Class of 70

September 5, 1955 - November 10, 2023

by Francis Rodrigues - New York, November 2023

Lawrence was a quiet shy young lad when he joined us in Miss Esperança Carvalho's Grade 5 class in early 1964. He sat quietly at the back, not joining in the general mayhem of us rollicking gangsters. However this led to a growing friendship with fellow back-benchers Francis Fernandes, and Bonnie Fernandes. From populist backgrounds, Francis F was highly-strung and scatter-brained, whilst Bonnie was the exact opposite - morose, and as remarked elsewhere, so glum that you felt a glance from him would turn you to stone! Together the three formed an unlikely trio of bumbling amateur spies, revelling in hilarious conspiracy theories! 

The late Alan and Blossom were our big primary school romance of the mid '60's and these three musketeers lost no time in surreptitiously following the young lovers behind bushes and shrubs, throughout their secret trysts all over the neighbourhood! Closer home, our own class-teacher was involved in a rather torrid romance with the Grade 6 form-taker Romeo Pinto, which provided endless fodder and amusement for our enterprising gang. Alan did not end up marrying Blossom, but Esperança and Romeo did, the following year - which  our conniving trio celebrated with wild gusto! 

Fast forward four years later, from a sports-mad primary education to a more sedate secondary school, and I suddenly found these three in my Form Two class gravitating together - a friendship which has lasted to this day! Bonnie and Francis F lived in Eastleigh, Lawrence in Nairobi South, and I in Hurlingham - yet the distance only brought us closer. Lawrence had grown tall and thin, and his favorite travelling companion to and from school was one rotund Agnelo D'Souza whom Lawrence charitably called "Anjee!" 

Lawrence finally took up a sport in Form Two, when he joined us at table-tennis or ping-pong. There was only one table in school, with dozens waiting to play, so a unique "round-table" selection was used, where all of us walked in a procession round the ping-pong table, one by one hitting the ball over the net - miss it, and you were out! Lawrence was such an enthusiastic participant that he charmingly drooled all round the table, in his excitement! When the finalists started to play, the ball kept sticking hilariously to the gooey! Unforgettable:)

Later that year, a number of us left the country in the great exodus of 1968. Lawrence was one of those who stayed on - I was very surprised to receive jolly letters from him back in Kenya, describing the goings-on in school, the new principals, the friendly bullying taking place. Ronnie Mendonca and Bernard Luis were two others who were kind enough to keep writing me with all the news - I have to admit to not being a very good correspondent in response! On the plus side I still have all their letters boxed somewhere, particularly Lawrence's with his cute doodles round the oil-stains - he obviously wrote whilst feeding his face! 

Lawrence did well enough at his 'A' levels to be awarded a French government scholarship to study Medicine at Francois Rabelais University in Tours, (France) in 1974. This was an arduous process as it meant learning French initially for a few years, but he worked  at it manfully and graduated with first class honours in 1986. He trained in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Cochin Port Royal Maternity Hospital in Paris and then trained in some of Britain’s top institutions, successively at the John Radcliffe Maternity Hospital Oxford, Birmingham Women's Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge, successfully completing general specialist accreditation in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1996.

He then pursued Royal College subspecialist accreditation in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery after competitive entry at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge and the world famous Bourne Hall IVF centre and completed this in 1998. At the time, he introduced a revolutionary method into the specialty of ectopic pregnancies, which gained him worldwide renown. 

His qualifications included MD Tours, France; MRCOG, England; MD Birmingham and MEd Cantab. He published widely in peer journals. 

Throughout it all he found time to keep in touch. With Madeleine whom he wed in France, he had three lovely children. He sent pictures, and was heart-broken at losing his 18-year old daughter Karen to a car-accident in Little Brington, Northamptonshire, in 2006. He never got over it. Later, with Joyce, he had three more children, one of whom has just graduated as a doctor, with a second one almost there. 

Lawrence loved driving, particularly with his family through the safari wilds of Africa where he was born. He travelled widely throughout the world, quietly doing charitable work - even taking his children back with him to volunteer at hospitals in Nairobi - Pumwani, and Kenyatta - the former George VIth hospital, where my Dad was admin in his time.

We met a few times over a meal when I passed through London, and he would never allow me to pay! Generous to a fault. When he was diagnosed with the terminal, he told me he wanted to make the best of it, and travel again as much as he could with his kids. He sent me lovely pics of his trips to the Mara, Mombasa, etc. I last saw him in London a couple of years ago, smiling and jolly as ever. Despite his elevated status as a renowned luminary in his field, he was humble to a fault. He rarely took  a taxi to meet me, always the train. 

Mention must be made of his indefatigable mother Ann who was his rock throughout, and with his wife Joyce, was at his bedside when Lawrence passed away. He missed his beloved sister Yvonne who passed away in childhood, but leaves behind two cherished brothers Gavin and Mervin. 

Godspeed Lawrence, I will miss your enduring friendship, your charming chuckle, your radiant smile.