Patrick Blake was born to Thomas and Mark Blake and was number 10 in a mountain farming family of 12 (4 girls and 8 boys) in the townsland of Glenkeen, high up on the Slieve Bloom mountains of County Laois, Ireland. Large families were the norm in those days and there were then over 20 families in the mountain area where there are now only a few. Paddy, like the rest of the family, received his early education at Clonaslee National School, about 3 miles’ walk from his home. At 14 he went to the De La Salle Juniorate in Castletown, probably, as he himself says, because his older brother Tom (Brother Lawrence) had already gone there. Moreover, a De La Salle Brother had gone to Clonaslee, recruiting young boys to join his order, as the area had already proved to be a fertile land for vocations.
The Blake family was deeply religious. Tom and Paddy joined the Brothers while 3 of the girls entered the sisterhood. After 2 years in the Juniorate, Paddy proceeded to the Novitiate, a year of intensive spiritual formation, and was given the name Brother Fintan, later changed to Mark. At the end of the Novitiate he volunteered with 5 or 6 others to serve on the missions, where British qualifications would be required to teach, so they travelled to England to continue their studies. After 2 years in Kintbury, Berkshire, he passed the Oxford School Certificate Examination and qualified to enter St. Mary’s Teacher Training College at Strawberry Hill, London, from which he graduated as teacher in 1952.
Then, after a short holiday home he set sail, with 3 other young Brothers, on the P&O liner the SS. Corfu, for the 3 weeks voyage to the Far East. We can only imagine the novelty and excitement of that journey through Port Said, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, before crossing the Indian Ocean to Colombo in Ceylon and on to Singapore, their destination. Next there was a train journey north through what was then Malaya to Penang, the headquarters of their new District…..an exotic journey that took them through miles of rubber and coconut plantations, tin mines and jungle-clad foothills, as well as exposing them to early encounters with tropical mosquitoes.
At Penang Mark was appointed by his new Provincial, a cousin of his, Fintan Blake, to teach at St. Michael’s Institution, Ipoh where the Principal and Director was another Clonaslee man, Br. Denis Hyland from Cush, whose nephews had gone to Clonaslee National School with Mark. In Ipoh he spent 8 very happy years, before being transferred in 1960 to St. Joseph’s School, Kuching, Sarawak, then part of British Borneo, where he was to spend the next 23 years.
Brother Columba Gleeson takes up the story: “For most of that period, of which I have very happy memories, I had the privilege of being his community Director and school Principal. He was a very dedicated teacher, spent many hours marking students’ exercise books and showed remarkable ability for teaching weaker students. Outside school hours he coached the school athletes and was largely responsible for the school being Inter-School Athletics Champions for 17 consecutive years. He also coached rugby with great success.”
A school magazine of the time places Brother Mark’s contribution as follows: “On 29-6-1983 one of St Joseph’s secondary school’s longest serving teachers left the school quietly. This was Brother Mark. During his long association with the school he left his unmistakable mark here. His former students often enquire about him and hope he may pay a visit here soon.
He came to Kuching in June 1960. He had been teaching in St Michael’s Institution, Ipoh, Perak, after his arrival in Malaysia from Ireland in 1952, until his arrival here.
Teaching English Language and Bible Knowledge in Forms 4 and 5 were Br Mark’s forte. He possessed remarkable ability for teaching these subjects to the weaker students. At this he was particularly successful. Besides the above, he also gave religious instruction to Catholic students.
Outside school hours he coached the school athletes. It was in no small measure due to his unfailing dedication to athletics, that St Joseph’s teams were the First Division Champions of the Inter-School Sports Meetings for 17 consecutive years. Br Mark was on the field every day from 4.00pm until 6.00pm of the athletic season, carefully and patiently demonstrating the proper techniques for various track and field events.
Besides his involvement in athletics, he coached rugby in the 60’s and 70’s until the Inter-School Rugby Tournament was dissolved, before which St Joseph’s dominated the game in Kuching.”
The “Borneo Post” newspaper carried an article which said in part:
It was Wednesday, 29th June 1983.
It seemed like any ordinary day at St Joseph’s School. Unknown to the staff and students, a man slipped away for the airport.
He had taught in the school where he lived in for the past 24 years. Of the 29 La Salle Brothers who taught and managed St Joseph’s from 1950 to 1987, he had served the longest.
His inconspicuous and final exit from the school was entirely characteristic of the man.
Like all the Irish La Salle Brothers, he immersed himself in nurturing, sustaining and celebrating sporting passion in the school.
In all his endeavours, Bro Mark stepped up when the occasion required it but he was happiest when he could be allowed to retreat to work behind the scenes, preparing, making certain that things were in order, that the welfare of others were taken care of, applauding in the background when success was finally achieved.
Bro Mark’s signature contribution was in athletics, the biggest sport in the school, that which involved the most students, hogged the limelight and scored the greatest success.
Old Josephians scouring old photographs would know that Bro Mark was seldom captured in them. He did appear in annual group photos of the staff and a few sports teams.
A photo of him even near the prize table or in the midst of another jubilant victory probably does not exist. Only many years later, the realisation dawned on those who knew him that Bro Mark would somehow fade into the background during those moments.
And finally, when the day’s training is done, he would personally stack up or carry much of the equipment (starting blocks, hurdles, throwing implements, measuring tapes, high jump bars, sand racks, etc.) back to the storeroom.
Brother Mark will best be remembered for exemplifying the best qualities of the La Salle Brothers and their passionate belief in the many character-building virtues of playing sports such as integrity, discipline, hard work, courage, perseverance, resilience, team spirit, excellence …and humility.
In 1983 Mark transferred to La Salle College, Kowloon, Hong Kong because he had difficulty obtaining permanent residence in Sarawak, which was now part of an independent Malaysia. In Hong Kong he was welcomed by another Laois-man, Brother Raphael Egan and again soon became fully involved in the academic and sports life of the school. Everyone was impressed with his love of sports and especially for rugby and athletics. It was once rumoured among students that he participated in the Olympic Games and no one doubted it!
He was invariably present in the interschool competitions - rain or shine. When asked, "How long can you throw the discus?" his answer was, "Two to three hours." "I mean the distance, sir." "I never do any measurement." When he retired from class teaching at the mandatory age of 65 but continued his involvement in the school’s sports programme and in hiking or climbing the ‘Lion Rock’, an iconic Hong Kong mountain, which he had become a favourite hobby of his.
Brother Patrick Tierney, who became Mark’s Community Director in Kowloon from 1990, recalls: “The arrival of Br Mark was a breath of fresh air for the La Salle College school community. This was due to the fact that he was not only a strong and effective teacher but also because he soon got involved with the school’s sports teams.
He was put in charge of training the boys to throw the discus in inter-school sports, a very competitive business in Hong Kong. The boys watched him in amazement because the discus would leave his hand and sail gracefully in the air, without a wobble, before plopping to the ground. Rumour spread that he had competed at the Olympics! When asked, he replied “No. I could not even represent Kowloon!” When asked how long he could throw the discus he replied: “for 2 to 3 hours.” I mean the distance, Brother. “I don’t know. I never take any measurement.”
I came up much more close and personal to Brother Mark when I was transferred to La Salle as Director in 1990. It was plain to see that he was a school-man through and through and was not slow to declare that it was in the classroom and in after-school activities that the real school life took place. He taught the public exam classes with distinction and while ensuring a tension-free classroom environment he would not take any nonsense.
And then there was the hiking. He simply loved it. He would like to hike every day of the week if sports training did not interfere. As it was, he managed 3 or 4 days a week and always looked for me to accompany him. The usual trail was to set out from the school and head for Lion Rock, an iconic Hong Kong mountain. We would then climb and, depending on time available, would reach as far as the shoulder or the head of the lion. Mark would always lead the way.
I can picture him now, his long legs striding out. We would often actually jog down the mountain, jumping from rock to rock. I always considered him to be like a mountain goat. I think the hiking had a therapeutic effect on him. He never seemed to think the day was right unless he had had a good hike. And after a good hike, he would enjoy a cigarette or two and a bottle of beer.
Sometimes we would visit our country house in the New Territories and stay overnight. On one famous occasion, four of us managed to climb 5 steep mountains in a row. Brother Mark was glowing that evening.
He retired from class teaching at the mandatory age of 65. In some ways he was a little lost without classes to teach but he continued to coach the discus boys after school and of course continued with his hiking.
Brother Mark never made any big show of religion. His was the traditional menu of daily Mass and regular spiritual exercises. He did not like any form of ostentation or triumphalism when it came to religion. He kept it simple, straight down the middle.
He was a good community man, partly because you knew he would be there. One of his hobbies during the day was doing crosswords. He would quiz us sometimes when a word or two was not coming to him. For some years, he and his blood-brother, Brother Lawrence, lived together in community. They were like the twin towers.”
If things were not to his liking he would generally tell it straight out, no beating about the bush. But usually he was of even temperament and entertained guests hospitably. He could be described as a school-man through and through. He was not slow to declare that it was in the classroom and in after-school activities that the real school life took place. He taught the public exam classes with distinction and while ensuring a tension-free classroom environment he would not take any nonsense. In Ipoh and Hong Kong the vast majority of his students would have been Chinese whom he described as “very easy to teach as they studied very hard so as to get good results and then good jobs”. Back in Kuching where he had taught English language and Bible Knowledge with much success at Fourth and Fifth form levels his classes would have been much more cosmopolitan, with students from different racial and religious backgrounds, including a sizable Muslim population. Mark was highly respected by all and earlier this week I received an email from over 20 of his former students, many of them Muslims, whom he taught over 30 years ago, expressing their sorrow of news of his declining health and promising prayers.
Mark was by nature a somewhat shy, private and unassuming person, who shunned the limelight and never aspired to position of authority. He had a very strong sense of justice and resented any form of favouritism and unfairness. He was very much a community man, would always be present for community gatherings, enjoyed a game of cards and a ‘night cap’. As Brother Patrick Tierney says “he never made a big show of religion. His was the traditional menu of daily Mass and community prayers, without any form of ostentation or exhibitionism”. His religion was never sectarian or exclusive and he had a deep respect for other beliefs and practices.
He always had a great love for his family, his country and his native place. He really looked forward to home leave and never tired of staying in his old home at Glenkeen, which became something of a monastery in the summer, with 3 nuns and 2 Brothers in residence, and their bachelor brother Jack ruling as the abbot from his armchair! Mark even had his own private residence. A former hen house was renovated and upgraded into a small but comfortable living quarters, complete with TV and basic modern amenities, and the title “Paddy’s Shack” proudly displayed over the door!
Declining health and the need for care caused Mark to return to Ireland in August 2008. The wheel of life had gone full circle. He was admitted to Miguel House Nursing Home here where he received excellent care throughout, but his mobility continued to deteriorate and he had difficulty adjusting to the cold, wet Irish climate. Increasingly he tended to withdraw into himself and become confined to his room. He had never been technically-minded, had no mobile phone or laptop and never drove a car. The nearest he came to independent transport was a small Honda scooter which he used in Kuching.
Despite failing health, his ready wit never deserted him. He used a wheelchair more as a walking stick or support. If anyone suggested wheeling him, he had witty replies such as: “I don’t like to be pushed around!” In his final weeks he became very weak, as his energy levels faded, until he passed away gently and peacefully on Wednesday morning, 5th August 2015, for Mark indeed a happy release and a welcome home.
His funeral Mass, concelebrated by eight priests, was on the 7th August and there was a large attendance. A nephew, Jimmy Blake, gave a short reflection in the form of a poem recitation entitled “Padraic O’Conaire, Gaelic Storyteller” which captured Brother Mark’s love of hiking, raconteurs and company generally. On the same day, a requiem Mass, organised by his past pupils, was also being celebrated for the repose of his soul at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, with his former student Bishop Simon Poh as celebrant.
