20. Goan Institute, Nairobi

Goan Institute, Nairobi

Without doubt, the Goan Institute was the most celebrated social and sports club within the East African Goan community. It was only surpassed in achievement by the Sikh Union in hockey. Others will argue that the Railway Goan Institute was the more dominant Goan hockey club, or that the Mombasa Goan Institute was the most successful in track and field. There is some truth in all of that. However, pound for pound, the GI was outstanding in most areas and provided some leadership and could easily have been the umbrella organisation for the Goans in Kenya but for some early prejudices.

Hockey In 1931 the GI became the only Asian team allowed to take part in the white-only European Merchant’s Hockey Shield and thus began an illustrious history in the game.

1952: Winner Emar De Souza Gold Cup.

1954, 1955: Winners Romeo Hockey Shield: Romeo Fernandes, Michael Fernandes, Cajie Fernandes represent Kenya.

1956 Olympics, Anthony Vaz.

1959: East African championships, Anthony Vaz, Edgar Fernandes, Egbert Fernandes, Saude George feature in winning Kenya team.

1961: Winners Emar De Souza Gold Cup.

1972 Winners Nairobi League, Joseph & Sons Cup, play against Dutch team, GI Blues clinch Division 2.

1977 Runners-up Emar De Souza Gold Cup against Spain’s Real Club de Polo.

1978 Winners Ujaggar Singh Cup, lost to Mombasa Baobab in Emar De Souza.

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Winners, Emar De Souza Gold Cup. 1952, with the G.I. Sports Council.

Photo: Netty, Stan & Merwin D’Souza Archives

Gold Cup 1991 Winning seven-a-side Kifaru Cup: Rabin D’Souza, Christo D’Sa, Greg Fernandes, Marvin Fernandes, John Kimani, Tonu Ngesa, Chris D’Souza, Neveson Vaz.

Soccer 1952 Salus Cup winners: B. Castanha, S. D’Souza, J. Lobo, F. D’Souza, L. Carvalho, R. D’Costa, B. Remedios, E. Caldeira. M. D’Souza, R. Noronha, S. George, A.T. Dias, H. Denis, N. Rodrigues, A. Fernandes.

1941 Nazareth Brothers Cup: C. Coelho, R. Mascarenhas, T.J. Lobo, M. Dias, C. Fernandes, F. Dias, M.R. Gama, J.B. Caldeira, M. D’Sa, P. Lobo, M. Fernandes, CF.F. Carvalho.

Table Tennis Kenya representatives: Philo Pinto, Jane Pinto, Egbert Fernandes, Henry Braganza, Joe ‘Smiley’ D’Souza, Blaise Da Cunha, Jarnail Singh, Bertha Zuzarte, Louisa De Mello, Michelle Carvalho, Noel Carvalho.

1940 Kenya Championships: Remy Noronha (singles), Aires Fernandes/Remy

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Noronha (doubles).

1937 East African Students Cup won by three sets of brothers: Remy and Nazario Noronha, Aires and Tony Fernandes, James and Joseph Carvalho.

1957: GI wins Nairobi mixed doubles league.

1962 Division II league winners: Tony Fernandes, Bertha Zuzarte, Anthony Cardozo, Egbert Fernandes and Remy Noronha.

Kenya Championships winner Joe ‘Smiley’ D’Souza.

Coast Open: Joe D’Souza and Henry Braganza.

Kenya doubles: Joe D’Souza and Henry Braganza.

Uganda doubles: Joe D’Souza and Jarnail Singh.

1965-1966: Kenya duties abroad: Joe D’Souza, Henry Braganza and Jarnail Singh.

1968-1973 Jane Pinto wins Kenya singles titles.

1969: Winners Nairobi and District Division 1: Tony Fernandes, Bertha Zuzarte, Anthony Cardozo, Egbert Fernandes, And Remy Noronha. (Bertha and Jane were on overseas and home Kenya duty on many occasions).

1971/1973 Silver medal winners Afro-Asian Games, Jane Pinto, Louisa De Mello, and Michelle Carvalho.

1976 Joe D’Souza wins Kenya title, appointed coach.

1990s Emergence of Noel Carvalho and Michelle Carvalho carried the GI flag with great pride and honour.

Snooker & Billiards Aires Fernandes was easily one of the greatest exponents of the cue-game in East Africa. Aires was earned the tag of King of Billiards after winning the Kenya championship three times in a row. Not far behind on the roll of honour were players like Joseph Carvalho, A. Vincy De Souza, Arnold Alpin, Tima D’Souza, Montez Fernandes (great soccer player, angler and lots more), Jarnail Singh, Vincent D’Sa and Romeo Dias. Others who excelled included Joe Smiley D’Souza, Egbert Fernandes and Godfrey Rodrigues, among many others.

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The Diaspora Goan community lost one (October 2017) of its great sporting icons who was also an eminent community leader in the UK. Between 1961 and 1971, Aires Fernandes was almost unbeatable in snooker and billiards in Nairobi, especially on his home tables at the Nairobi Goan Institute where both he and his brother Tony were institutions.

Aires won tournaments organised by the Kenya Goan Sports Association, the GI, the Railway Goan Institute, the City Brewery Open, Haig Open and the Caltex Open which he won for four consecutive years thus making the trophy his own to keep. In 1967 he won the first of three consecutive Kenya Open Billiards championships.

In 1970, he won the Haig Open Snooker Trophy without conceding a single frame, an unbeatable achievement. He was a member of the Kenya Billiards and Snooker Control Council, playing exhibition matches against professional players of the time including Wilson Jones and Mike Ferreira. On migrating to the UK in 1975, he continued his winning ways, adding to the impressive collection of trophies.

He played a central role in the GOA UK for many years and always remained an important member of the UK Goan community (Mafalda-Anne De’Sa)

Badminton For many decades the Kenya throne belonged to the pioneering Mrs Virginia Paes and her sidekick Matty Braganza was not too far away. Mrs Paes’ daughters Jeanette, Maureen and Lillian soon followed in their mother’s footsteps. Their challengers included the mother and daughter team of Alice and Wendy D’Souza. Bertha Zuzarte-Vaz was also a very handy player (great all-rounder). Rose Pereira also showed great promise. Among the men, Remy Diniz was always up there at the top.

“My mother Mrs Virginia Paes, Matty Braganza, Nora D’Souza, Gladys Braganza and Alice D’Souza were on the scene in the late 1950s. They played for the GI and I think also for the RGI. Edward Braganza and Britto were the men involved.

“In the early 1960s, Alice D’Souza was virtually unbeatable in the Nairobi Goan Institute. Then I came on the scene at the GI but I also played at the DD Puri Club. I played singles, doubles with Rosan and mixed doubles with Turfles. Somewhere along the line came Jacinto Fernandes who went on to great success. We went to Uganda where I won the singles against Roshan and lost the mixed doubles to Gulam and his partner.

“Then I won the singles in Dar es Salaam and the singles against Alice D’Souza

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With A.X. George (Captain), J Christie D’Souza (President, GI) & Mr E. Zuzaria (Sports Sec.).

Photo: Netty, Stan & Merwin D’Souza Archives

at the DD Puri Club. So I became the East African Champion! I even got a letter of congratulations from the GI at that time. When I left Maureen Paes, Wendy D’Souza (Alice’s daughter), and Rose Pereira were the Goans who took the lead. – Jeanette Fernandes

Tennis Cajetan D’Souza will always be remembered as one of the finest talents to come out of Kenya. Others who showed the way included Alu Ribeiro, Marian Gama, Leo Gama, A B Rego, Hilary D’Souza and F T Gomes. Others who wore the GI badge with honour included Tony Fernandes, Jules Carneiro, Paul Nazareth (all-rounder), Greg Rodrigues, Eddie Rodrigues, Newton D’Souza, Cyprian Fernandes (not the author) and Greg Carvalho.

Towards the 1980, Louisa and Valeria De Mello (daughters of the late Oscar De Mello) began to make their mark in Tennis. Another promising star was Rose D’Sa, who once said: “One of my happiest memories of childhood is of playing tennis in the Kenya sun. Fortunately, my standard was good enough to attain a Kenya national (top three) ranking and thereby received a sports scholarship to the famous Millfield School in England. It would have been easy from that point to forget my modest home, but my father, Alex D’Sa, instilled in me from an early age, the importance of both my Goan heritage, and most especially, love for our club, the Goan Institute, Nairobi.” She went to achieve great things in the legal world and played tennis for many decades if only for her own recreation and competitively in the senior ranks in the UK.

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