Ian Nivet entered this world on 20th October 1929 and passed away on 27th March 2018, leaving behind a virtual ‘stadium’ of great memories.
He was among the first batch of Fatima students who started the College in 1945.
As a natural sportsman, Ian loved cycling, but was banned from cycling by his mother (Verna Heady Nivet, who owned and operated Vee’s Guest House and Tavern) as it left him with many broken body parts. Ian secretly purchased a second-hand bicycle with the brand name “Unity”, for $35.00, paying down $13.00, with a pay-off arrangement of 50-cents weekly. This was unknown to his mother. He lived at Abercromby Street at the time, but could not carry the bicycle home…so he left it at his friend’s home at Picton Street. He used to train in the Chaguaramas area, take the bike to his friend’s house, then run to his own home!
In 1947, St Mary’s College and Fatima held their Sports Meet jointly, as Fatima had not yet acquired their own Grounds at Mucurapo Road from the Port-of-Spain City Council. In that Meet, Ian won the ‘Throwing-the-Cricket-Ball’ Competition by two inches; placed second in the High and Long Jumps, third in the Sack & Three-legged Race. In cycling, he won the Half, One-mile and Two-mile events, and placed third in the Three-mile race!!
For his excellent performance, he was awarded the Victor Ludorum Trophy, beating C. Agostini by one point. The Fatima boys went wild and hoisted Ian on their shoulders, carrying him to the College yard, singing and beating bottles and drums. Because up to this time this was Fatima College’s finest hour, never having beaten St Mary’s College in any sporting discipline, Fatima’s then Principal Fr. Byrne granted a school-holiday in Nivet’s honour.
When Ian’s mother heard the news she could not believe it, and exclaimed: “How could this be? Ian doesn’t even own a bicycle!”
(Ian later recounted: “I sold every trophy I won and paid Mikey Fernandez from whom I had purchased the bicycle. Mikey wrote off the $11.10 which I had still owed him.”)
Ian was 17 years old at the time. As an adult years later, he went on to distinguish himself in riding and and perhaps most of all, coaching—Roger Gibbon and Leslie King, two of our country’s finest cyclists, were coached by Nivet.
Ian was the coach and manager of the T&T Cycle Team at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica which saw T&T win two Gold medals courtesy Roger Gibbon in the Sprint and Time-trial. He was also the manager and coach of the T&T Cycle Team at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
(Ian remained friends with his school-mate Roy Huggins, who is 89 years old; both having started at Fatima together, and sharing a close relationship up to the time of Ian’s death.)
Another fellow-first year Fatima student Robert Aguiton, now residing in Toronto, remembers Ian as team-mate to Robert (and Robert’s older brother Sydney, later to become Fatima’s first ordained priest, now deceased) on Fatima’s Cricket First Eleven. “Ian was a fine hard-hitting batsman, an excellent fieldsman, and a useful occasional bowler,” Robert recalls.
While Fatima College produced many great sportsmen, Ian Nivet was the first to bring glory to this young College ‘against all odds’.
Countless other friends remember Ian as a supremely entertaining raconteaur, the live-wire in ‘ole talk’ sessions at Queen’s Park Savannah bench limes, dramatizing his stories with actions and detailed memories.
Ian was finally laid to his much deserved rest and reward on Wednesday 4th April 2018 at the Lapeyrouse Cemetery.
May he rest in peace…and continue to ride in glory.
Keith Simpson
Ex-cycling coach Nivet’s positive spirit remembered – Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
