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By Dr. Kranti K Farias We have moved down the corridor, and when we have mulled over the thoughts, and the ways of our predecessors, we hope we have taken the path to follow their vision for a better tomorrow for our community in particular, and for the society, at large. I begin with a quote, as I usually do, from the Hadis “Truth leads to righteousness, and righteousness to heaven”.  Tagore cannot be outdone for he says, “All proofs of truth are credentials of relationship”. With these two thoughts on truth, we present to you another eminent personality, former President of the Kanara Catholic Association, Justice Mark S Noronha.  We are proud that we had as our President, and in our community a good Catholic, and one also well respected by the legal fraternity.  I have not dwelt upon his practice or his judgements, as this would take pages, but the fact that he was honoured and elevated goes to show the worth of the man. Mark Stanislaus Noronha, born on June 18, 1889, at Codialbail, Mangalore, was the youngest of seven children of Raymond Sylvester Noronha, and Helen Coelho.  His father was probably the first member of the community to earn the B.A. Degree, and who went on to be Assistant Inspector of Schools. Mark passed his B.A. from St. Aloysius College in 1909, standing first in the Presidency in Latin.  Mark Studied at St. Aloysius School, Mangalore, and then St. Aloysius College, and was a Prizeman in Elocution. He graduated in Arts, standing first amongst all candidates in the Madras Presidency, in the First Class, in Latin. His Career “The precepts of law are these : to live honorably, to injure no other man, to render every man his due”….Justinian. Mark then moved to Bombay, where he taught at St. Xavier’s High School, Dhobi Talao, while he studied and practiced law.  In 1914, he enrolled as an Advocate in the Bombay High Court on the Appellate Side, and 11 years later, on the grounds of distinguished merit, and without a qualifying exam, he was admitted by Sir Norman McLeod, the then Chief Justice, as an Advocate on the Original Side.  He had a distinguished judicial career.  In October 1928, he was appointed Judge of the Court of Small Causes, Bombay, and in 1944, he was elevated as Chief Judge of the Court of Small Causes Bombay. Personal Life                  Mark married Vida Mary Margaret Saldanha (daughter of Andrew and Avita Saldanha) on April 29, 1923.  They had seven children.  Tragedy struck his family thrice – his daughter Clover was killed in a road accident in 1928; he lost his wife Vida, at the young age of 27 in 1933, to renal failure just three months after delivering their youngest child Raymond.  His sister, Mary, who lived in Bangalore helped him in raising the three girls, and the three month old Raymond.  Two sons lived with him. His work for Kanara Catholic Association, Mumbai. “Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise, than to polish” – Anne Bradstreet.  His work for the KCA began as Secretary in 1913.  He was elected Vice-President in 1921; was elected President of the KCA on April 9, 1922; was on the Managing Council in 1923; elected as Vice-President in 1925, 1927, 1928, 1931, and 1932; thereafter elected President in 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939.  The year 1937 had been one of turmoil as to the irregular mode of the conduct of elections, not having a secret ballot, and so opposed by a few Members.  However, the elections was passed by the House. It is to be noted that this was a time when many lady Members were admitted to the Association for the first time – 23 ladies out of 81 applicants at the AGM of May 2, 1937.  His term was one of new ideas.  There was a Publications Committee formed at this time, and Mark Noronha was the Founder Editor of “The Mangalorean Review”, a means by which to keep the community informed with news and views.  It was the monthly journal of the KCA, which was started in 1920 with Isidore Coelho as its Business Manager.  Mark Noronha was succeeded by Louis X Rego as Editor, and then by others who were competent Editors, too.  “The Mangalorean Review” was published till 1941, when due to the war, it was closed due to paucity of funds. It was in the period 1922 – 1924 that the Association came to be called “The Mangalorean Catholic Association”.  There was much disagreement on renaming it thus, especially expressed by the Hon’ble Dr. Major Cajetan Fernandes, Founder President, KCA, and by Robert Aranha.  The latter moved a Resolution to change the name back to Kanara Catholic Association, who had wanted the wider term “Kanara Catholic Association” to be applied to include the larger coastal Kanara area, as it was also the area in reference made by the Holy See.  After a heated discussion, the Members decided to continue the current name, and it was then that Dr. Fernandes and Marcel L Aranha, former Presidents, practically ceased to be Members of the Association. There was a proposal in 1939 to have a building for the Association, proposed by Ernest M Alvares at the AGM of February 19, 1939.  The Sub-Committee to be formed was for the plan, money, donations / gifts, etc., and it was resolved to donate a sum of Rs. 4,000 from the funds of the Association.  However, nothing much came of this plan. It is noted that Judge Mark Noronha was enthusiastic about sports, and charity, to the less fortunate in the community, and so the KCA Sports Club, and the St. Anthony’s League found sincere support.  The “Mark Noronha Cup” was an Award for literary activities.  Mrs. Alice Alvares, then Miss Alice Sequeira, won the “KCA Mark Noronha Cup” in 1937 for being “Best Lady Speaker” at the debate held by the KCA in 1937, “Should women be allowed to act on the

By Robin Saldanha  Dr. Alfred Camilo Rebello was born on 15th July, 1890 at Kallianpur in South Kanara. His father Peter George Rebello was the hereditary Patel and Honorary Magistrate of Kallianpur. His mother Helen (nee Aranha) was elected the first lady member of the Madras senate, as Peter was the highest tax payer in the Madras Presidency. The young Alfred was sent to Bombay for his education at the age of 5 to the home of his uncle, the illustrious F.A.C. Rebello, Esq. BA, JP., who was the Accountant General, Bombay Presidency. He had his early primary education at St. Stanislaus School, Bandra and then passed his Senior Cambridge at St. Xavier’s High School, Bombay. His Uncle Cyril advised him to do medicine so he joined St Xavier’s College to study science. He then proceeded to Grant Medical College and secured the MBBS degree of the University of Bombay in 1913. “With the object of specializing in Diseases of the skin, I became an assistant to Dr. Major C. Fernandez, MD. I worked as his assistant for seven years. During this period, I had an opportunity of seeing and treating most of the skin infections common in the Tropics.” The diligent and handsome Dr. Alfred fell in love with the charming, beautiful Mary Fernandez, the first born of Maj. C. Fernandez, and married her on 20th November 1920 at St. Francis Xavier Church, Dabul. The afternoon of the same day the couple sailed for Europe.  In London, he worked under renowned Doctors at various hospitals and clinics, some of them being Dr. Graham Little of St. Mary’s Hospital, Dr. Gray of the University Hospital and Drs. Griffith, Bunch and Sibley of St. John’s Hospital. Dr Alfred so impressed the foreign doctors with his knowledge, training and professional expertise that besides working as their assistant, they even entrusted their clinics to him during their absence of leave. In France he worked as foreign assistant at the St. Louis Hospital, Paris. It was in Paris that his wife Mary gave birth to their first son, Désiré in 1921 (Dr D.J.A. Rebello who too became a famed dermatologist). In 1922 Dr. Alfred was awarded the Duke of Chesterfield Medal, after a competitive examination for diseases of the skin, held at St. John’s Hospital, London.   Dr. Alfred was also clinical assistant to Dr. Parsons Smith, the Dean of the National Hospital for Diseases of the Heart, London. He took the D.P.H. course in Bacteriology at the University Hospital under Drs. Teale and Embleton. “While specializing in Skin and Venereal Diseases, I took every opportunity of keeping in touch with General Medicine by attending the various clinics at the University Hospital, the National Hospital for the Paralysed and Epileptics, the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and the Brompton Hospital for Chest Diseases.” He secured the D.T.M.H.(Lond) soon after. In 1923, his second son Alan was born in London (Dr. A.J.A. Rebello, KC*HS, KSG). Dr Alfred was elected Fellow of the London Dermatological Society and of the Dermatological Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (London). On his return to India he was appointed as Professor of Dermatology and Honorary Physician in the Skin Department of J.J. Hospital. In 1926, Dr. A. C. Rebello was appointed the First Honorary Dermatologist of the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Honorary Lecturer in Skin and Venereal diseases at the Seth Gorkhandas Sunderdas Medical College. Dr. Jivraj Mehta who was the Dean of the KEM and first CM of Gujarat held the young Dr. Rebello in high esteem and stated “due to the efforts and skills of Dr. Alfred the KEM Skin and OPD has the greatest number of daily patients for any specialized department in the hospital and is one of the largest in the country”.  His only daughter Helen was born in 1930 and is the only surviving member of the family. In 1932 he was appointed Honorary Dermatologist of the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children, Parel. His youngest son Peter, also a doctor, was born in 1937. On his retirement from these hospitals in 1946 he continued to be a Consulting Dermatologist. He was elected a Life Fellow of the G.S. Medical College and the King Edward Memorial Hospital Research Society. He was given a silver casket and silk scroll from the staff of the G.S. College and KEM Hospital. Glowing tributes poured in as he was highly respected and loved by his students, staff and doctors. “Your clinics were always a pleasure to attend and you relieved the monotony and tedium of medical teaching with witty sallies that kept our interest alive. Your lectures were appreciated not only for their knowledge imparted but also for their lucidity and thoroughness”. “The poor of this city will long remember the kindness and sympathy you have bestowed on them” Numerous medical books were dedicated to Dr. A. C. Rebello by his past students. Dr. Rebello’s consulting rooms were in Khandelwal Bhavan on Hornby Road. He chose to set up his clinic here as it was close to Victoria Terminus and easily accessible to the hundreds of patients who used to consult him from outstation. Dr. A.C. Rebello was the leading Dermatologist of his time besides being an eminent public figure. He commanded an exhaustive practice as he was renowned for his professional skills and care, be it Maharajas, Princes, India’s leading industrialists, religious and the poor; all of whom he would attend to with the same devotion and time. His advice to his patients was ‘Shanti’, as he felt most problems were caused by worry. He once told a doctor he was treating, if you feel an itch join your hands and pray! He still managed to find time to head and be on the board of several organisations both professional and religious. His linguistic versatility was the envy of many and the admiration of all. He could speak Konkani, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tulu and Tamil besides being fluent in French. While in Europe he studied medicine in French, Italian and German.