NAPARIMA COLLEGE
FOREVER

Grant School
~ first of seventy-three


Office of P. Sr. Bernard Esq.
Les Efforts
Dec 19th 1870

At which time and place a meeting was held to arrange if possible for the establishment of a School for Coolie Children assisted by the Government. Present P. Sr. Bernard C.U. Dick, Dr Johnstone, A. P. Maryatt Esquires & Revs. K.J. Grant & John Morton Coolie Missionaries.

It was agreed that the gentlemen present form a Board of Managers for such a school, said Board to consist of members with power in event of death or retirement to fill up vacancies....







Voyage to Trinidad
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth James Grant in the field
Main NC-Forever Page 		John Morton's first visit to Trinidad was in 1864. In 1868, he returned to begin his work at Mission Village (later to be called Princes Town).

In 1870, Dr Morton was joined by his missionary colleague and friend, Kenneth Grant; and a month after the latter's arrival, Dr. Morton arranged a meeting at Les Efforts (then a plantation) to establish the first of 73 elementary schools of the Canadian Mission. This first school was to become Grant School on Coffee Street in San Fernando, a flagship school for the mission, from 1870 up to the present day.

At the time much of San Fernando south and east of the Hill was under sugar-cane, and the location of Grant School was not remote from the plantations. "Coolie" did not have a negative connotation. It was the standard English word to denote "indentured labourer"

At left are a part of Dr. Morton's minutes of this historic meeting, more or less hastily recorded in his own handwriting in what is called a "scribbler" in Canada, a "copy-book" in Trinidad , an "exercise book" in the UK.

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