1918 - 1998

Floriano Santana - affectionately known as Sandy - Tavares was born April 3, 1918 in Salcette, Goa (then Portuguese India). An only child, he lost his mother at a very early age, but as we shall see, created a wonderful family of his own at a later age. His father re-married and continued to live in the village.

Sandy went to primary school in the village, being educated in Portuguese for the first level of education for seven years. He then went to an English-medium secondary school at a nearby town. He left school in order to teach to earn money to complete his secondary school, returning to finish his final year in 1938, earning a Secondary School Leaving Certificate.

He then returned to teaching for several years in Goa, before applying for a teaching post in Kenya. He was successful and went to Kenya in 1942. Sandy was posted to the Dr. Ribeiro Goan School in Parklands, the school founded and named after the famous settler MD who made his house calls on the back of a zebra. Sandy taught Latin and Maths and also became involved in Scouting, serving as a Master and as an Assistant Area Commissioner. While teaching, he attended the Government Indian Boys School (now Jamhuri High School) for in-service teacher training.

He met his wife-to-be Sybil, who was a student at the school, though not taught by him. The occasion? They were on opposite sides of the debating team on the subject, " A woman's place is in the home". Sybil thought women should carry on with a profession outside the home, while he felt to the contrary. He won. In 1953, however, he proposed to her. They were wed on Easter Monday in April that year. They had their four children over the next five years: Sharman in 1954, Subash in 1956, Sheryn in 1957 and Shivona in 1958.

With this young family, he was offered a scholarship from the Portuguese Government through the British Council in 1961 -- one of 50 chosen throughout the Commonwealth. He then proceeded to take a headship course in the UK. Sybil, Subash and Sharman came along with him. They were later joined by Shivona. While there for a year, his tutor arranged for him to spend time in special schools. And yes, Sybil worked while looking after the children, serving as secretary to the manager of British Road Services.

On his return, Sandy was appointed Head of Dr. Ribeiro Goan School (then a private school, though later taken over by the City Council and renamed Parklands School). He continued to work on programmes for the handicapped taking part in various conferences and congresses worldwide, until he retired in 1979.

Even after his retirement, Sandy served two years as the Principal of the YMCA Business School at Shauri Moyo. There he enlisted the help of Rotary to set up new classrooms and got new equipment for the school. He went on to do voluntary work at Jacaranda School, continuing to work with various societies and to arrange outings for handicapped children and their parents. In 1990 he went to the 11th World Congress of the International League for Mentally Handicapped held in Paris.

Also in retirement, he and his wife went to Vancouver in 1991 for the birth of daughter Sheryn's first son, Brendan and again in 1993 for the birth of her second son, Aron. By that time they had been blessed with four grandchildren, Shivona having had Sinead an 1989 and Eoin in 1993. Thus he continued as a fine family man, onto the next generation.

In September 1996, Sandy was diagnosed as having cancer. He underwent an operation followed by radiotherapy in October 1997 and again in March 1998. Throughout it all he maintained his fortitude and serenity. He was visited up to the afternoon of his death by friends of all faiths and walks of life, people he met through his various activities in education, special education, Scouting and so on. As the doctor said at his 80th birthday party (which brought together friends and family from Canada, South Africa and the UK) Sandy was a very special patient and person. Everyone was always pleased to see him and they regretted his leaving.

We can now say the same. We honor his life -- his living of it and the manner of his passing. If Life as in the classroom, he proved a most able teacher.

For a tribute to Sandy's wife, Sybil Tavares, click here