Page 72 - The Gonzaga Record 1990
P. 72
this brief glimpse of an ephemeral Utopia great cameraderie that exists among the
to be unfair to an under-privileged child, stewards both during the week, and long
though it be for only one week; yet there after. This is most in evidence at the
is always the hope that the experience at, stewards' supper, usually at 11 p.m.,
and memories of Sunshine House may when the children are asleep, and often
retard the onset of bitterness, in later extending into the early hours of the next
years, at a childhood deprived of material morning. Here the tales of the day are
comfort s and the advantages plus better told and re-told : how little Paul scored
attention that money can obtain. hi s first ever goal in a football match, and
There are many 'success stories' was so excited he couldn't speak; how
during the Summer, proudly related to Thomas started all the other children
the stewards of the coming week by the demanding asthma inhalers by claiming
exhausted but satisfied stewards of one that hi s would stop him growing old; how
just completed: the 'the unloveable bully' John-Paul explained that his bed was wet
of day I has become the affectionate child one morning because it had rained the
of day 5 who appears at your side looking previous ni ght and the windows ( 15 feet
for attenti on whenever you sit down; or away) were open; how a football-team
the quiet, apathetic chi ld becomes the captain rushed up to the head steward in
tough littl e footballer who lau ghs as he tears to tell him that the ref was very sick
picks himself off the ground after a rough - further questioning elicited a diagnosis
tackle in Saturday's football final. There of brain damage; the story of how one
are always those too , who show no steward saved a football match from ruin
appreciation for the work put into making as girl after gi rl walked off crying, by
their week enjoyable, some of them screaming in frustration ''the next girl
simply cannot, others hav e already begun who walks off crying will be se nt off!";
to realise that home won 't have changed, how " Sfle ", who was sli ghtly sunburnt
and have begun to 're-adapt', and thus after a morning on the beach, demanded
one ca n on ly guess at what they may have 'Carmelite motion' to relieve her pains;
taken from their week, and wish them how one child complained the food was
we ll. They may be back nex t year; a few so bad that even the 'Yippee-Opians'
never make it . wouldn't touch the cocktail soup with
One of the remarkable things about lumps (Oxtai l with vegetabl es) ''and they
Sunshine House is that thou gh they can do be desperate for food , so they do";
never get enou gh stewards in a season to how " Patrick" was di scovered wearing
bring down th e number of children they ten pairs of swimming trunks under hi s
want. a remarkabl e proportion of first- trousers on the final day in an attempt to
tim e stewards re-appea r year after year. bring them back home as presents for hi s
What is it that attracts them to 'Sunshine'; brothers because he had eaten all their
that leads stud ent s to book in for the week rocks; how an offended " Brian"
followin g College exams , that makes the ex plained that th e only reason he had
employed give up one of their 2 weeks brought a hatchet and flick-knife from
of summ er holidays? There is , of course. Dublin to Balbriggan was to defend
;tl ways th e great pl easure in being himself from the attacks of th e
in vo lved in something so worthwhile. 'Culchi es'.
though th e enormit y of th e odds stac ked In fact one could we ll debate the
aga inst th e children. and against yo ur moti on that a steward in Sunshine House
bei ng able to radica ll y alter their li ves and stand s to ga in a great dea l more from hi s
out look on li k in one week may mak e week than he could ever dream of
it sce111 futile! There must be so mething contributing. In the short space of one
lllOI'C. and there obviously is: th ere is th e week yo u lea rn a foreign language, you
natural cnjoy1n ent in the outdoor lea rn to li ve in an environment in which
activities of th e week. and of course th e the sati s l~tction you experience is directly
70
to be unfair to an under-privileged child, stewards both during the week, and long
though it be for only one week; yet there after. This is most in evidence at the
is always the hope that the experience at, stewards' supper, usually at 11 p.m.,
and memories of Sunshine House may when the children are asleep, and often
retard the onset of bitterness, in later extending into the early hours of the next
years, at a childhood deprived of material morning. Here the tales of the day are
comfort s and the advantages plus better told and re-told : how little Paul scored
attention that money can obtain. hi s first ever goal in a football match, and
There are many 'success stories' was so excited he couldn't speak; how
during the Summer, proudly related to Thomas started all the other children
the stewards of the coming week by the demanding asthma inhalers by claiming
exhausted but satisfied stewards of one that hi s would stop him growing old; how
just completed: the 'the unloveable bully' John-Paul explained that his bed was wet
of day I has become the affectionate child one morning because it had rained the
of day 5 who appears at your side looking previous ni ght and the windows ( 15 feet
for attenti on whenever you sit down; or away) were open; how a football-team
the quiet, apathetic chi ld becomes the captain rushed up to the head steward in
tough littl e footballer who lau ghs as he tears to tell him that the ref was very sick
picks himself off the ground after a rough - further questioning elicited a diagnosis
tackle in Saturday's football final. There of brain damage; the story of how one
are always those too , who show no steward saved a football match from ruin
appreciation for the work put into making as girl after gi rl walked off crying, by
their week enjoyable, some of them screaming in frustration ''the next girl
simply cannot, others hav e already begun who walks off crying will be se nt off!";
to realise that home won 't have changed, how " Sfle ", who was sli ghtly sunburnt
and have begun to 're-adapt', and thus after a morning on the beach, demanded
one ca n on ly guess at what they may have 'Carmelite motion' to relieve her pains;
taken from their week, and wish them how one child complained the food was
we ll. They may be back nex t year; a few so bad that even the 'Yippee-Opians'
never make it . wouldn't touch the cocktail soup with
One of the remarkable things about lumps (Oxtai l with vegetabl es) ''and they
Sunshine House is that thou gh they can do be desperate for food , so they do";
never get enou gh stewards in a season to how " Patrick" was di scovered wearing
bring down th e number of children they ten pairs of swimming trunks under hi s
want. a remarkabl e proportion of first- trousers on the final day in an attempt to
tim e stewards re-appea r year after year. bring them back home as presents for hi s
What is it that attracts them to 'Sunshine'; brothers because he had eaten all their
that leads stud ent s to book in for the week rocks; how an offended " Brian"
followin g College exams , that makes the ex plained that th e only reason he had
employed give up one of their 2 weeks brought a hatchet and flick-knife from
of summ er holidays? There is , of course. Dublin to Balbriggan was to defend
;tl ways th e great pl easure in being himself from the attacks of th e
in vo lved in something so worthwhile. 'Culchi es'.
though th e enormit y of th e odds stac ked In fact one could we ll debate the
aga inst th e children. and against yo ur moti on that a steward in Sunshine House
bei ng able to radica ll y alter their li ves and stand s to ga in a great dea l more from hi s
out look on li k in one week may mak e week than he could ever dream of
it sce111 futile! There must be so mething contributing. In the short space of one
lllOI'C. and there obviously is: th ere is th e week yo u lea rn a foreign language, you
natural cnjoy1n ent in the outdoor lea rn to li ve in an environment in which
activities of th e week. and of course th e the sati s l~tction you experience is directly
70
