Marist Old Boys

HISTORY OF THE MARIST BROTHERS (fms)

BROTHER ALPHONSUS PHILSON (1865 - 1956) | BROTHER AUGUSTINE HARTSHORN (1880-1970) | BROTHER LAMBERT DELAHANTY (1903-1985) |
BROTHER PETER KIELY (1904-1982) | BROTHER VICTOR MONTAGUE (1913-2002) | BROTHER BERTRAND HODGINS (1913-2003) |
BROTHER CLARENT GLYNN | BROTHER THEOPHANE BRAILEY (1915-1999) | BROTHER JOHN BLEWMAN | BROTHER BRIAN KNOWLES |
BROTHER PLACID PRESTON (1929-1998) | BROTHER EUGENE FLAHERTY (1931-1993) | BROTHER (GILBERT) SAMUEL EATHORNE |
BROTHER FERGUS GARRETT | BROTHER CLEMENT McGOUGAN (1934-1996) | BROTHER MAJELLA SHERRY (1936-2002) | BROTHER PAUL LAVELLE | BROTHER HILARION COWAN | BROTHER JOSEVA WARA | BROTHER CORNELIS (KEES) VAN DER WEERT | BROTHER PAULO GUIBRETEAU

BROTHER CORNELIS (KEES) VAN DER WEERT

Cornelis van der Weert was one of the few "immigrant" Brothers of recent times. He was born in Holland in 1951, and his family brought him to Invercargill in 1958. He has always been known by his familiar name Kees, adapted by some Fijian students to "Kiss".

He followed the new Postulancy program at Naenae in 1971, and went on to the Claremont Novitiate in 1972. After a short period of teacher training, his classroom ministry commenced at Sacred Heart College, Auckland and continued until 1977.

Kees arrived in Fiji in March 1978 to begin work at Marist Brothers Vatuwaqa. His sharp mind helped him to quickly acquired the basics of the Fijian language, which prepared him for the move to the very remote rural scene of Napuka Junior Secondary School in 1980.

Shortly afterwards, in 1981, he was called to the "Not so young - Not so old" Marist course in Auckland. Back at Vatuwaqa his enthusiasm and general teaching ability impressed everyone and after completing three years there he took on the task of head teacher at Marist Brothers Primary School, Suva Street. His innovative approach brought new life to that school and inspired a good Champagnat spirit there. He developed the "camps" for Class 7 students, giving the stay-at-home Suva boys a chance to be in the bush over night in tents and learn some of the skills of orienteering. This experience led him to initiate the holiday camps for the deprived children of the Raiwaqa housing estates. The young Brothers formed the nucleus of his team and the young Nazareth Sisters took care of the girls. He also led his students in the annual Olympic Fun Run and the Suva St and Vatuwaqa teams took home many prizes.

In 1989 he was back in Vatuwaqa at the newly named Marcellin Primary School, but took time off in the third term to attend the Marist Family Renewal Course in Auckland. He then returned to Suva Street for part of the following year to enable the newly appointed head teacher, Maria Waqailiti, to attend a Marist leadership course at Marcellin Hall in Auckland.

The Brothers showed their confidence in Kees when he was elected District Superior in 1995, a post he held for six years, until the District was abolished in 2001. He was also a member of the Brothers Education Board from the beginning (1988). As computers became more common, Kees showed his skills there, too, and became a whiz at the keyboard with all kinds of shortcuts and macros. During his time as District Bursar for Fiji he negotiated the leases of Marcellin Centre (1999), Gabirieli House (1993-) and Suva St (2003-5)

Meanwhile he was a member of the post-novitiate community in Champagnat House, Vatuwaqa, until 1997, when he moved to the Postulancy, Gabirieli House.
In 1999 he was off to Italy for a five months spiritual renewal course and spent the second half of the year at Marist Suva Street, before returning to Vatuwaqa as a founding staff member of the new millennium project of the Brothers, Champagnat Institute. He is currently in Samoa (2004).