Ronald Carvalho :

Friend, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Extraordinaire

July 25, 1948 - July 17, 2011

by Raymond De Mello

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It's with great sadness that we have come to know of Ronald's passing, though I can almost hear him telling us "....listen folks...I've really enjoyed the journey...continue yours and enjoy...I'm O.K. In 1965, a few of us miscreants partied on the Goan School premises, and on that memorable night, Ronald unwittingly set the tone of his life, exhorting us to "drink and be merry!" What our budding high rolling friend forgot to tell us, was to strive for excellence, and temper it with warmth and generosity. More than anything else, he was hopelessly guilty of the latter two.

Ronald belonged to an eminent family. His father had a successful law practice in Kenya, and was at one time the Principal of the Dr. Ribeiro Goan School. His mother helped with the law practice, whilst all the while taking care of all the domestic business and being the perfect lawyer's wife! Few in those days enjoyed the success and prestige that came with a professional lifestyle.

In school, Ronald was quite the rabble rouser, and struck fear into some teachers by simply proclaiming, "my father is a lawyer," mostly before corporal punishment was about to be administered! Most of the time this thinly veiled threat worked! I remember vividly in Form 1V, there was was some concern about the harshness of some of the physical punishment meted out by some of the teachers. Of course, leave it to Ronald to come back to school the next day with a legal document that put into question the behaviour of some of the teachers! Dr. Neves Pereira, the then Headmaster, was clearly impressed by his temerity of spirit and ability to lead fearlessly, though wryly commenting that the school environment was not a Trade Union, where bargaining was an option, conceding, albeit backhandedly, "you are a potential First Grader, but a regular failure!" Regardless, Ronald was now in the role of a folk hero!

Failure he was not! After completing Secondary School education in Kenya, he was amongst a gutsy few who left for the U.K. in search of a fulfilling business career. Initially dabbling in medium sized enterprises, his business's and investments soon blossomed into noteworthy enterprises worth millions. Always the "driven" businessman, Ronald was either on his cell phone or flying across the globe, making and breaking deals. Perhaps is greatest business success was in China and the Pacific rim. Ronald never shied away from a risky endeavour, and always seemed ready to gamble it all. He once confided," Raymond, I've made millions and lost millions!" He lived large indeed!

Ronald's generosity is legendary. In the mid 70's, he co-financed the late Mr. Hedwig Nunes' (history teacher) trip from Nairobi to London, where he then invited a host of ex-students for a reunion and a sumptuous dinner. Later on, at his own cost, he was tour guide for Mr Nunes as they travelled together in Europe visiting the historic sites that Mr Nunes had introduced in the classroom a decade earlier. A little known fact, too, is that Ronald donated substantially to help the people in Africa, Nigeria being his clear favourite. He also, without much fanfare helped many Goan families find their feet when they were in dire financial need.

Each time Ronald visited London he made a point of connecting with his class of '65 friends and regaling them with details of his exploits, at least some which involved business! There invariably was a liberal flow of food and drink, ending with yours truly picking up the tab. Not a case of financial braggadocio to be sure..he just would not have it any other way.

We will miss his generous and loud presence! Rest easy buddy!

Our heartfelt condolences to his beloved family

Tributes Received For Ronald Carvalho