It is with deep grief
and sorrow I pen down these lines on the
sad demise of my friend, mentor, guide and strong supporter of Goan movements
in Kuwait, Mr. John Felix D’Sousa from Anjuna, Bardez, at his home place on 9th
of this month. He was interred on the next day at Anjuna Cemetry in the
presence of lot of his friends, relatives and well-wishers, some of them Kuwait
returnees.
After completing his
schooling at St. Joseph’s High School, Arpora – the first EnglIsh High School of Goa, with
distinction in Latin, he took up the teaching job for a short stint and later on went to
Kuwait with Portuguese Passport since Goa then was under the possession of
Portugal, hence all Goans then were considered as Portuguese citizens.
After coming to Kuwait
he took up a job at Albert Abela an international organization with its
headquarter at Beirut, as an Accountant and rose to the position of Chief
Accountant not only of Kuwait Center but also of the entire Middle East Areas. During his employment in Kuwait, he travelled
almost all over the Middle East to oversee the company’s operations and
received high marks on the job from his top management based in London.
While in Kuwait he
helped many Goans to get jobs not only in his company but even outside. He was a very charitable man in which
capacity he doled financial assistance to many of the needy without making a big
propaganda of this good deed.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Tel:7507394349.
John Felix D'Souza for our wedding in Kuwait in 1979.
He was very active in
social and sporting activities in Kuwait.
When he came to Kuwait in late fifties, he was involved in Cricket and
when Goans under United Goans started competitive soccer tournament in Kuwait
city in 1979 he not only backed this move but also actively took part by
becoming an executive body member of Goan Overseas Association that fielded
G.O.A. Maroons soccer team. In this
capacity he helped some of the Maroons players in getting them employment and
for some he even gave money from his own pocket.
He had very good
command of written and spoken Konkani and English. He was a free lance journalist in Kuwait writing for
the local newspapers as well as for Goan. In the beginning it was under his
support and backing I started Konkani movement in Kuwait and he was my backbone
for initiating Novem Goem movement under Novem Goem Pratishthan Kuwait Somiti
that sent lakhs of Rupees to Goa for Novem Goem Daily. Later on he strongly supported me in forming
Kuwait Konknni Kendr. He was one of the
main persons in the beginning to promote Gulf Goans Hotels Co. and was its
founding director in which capacity he worked very hard to help promote this
company. About 25 years back he voluntarily retired from his lucrative job in Kuwait
and came back to Goa for good. While in
Goa he was offered a responsible position of Financial Director of GGHC which
position he relinquished later on, on health ground.
As a human being, he
was a man of superlative character, morally highly upright, socially very
decent. A very good family man, a
faithful husband to his faithful wife, a responsible father to his responsible 3
children and a dignified member of Kuwait Goan community. In Kuwait I had no other friend like him, he was
very close to my heart in good time and also in bad time. In his death I lost a
friend of whose type I will never get another because such persons come to this
planet only once. May his soul rest in
peace and may the Heavenly Father give courage to his wife and children to bear
this colossal loss.
Tel:7507394349.
