29 JANUARY 2022

Memories of Nick De Cateret

by NICK DE CATERET
–

My wife and I decided to visit Mauritius this June (2022) and whilst doing research on the internet we came across Donald's book. He was godfather to my youngest brother.

To start at the beginning, Colonel and Mrs A.G.de Carteret and three young boys arrived in Mauritius sometime in 1954 and we lived at Abercrombie House in Vacoas. My father was the Officer Commanding Troops. Although very young, I recall my parents becoming great friends with Shelagh and Donald who lived nearby. Presumably they had all met at the Gymkhana Club whose golf course bordered onto the back of our garden.

I believe they spent a good deal of time together in Mauritius, as after our return to the UK they would visit us and sometimes stay whilst on their leave. My parents were also friends with the Mayhew family who also came to visit us in England and from memory I think Sarah and I were almost the same age.

Sundays in our family were always spent at the Grand Baie Yacht Club often with the Taylors I think and I remember being in the back of Dennis' speed boat whilst he tried to get my mother to stand upright on water skis! Mauritius was a wonderful time for us and I know my parents were very loath to leave in 1956.

Years later one of my brothers and I returned for the first time in 2005. In doing so I recalled my mother and father saying if you ever go back to Mauritius look up Shelagh and Dennis through Taylor Smith in Port Louis. So I did and Shelagh invited me to visit her at Pointe d'Azure.

After chatting over a drink she said she would like to have a dinner party at the house a few days later so that I could meet some of the younger Taylors of my own vintage who were visiting at the time from the UK. And what a great pleasure it was to meet and reminisce about our childhood days in Mauritius with Maureen and Pauline Taylor.