Fr. John Hawes. My
younger brother Wilfred, who I would dearly have liked to have been my best
man, was away in England pursuing his studies, so I had to choose my next
favourite relative instead. Here, I must admit, I broke away from tradition
and asked my married cousin, Jock Sequeira (an Education Officer in Mombasa)
— to do the honours. Normally the person chosen is, I believe, a bachelor.
Jock arrived a day before and was the only member of my immediate family at
the wedding; sadly, due to family commitments, Beryl was unable to accompany
him. Most of my other relatives were too far away to make the trip — a
paternal uncle (Luis) in Mombasa, others in Zanzibar, Mocambique, Uganda, and
my two brothers in Bombay and England respectively. Still, I knew they would
all be with us in spirit.
‘
My Els
Elsie was the perfect spouse - very
loving and caring, thinking always of others rather than herself.
Healthwise, she's not been lucky both in Kenya and here; had several
operations here and spent many days in hospital following many operations;
despite all this, she was at her happiest when entertaining visitors and
enjoyed spending a lot of time with the children and after grandchildren.
In addition to her culinary skills, she
was a seamstress (made the wedding gowns for both our daughters, just days
after she's returned home after a major operation. Also made the 3-tier
wedding cake; made her dress for the wedding and even a Pageboy outfit for
our grandson.
She has knitted endless jumpers for me
and the whole family and friends. She even made a 2-piece suit for me.
In addition to all this, she was a great
cake maker and made cakes for family birthdays and also for people's
anniversaries or weddings. Her pickles were much sought after especially by
the Curry Club of Britain -her Bombay duck and Tendlim pickles were a /Goan
favourite.
She excelled at pottery and her work was
exhibited here in Sutton and also at some other Craft Fairs.
There is so much I could write about
her. A great samosa maker. Friends and family still rave
about her unique samosas and pickles.
She adored her grandchildren and encouraged them
to take an interest in arts and
craft. She was also a great gardener and later a great
help in the allotment we worked at for
nearly 15 years.
She was not a party person, nor overtly
religious but her faith meant a lot to her.
Until we are together again, my darling
… Mervyn
The late Elsie Antonette Maciel
In Memoriam
Elsie Antonette (Collaco) Maciel
1934-2020
Praises to any and all
who are near and dear,
not only when they are loving and living...
to hold, hug, and embrace...
Not only when they fill a shared life
with years of happiness, not only
when they show us,
by personal example,
their devotion and dedication
by daily deeds done with the greatest
of care, kindness and consideration,
not only how to be truly humane,
how to be totally humble, how to be
brave, courageous, unafraid
to endure times of greatest difficulties...
how to deal with loss, grief, and pain...
how to be welcoming to others...
how to be sharing, caring, and giving…
for kith and kin, family and friends,
being hospitable and openhearted...
being genuine, generous,
hospitable and openhearted,
full of surprises and talents,
preparing culinary delights
and wondrous works of art…
Those are all great memories
to value, to treasure, to recall,
to fill heart, mind, and soul...
with total contentment,
when they are no longer with us,
no longer in our midst,
taken from us to commence
their final journey to a divine destiny,
no longer able to share
times of tenderness,
daily deeds done with great skill, and
at times even with great daring...
while being pleasant, and knowing
how to surprise and to please...
Those are memorable moments
to relive when thinking and
speaking with profound gratitude
of all the gifts given and left to us
as the legacy of love
by dearly departed...
now resting in eternal peace!
Gerhard A. Fürst
Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
4/14/2020
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