Darryl? How could we have lost him? He was about my age. Well built, perfectly healthy (or he was about 50 years ago). And such a nice guy.

He joined SMS in 1973, our final year. We found that he had a belt in one of the martial arts, and immediately hired him as coach, for the best fee a customer could negotiate. He taught us a couple of moves. The one I remember best involved a knee and a groin.

I got to know him much better as a guitarist. He and Mario Esteves on guitar, and yours truly on accordion, provided instrumental accompaniment for the Easter services in 1973 as we cut the ribbon on the new chapel (architected by Br Kelly), and became a fixture every Sunday thereafter. Sometimes we got together the previous day for a short rehearsal. Both Darryl and Mario were great guitarists. A visiting Brother taught us a new song: Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me. We struggled to find that chord in the second bar, figured it out, and discovered later that it had a name: the diminished. It's a bit like living on another planet and independently discovering relativity. Such a memorable time.

RIP, buddy. You're remembered fondly.

—Val Noronha (1973)