Polycarpo (Polly) Fernandes passed away unexpectedly on November 12, 2020 and his death has come as a major shock to our family. Beloved husband of Vanessa and cherished son Malcolm; son of the late Darmelio and late Carlota Fernandes, brother of the late Maltilda/late Valerian Fernandes, Jacinto, Sarita/Dacy D’ Souza, James/Loretta and Tina/Bonny Da Costa. Loving uncle to Derek/Kelly D’Souza, Sharon/Brandon Noronha, Michelle/Adriano Mazzaferro, late Alison Da Costa, Darren/ Sheena Fernandes and Jason/Sangeeta Da Costa. Beloved son-in-law of Isa / late Frank Vaz, brother- in – law Glen/Alla, Noella/Glenville Da Silva, Leon/Zelia, Joey/Pauline and Warren/Dew of Saligao. Polly was a well known sports writer with the Daily Nation Nairobi and continued his passion for journalism with the Croydon Advertiser until he retired recently. He was a talented sportsman and a true gentleman. His will be remembered for his simplicity, kindness and good sense of humour. His unexpected death has left a vacuum in our lives. May his soul rest in peace.

Condolences: pollyfernandes2020@gmail.com

The funeral mass service was held on 10 December 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0v0WDSVcyk

Our Polly

By Norman da Costa

It was an early morning call on Thursday, November 12, 2020, that sent a chill down my spine. At the other end of the phone was Joan do Rosario asking me to find a chair and take a seat as she had bad news to share. There was no need for that as I was still in bed. Then, between sobs, Joan floored me with what felt like an uppercut to the jaw by Mike Tyson. My longtime buddy Polycarp Fernandes was no longer with us. My dear and close friend, a classmate, hockey teammate, workmate at East Africa’s premier newspaper, the Daily Nation and best man at my wedding to Delphine, had unexpectedly died of a massive heartache. He leaves behind his wife Vanessa and son Malcolm, his brothers Jacinto and James, sisters Sarita and Tina, their spouses and families.

In the midst of this pandemic that’s sweeping the world, this sad news compounded matters and comes on a string of recent losses. Polly was the third close classmate of our class of 1963 to pass away in the last two years. Alfred de Araujo left us in 2018 and Eugene Pereira in 2019.

Many knew Polly as a thorough gentleman, a first-class field hockey goalkeeper and a top-notch sports reporter who made world headlines of his own in 1999. No obituary would be complete without mention of his love for food.

He sported a perpetual smile and was never easily flustered despite being the brunt of so many jokes. Like nearly every student at Dr. Ribeiro Goan School in Nairobi, Polly had his share of nicknames. He was called Darmel as he bore a strong resemblance to his father; Marabu since he had a curly mop of hair and Corned Beef because of his love for this particular corned beef sandwiches. The man credited for christening him Marabu was our late teacher Michael Britto.

During one vacation to Malindi a whole bunch of friends sought refuge from a fierce rain storm in a dark empty hut and Britto had no idea who he was with. So he went around touching each one’s head until he got to this curly head. “This must be Polly,” he said.

Then there was Corned Beef. On a Hornets hockey team visit to Mombasa, Polly and his teammate Hygino Vaz leaped off the train before it got to a full stop in Voi. They wanted to be first in line for their sandwiches. Jumping off a moving train is forbidden and as luck would have it, they were nabbed by the local police. As there were no available cells, the two were made to crouch under a police officer’s desk. It must have been pure agony for Polly dreaming of that sandwich.

Another teammate Hilary Fernandes went to the police station to inquire about their whereabouts. “I could not see them but heard a faint cry for help. They were under the desk,’’ Hilary laughed.

“After pleading with the policemen for what seemed like an eternity, they were allowed out. “We will never forget that day,” said Hygino, who now lives in Mississauga. “We can all laugh about it now but it wasn’t funny then.’’ Polly’s love for food was legendary.

Once at an Indian restaurant in Pangani, Polly, Octavio (Pereira) and I were handed four gulab jamuns following our meal. We tossed a coin to see who would win the extra gulab jamun and it was Polly. But Octavio quickly stuffed it into his mouth. The next minute we saw the confectionery fly out of his mouth and on to the floor this was after a furious Polly punched him in the face.

Polly was a superb goalkeeper in school and went on to play for the Railway Goan Institute. He was a member of the club that won the M.R. de Souza Gold Cup and several other local trophies. He also represented Nairobi in the Tata Cup and went on to play against the touring Pakistan national team led by incomparable Gen. Mansoor Atif.

Also, on the RGI team was his younger brother James, who was an excellent left back. Polly’s older brother Jacinto was Kenya’s badminton champion and represented the country at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970.

At the Daily Nation Polly assumed the soccer and field hockey beats from me after I became sports editor. He was a dedicated reporter who knew his sports well. After earning his stripes his first overseas assignment was covering the world field hockey championships in Barcelona followed by the East African Challenge Cup soccer tournament in Kampala in 1999.

The match between Kenya and Uganda for the championship turned into a wild, rough encounter where the referee appeared to lose control of the game. This resulted in a full-scale riot with police employing tear gas and charging onto the field and into the stands after Kenya’s brilliant centre half Alex Fernandes of Nairobi Heroes had his ankle broken following a reckless challenge.

Polly, of course, captured this drama in his report. The following day we got a call that Polly was being deported -not to Kenya - but to the United Kingdom since he was a British subject. The case was dealt with by the higher ups at the Kenya Embassy and the British High Commission while the Nation tried to get him returned home. In the mean time I had to console his Dad Darmel and Mum Carlota and keep them posted on a near daily basis as we were neighbours near Mlango Kubwa in Pangani.

After six months Polly returned home to his worried family and friends. He must have been the first sports reporter to be deported for a match report.

Polly emigrated to London, England in the late 1970s and worked for a couple of publications prior to retirement.

Polly was a true friend and we will all miss him. Rest in eternal peace buddy.

A thorough gentleman

By Joan Do Rosario

On the social scene, one could say Polly (as family and friends knew him) was a gentleman to the nth degree. He was a ladies’ man. Many will remember him for his old-world charm and deference to the ladies. Particularly memorable were the Saturday afternoon sessions. After a short workday, the guys would head out to Brunners, a popular watering hole, and take up space in loud and hearty discussions on everything from politics to sports to the new ladies in town. When the girls arrived, the gentlemanly Polly would jump up, give up his seat, and not take one himself until every lady was seated. And then, while the guys continued their vociferous and heated arguments, Polly would pause, solicitously ensuring that each lady had a drink. Only then would he join the conversation with his worldly knowledge on all subjects, from sports to politics to women

Polly was a social guy, always on the scene of dances or other social events at the Nairobi clubs. He was well known at the Goan Clubs, but none more so than at the Railway Institute as it was called post Independence. The RI was a second home to him. He enjoyed his rounds of darts and badminton and pints with his pals.

Polly will, also, most assuredly be remembered for his debonair and dapper black-suit-and-tie presence at dances, once again sporting drinks for the ladies or packing them into his left-hand-drive Volkswagen to give them rides to the various events.

He will be missed by his friends, both old and new, of which he had legions. When he first arrived in England, he took up residence with his brother Jacinto and close friend Danny Mahadevan. There Polly would undertake the duty of cooking for the guys. A task he loved and was, apparently, very adept at.