Originally published in The Gateway Issue No. 18 (October 2009)
Roland Perrier was born on the 8th November 1916 and baptized the day after. His place of birth was Moose Creek, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His parents were good practicing Catholics of French-Canadian stock and he was very attached to them. Later in life, he never failed to visit his family when the occasion arose.
After normal primary and secondary schooling, he went to work, mainly in clerical posts. Up to then he had never come in contact with the De La Salle Brothers but when he did he had what he described as a “conversion”. “God called me and I answered”, he said simply. This virtue of straightforwardness would remain with him all his life.
He made his Novitiate at Montreal in 1937. He would have been older and more mature than most of his fellow novices but that did not deter him. There followed the studies in the Scholasticate in 1938. One of his mentors at the time said of him: “He was always serious in purpose; it was one of his characteristics”. From 1939 to 1947 he was sent to teach in primary schools in Ottawa. When asked what subjects he taught at that time he replied, “I taught nearly everything”. One subject, however, gave him a distinct advantage. He was accomplished in instrumental music and was able to teach and lead school choirs.
Little did he realize that he was been ‘targeted’ by the superiors for a much wider mission, far from home. In 1947 he was asked to become part of a new Lasallian opening in China, this time in Beijing. In his customary straightforward fashion Brother Gilbert said yes. And so it was that on the 16th November 1947, together with three other Brothers, he arrived in Beijing. The Brothers had bought a house of studies there, called Benildus House. The new residents had a twofold aim: to study the Chinese language and to prepare for a Lasallian school mission in Beijing. Brother Gilbert was diligent in the study of the Chinese language.
All went smoothly at first and one photo shows the Brothers playing in the snow. One of Brother Gilbert’s companions at the time remarked that he “was very diligent in the study of Chinese language”. The honeymoon did not last long as China began to slide rapidly into chaos and social unrest. The communists were soon sweeping all before them and it was clear that they had set their sights on capturing Beijing. All missionaries were in danger and advised to leave and many who were able to move out did so. The Brothers were caught up in the general political and social unrest and reluctantly made preparations to flee. Six of them and one postulant made it to Hong Kong arriving on the 27th December 1948.
A statement signed by the six Brothers soon after arriving in Hong Kong shows how reluctantly they made this enforced move and their fond hope of returning. The statement reads as follows:
“Providence has actually brought us to a place where we can perfect our knowledge of English, as well as Chinese, as we still hope to return to China one day as the Lord may determine in his hidden designs. Even as we rejoice in our security in Hong Kong, we do not forget China where the Church is undergoing a terrible trial”.
Brother Gilbert, now at the age of thirty-two, was assigned to St Joseph’s College and there he was to remain until his untimely death in 1977, almost 30 years of service. Over twenty of these years were spent teaching English, Religion, Music and French in the College before he was appointed Headmaster of St Joseph’s Primary School in 1971.
At first glance he seemed to be very serious and, in the good sense of the word, he was. His students, however, quickly broke through to the real man, kindly and caring. After class he would often be seen festooned by boys, laughing and joking. These were students he was preparing for public examinations. He managed to create a relaxed but productive atmosphere in class and there were no complaints. He took a deep interest in his pupils and in their studies and had a great influence over them. Later, many of them mentioned his evenness of temper and kindly disposition, an ideal temperament for teaching.
He possessed an extraordinary capacity for work. Besides full time teaching and extra mural lessons in Chinese at the University of Hong Kong, he directed the choir, played the organ, ran the Music Centre, took Catechism class to prepare boys for baptism, was spiritual director of the Legion of Mary and coordinated preparations for liturgical functions. There was more.
Music was a passion. At the time, it was not a strong element in school life and soon Brother Gilbert became the face of music in the school. He trained choirs and entered them in competitions. Every Christmas Eve he would gather a group of boys to sing Christmas Carols in various hospitals. He even brought them into a high security mental hospital where they received a wonderful ovation.
The Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association plays a prominent role in the cultural life of the territory. In 1949, soon after his arrival in Hong Kong, Brother Gilbert was appointed its Vice-President and Honorary Treasurer, positions he held to his death. The Association had been founded pre war and one of the founders was Brother Cassian. Since then it has expanded tremendously and schools of any standing in the territory participate in either the speech or music events or in both. This entails catering to thousands of entries for varied competitions in instrumental music, bands, choirs, prose and poetry readings, choral speaking and so on, truly a Herculean task. The following, in part, appeared in the South China Morning Post newspaper on the eve of Brother Gilbert’s funeral:
“Brother Gilbert was well known to generations of students and music-lovers in Hong Kong and was associated with the Festivals and the Association from very early days. His contribution to the work of the Association was beyond measure, and he will be missed by all who knew and worked with him”.
As if all this activity was not enough, he became involved with Church matters as an active participant in the Diocesan Convention of 1969-71. He was also a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. He believed in keeping up to date with Church developments and was an avid reader of spiritual books. All this active involvement in school and church affairs involved attending numerous meetings. He never complained about this.
In his community of Brothers, he was not much of a man for small talk or gossip. He would, however, come to life if you brought up some of his favourite topics such as classical music, prayer or liturgy and on these he could discourse forever. He would also take great delight in telling an anecdote. The Brothers appreciated his solid presence, patience and faithful performance of his spiritual and educational duties. With Brother Gilbert, what you saw was what you got. One Brother had these memories:
“I first came to know Brother Gilbert almost seven years ago and during that time I cannot recall sharp words being exchanged between us, even once.
For four years I slept in the room next to him and I never needed an alarm clock as I could always be sure of hearing him at his ‘ablutions’ at 5.30a.m.
He was a man of solid piety, but there was nothing showy or sentimental in the way he led us in the religious exercises”.
St Joseph’s Primary School had existed from the early days but only at Primary 5 and 6 levels. A fully-fledged feeder Primary was established in 1968 consisting of 8 streams per level in two sessions, a large school indeed by any standards. In 1971 the Headmaster, Brother Lawrence Kelly, was reaching retirement. Brother Gilbert was selected for the task and it became his labour of love until his death. No doubt it brought him back in memory to his youthful teaching days in Ottawa.
The school could not have asked for a better Headmaster. Brother Gilbert set to with a will and the school became one of the leading and most sought after in the territory. His enlightened and sensible leadership and avuncular style appealed to staff, students and parents. His encouragement of all round development was particularly welcomed and the school turned out many who were to become notable personages. The Headmaster of the afternoon school and successor to Brother Gilbert, Mr. Y.C.Yung, had this to say:
“I was deeply impressed by his genuine love for children, his constant striving for improvement, his wisdom, his kindness and his humility. What else could we expect from an educationalist?” He introduced one little custom much appreciated by the staff. He would never forget their birthdays, offering them a birthday card and a little gift on the day. He could see things from macro and micro perspectives.
Prayer was the mainstay of his life. Daily meditation, recitation of the divine office, Mass and the rosary were prayed with attention and devotion. He served the Community by making and printing little prayer leaflets containing the references to the prayer of each day. He knew that vocations to the Institute were built on prayer. In a word, prayer was a serious matter, to be taken seriously.
Another subject he took seriously was music. If you stopped by his room for a chat he would, as often as not, be listening to music—classical music. He could sit and listen for hours. The great composers were his diet and he had a soft spot for Bach. The Thanksgiving Mass in the Cathedral in 1975, to mark the centenary of the arrival of the Brothers in Hong Kong, gave scope for some of Brother Gilberts’ liturgical and musical talents. He was in charge of the liturgical and musical proceedings and even of the reception after the Mass. The Choir of St Joseph’s Primary School sang the Mass of St Francis beautifully and Brother Gilbert sang the solo parts.
Brother Gilbert had suffered from a heart condition for some time. He had regular check-ups, however, and his general health gave no cause for alarm. On the 29th August 1977 he arrived back from home leave and complained of pain in the shoulders. The following morning he went back to work in the Primary school but saw his doctor that afternoon and got medication. The pains did not go away and he was persuaded to see the doctor again on Friday 2nd September and again got the all clear. That evening he did not seem unduly perturbed and retired to bed at his usual time.
The following day, Saturday 3rd, he had scheduled a staff meeting in the Primary school, located about two miles from the College. When he did not show up on time the College and Brothers were contacted. Fearing the worst, Brothers Patrick Tierney and Thomas Favier, accompanied by the school clerk John Chan, opened Brother Gilbert’s room door. They discovered him dead in bed. He had died during the night or morning of a massive stroke. His sudden passing came as a great shock to all.
Besides the Brothers, the first visitors to arrive were staff from St Joseph’s Primary School. Funeral arrangements were set in motion. The funeral Mass was celebrated in St Joseph’s Church on the 6th September followed by burial at St Michael’s Cemetery, Happy Valley.
The last word can go to Brother Gilbert himself. When asked in an interview if he had found fulfillment in his life as a Brother, he replied: “I have what I need. I have joy, the consolation that things have turned out well. I have the consolation that I have done the best I can, and the boys have done as well as they can”. Brother Gilbert certainly always gave of his best and he wanted his students to do the same.
