It was a great joy for me to participate in the Toronto BBQ with 90 odd alumni in August, 2006. Thank you all for your welcome to the St Markan family.

Here I am, back in metropolitan London, UK, in October. As I write, I can hear and see spectacular firework brightening up the chilly autumn sky! No, it can’t be Chinese New Year … our Hindu neighbours are celebrating Diwali (the festival of light symbolising the victory of good over evil). Lamps are lit along the pavements as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind.

Eid-Ul-Fitar follows the next day! Eid celebrates the end of Ramadan (a month of fasting) for thousands of Muslim from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is a time to come together as a community and renew friendships and family ties.

October is also UK’s Black History Month, celebrating the achievements of the black community and taking the opportunity to discover some of the hidden history.

I am thrilled to belong to this dynamic and culturally diverse community where all nations are at our doorstep.

The August Toronto BBQ has stimulated a rediscovery of our St Markan identity! In the UK in the late 1970s & early 80s, there were a few successful attempts to get gather when Rev Basil Morase returned to join his sister on his retirement. That, alas, proved to be all too brief!

One inspiring incident that remains fresh in my memory was the occasion when Rev Morase arrived early to a gathering. He told me he wandered into a local church and took the opportunity to pray: ’I prayed for my pupils from the past and of course I prayed for you’. Wow!

At our August 2006 BBQ in Toronto, I noticed that St Markans continue to pray and give thanks in Jesus’ name. Those morning assemblies in Shaukiwan started to point us to Jesus Christ being the light of the world, overcoming evil for good on the cross, once and for all, graciously gathering all nations to Himself and to one another.

Thank you, St Mark’s, our alma mater dear!