Remembering The R G I ~ Timeline ~October 24, 1998

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Year	Event	Remarks
1899	The earliest records of the Institute show that its origins may be traced to the founding of a club called the Portuguese Cricket Club in 1899.	This date is somewhat apocryphal when checked against other published accounts. Nairobi owes its foundation to the construction of the Railway. When the line reached the site where Nairobi now stands, on May 30th, 1899, it was no more than than a bare open plain, the grazing ground of giraffe and other wild game.
1901	In December 1901 their Honorary Secretary wrote to the Deputy General Manager of the Uganda Railway. Mr. F. Rawson, thanking him for the grant of a cricket ground and pavilion.	As the RGI was a semi-official branch of the Railway, a (European) railway official always served as its (generally figurehead) President. The member elected their own (more functional) Vice-President.
1904	In due course a pavilion was built which, in 1904, was extended to provide accommodation for a reading room and library. Afterwards a tennis court was added.	In her book Through Open Doors. A View of Asian Cultures in Kenya Cynthia Salvadori notes that "In 1904, 29 Goans Railway Goans formed a Portuguese Cricket Club."
1905	Club dissolved by Railway Administration due to dispute over the management of the club.Non-railway members objected to having been refused a share in the management of the club.	In 1905 the Indo-Portuguese Institute was formed. In 1906 the name was changed to the Goan Institute.
1908	In 1908, interest revived and petition despatched to the General Manager signed by 35 Goan employees, asking for a building and land to be provided for founding a new club.	Appeal was hotly challenged by the existing Goan Institute which contended "there is no room for two institutes among Goans in Nairobi".
1909	The Uganda Railway Goan Sports Club, founded, with a membership of 13. By 1911 the membership had reached 54. In that year, through their President, Mr. B. Eastwood, C.M.G., the members unsuccessfully asked the Railway to prov
1911	Membership reached 54.Through their President, Mr. B. Eastwood, C.M.G., members unsuccessfully asked the Railway to provide a two roomed pavilion.
1912	Acting General Manager of the Uganda Railway Mr. C. Sandiford, C.B., sanctioned a Rs 2,450 pavilion
1913	Club was the Uganda Railway Goan Institute. Fines fund provided Rs.250 for the building of a tennis court. Orchestra was formed.
1917	Membership had risen to 145.Orchestra active, holding practices three times a week. Library had 400 volumes. Club premises contained only one room and a store. Appeal for an extension was deferred because of war.
1922	Approval granted for an extension which was completed in October of that year and new furniture was ordered from Goa.
1923-24	Billiard table was purchased but could not be installed until 1924, when the building was again enlarged to provide the necessary space.
1926	Institute, now known as the Kenya and Uganda Railway Goan Institute, lost a large part of its sports ground as it was needed for the construction of the new headquarters offices..
1927	Membership totalled revenue from all sources was Sh. 20,329. The library had 750 books; a stage was installed in the hall; and the various sporting and social activities of the club were generally flourishing.
1929-1930	An approach was made by the Goan Institute to the Railway Goan Institute about the possibility of amalgamation. A further meeting was held in May 1930 but later in the year negotiations were broken off by mutual consent.
1931	Institute transferred to site in Juja Road as the land they had previously occupied had been taken over for railway development purposes.
1932	Worldwide economic depression had set in in earnest Institute not immune from its effects: membership falls by sixty-two members.
1935	Silver Jubilee of Institute's foundation. Although, in the words of the annual report, "the Committee were faced with dwindling finances: requirements all round were cut to the bone", the birthday of the Institute was celebrated in fine style.
1935	At the close of 1935 the Institute had 180 members, 72 of whom were railway employees, and 108 honorary members.
1937	A new set of regulations was drawn up and the and name of the Institute was changed to Railway Goan Institute.
1939	Membership was rising steadily. New books were bought and subscriptions were taken for a variety of newspapers and periodicals. Christmas was celebrated in fine style and at the fancy dress party. 105 children were given toys and boxes of sweets.
War years 1939 -1945	Institute continued to flourish. By 1941 membership totalled 210 Donations were made by the Institute from the proceeds of dances, etc., to such charities as the Kenya War Welfare Fund and the Red Cross.
1946	Playground facilities for the children of members, including seesaws, swings, installed.
1947	Institute lost 19 silver cups and trophies, and a quantity of sports equipment when it was raided by burglars. The cups were never recovered.
1948	Institute took general stock of its position. In a letter to the General Manager on the subject, the buildings were described as shabby and in need of renovation.
1949	Club's fortieth anniversary was attended by, among other guests, the Mayor and Mayoress of Nairobi (Sir Richard and Lady Woodley). Congratulatory messages were received from sister Institutes throughout East Africa.
1949	The head boy, Francis, retired, and in recognition of his long and faithful service he was given two months' pay and was presented with a purse containing Sh. 957/50 subscribed by the members.
1950	As a result of repeated requests over a number of years, a bar was installed. At the end of that year the membership of the Institute numbered 420.	Nairobi became a city in this year
1954	Three members,Mr. J. C. E. Gracias, Mr. J. F. L. Gracias, M.B.E., and Mr. P. C. D'Mello, who had taken an active part in the affairs of the Institute since its foundation were honoured by election to life membership.
1955	Improvements were effected to the club building, including the provision of a new room for the library, at a cost of Sh. 12,600/-. An important gift was set of chairs for the hall presented by Mr. B. Kakoobhai, a prominent merchant of Lourenco Marques.
1956	Fete was held in the Institute grounds which was organised jointly by the Railway Goan Institute, the Goan Institute, the Goan Gymkhana and the Kenya Goan Sports Association in aid of the Kenya Olympic Fund.
1957	In 1957 membership of the Institute rose to 472. On his retirement as General Manager of the East African Railways and Harbours, Sir Arthur Kirby was entertained by the Institute at a sundowner party.
1958	The outstanding event of the year was the hockey XI's victory in the M. R. D'Souza Gold Cup competition. They defeated the Goan Institute by 4 goals to nil. The team was captained by Mr. Alu Mendonca and was coached by Mr. A. D'Souza.
1959	Railway Goan Institute celebrates Golden Jubilee with a Gala Dance on July 4.
1967	Railway Goan Institute dissolved, and merged in the Railway Institute
Today	On the site of the Railway Goan Institute now stands the dormitory of the Pangani Girls School.

Remembering the R G I The Railway Goan Institute, Nairobi Kenya
Timeline 1899 ~ 1967
Source: Brochure of Golden Jubilee 1909 ~ 1959

Send Comments to JJD'S of GOACOM
Year Event Remarks

1899 The earliest records of the Institute show that its origins may be traced to the founding of a club called the Portuguese Cricket Club in 1899. This date is somewhat apocryphal when checked against other published accounts.
Nairobi owes its foundation to the construction of the Railway. When the line reached the site where Nairobi now stands, on May 30th, 1899, it was no more than than a bare open plain, the grazing ground of giraffe and other wild game.

1901 In December 1901 their Honorary Secretary wrote to the Deputy General Manager of the Uganda Railway. Mr. F. Rawson, thanking him for the grant of a cricket ground and pavilion. As the RGI was a semi-official branch of the Railway, a (European) railway official always served as its (generally figurehead) President. The member elected their own (more functional) Vice-President.

1904 In due course a pavilion was built which, in 1904, was extended to provide accommodation for a reading room and library. Afterwards a tennis court was added. In her book Through Open Doors. A View of Asian Cultures in Kenya Cynthia Salvadori notes that "In 1904, 29 Goans Railway Goans formed a Portuguese Cricket Club."

1905 Club dissolved by Railway Administration due to dispute over the management of the club.Non-railway members objected to having been refused a share in the management of the club. In 1905 the Indo-Portuguese Institute was formed. In 1906 the name was changed to the Goan Institute.

1908 In 1908, interest revived and petition despatched to the General Manager signed by 35 Goan employees, asking for a building and land to be provided for founding a new club. Appeal was hotly challenged by the existing Goan Institute which contended "there is no room for two institutes among Goans in Nairobi".

1909 The Uganda Railway Goan Sports Club, founded, with a membership of 13. By 1911 the membership had reached 54. In that year, through their President, Mr. B. Eastwood, C.M.G., the members unsuccessfully asked the Railway to prov

1911 Membership reached 54.Through their President, Mr. B. Eastwood, C.M.G., members unsuccessfully asked the Railway to provide a two roomed pavilion.

1912 Acting General Manager of the Uganda Railway Mr. C. Sandiford, C.B., sanctioned a Rs 2,450 pavilion

1913 Club was the Uganda Railway Goan Institute. Fines fund provided Rs.250 for the building of a tennis court. Orchestra was formed.

1917 Membership had risen to 145.Orchestra active, holding practices three times a week. Library had 400 volumes. Club premises contained only one room and a store. Appeal for an extension was deferred because of war.

1922 Approval granted for an extension which was completed in October of that year and new furniture was ordered from Goa.

1923-24 Billiard table was purchased but could not be installed until 1924, when the building was again enlarged to provide the necessary space.

1926 Institute, now known as the Kenya and Uganda Railway Goan Institute, lost a large part of its sports ground as it was needed for the construction of the new headquarters offices..

1927 Membership totalled revenue from all sources was Sh. 20,329. The library had 750 books; a stage was installed in the hall; and the various sporting and social activities of the club were generally flourishing.

1929-1930 An approach was made by the Goan Institute to the Railway Goan Institute about the possibility of amalgamation. A further meeting was held in May 1930 but later in the year negotiations were broken off by mutual consent.

1931 Institute transferred to site in Juja Road as the land they had previously occupied had been taken over for railway development purposes.

1932 Worldwide economic depression had set in in earnest Institute not immune from its effects: membership falls by sixty-two members.

1935 Silver Jubilee of Institute's foundation. Although, in the words of the annual report, "the Committee were faced with dwindling finances: requirements all round were cut to the bone", the birthday of the Institute was celebrated in fine style.

1935 At the close of 1935 the Institute had 180 members, 72 of whom were railway employees, and 108 honorary members.

1937 A new set of regulations was drawn up and the and name of the Institute was changed to Railway Goan Institute.

1939 Membership was rising steadily. New books were bought and subscriptions were taken for a variety of newspapers and periodicals. Christmas was celebrated in fine style and at the fancy dress party. 105 children were given toys and boxes of sweets.

War years 1939 -1945 Institute continued to flourish. By 1941 membership totalled 210 Donations were made by the Institute from the proceeds of dances, etc., to such charities as the Kenya War Welfare Fund and the Red Cross.

1946 Playground facilities for the children of members, including seesaws, swings, installed.

1947 Institute lost 19 silver cups and trophies, and a quantity of sports equipment when it was raided by burglars. The cups were never recovered.

1948 Institute took general stock of its position. In a letter to the General Manager on the subject, the buildings were described as shabby and in need of renovation.

1949 Club's fortieth anniversary was attended by, among other guests, the Mayor and Mayoress of Nairobi (Sir Richard and Lady Woodley). Congratulatory messages were received from sister Institutes throughout East Africa.

1949 The head boy, Francis, retired, and in recognition of his long and faithful service he was given two months' pay and was presented with a purse containing Sh. 957/50 subscribed by the members.

1950 As a result of repeated requests over a number of years, a bar was installed. At the end of that year the membership of the Institute numbered 420. Nairobi became a city in this year

1954 Three members,Mr. J. C. E. Gracias, Mr. J. F. L. Gracias, M.B.E., and Mr. P. C. D'Mello, who had taken an active part in the affairs of the Institute since its foundation were honoured by election to life membership.

1955 Improvements were effected to the club building, including the provision of a new room for the library, at a cost of Sh. 12,600/-. An important gift was set of chairs for the hall presented by Mr. B. Kakoobhai, a prominent merchant of Lourenco Marques.

1956 Fete was held in the Institute grounds which was organised jointly by the Railway Goan Institute, the Goan Institute, the Goan Gymkhana and the Kenya Goan Sports Association in aid of the Kenya Olympic Fund.

1957 In 1957 membership of the Institute rose to 472. On his retirement as General Manager of the East African Railways and Harbours, Sir Arthur Kirby was entertained by the Institute at a sundowner party.

1958 The outstanding event of the year was the hockey XI's victory in the M. R. D'Souza Gold Cup competition. They defeated the Goan Institute by 4 goals to nil. The team was captained by Mr. Alu Mendonca and was coached by Mr. A. D'Souza.

1959 Railway Goan Institute celebrates Golden Jubilee with a Gala Dance on July 4.

1967 Railway Goan Institute dissolved, and merged in the Railway Institute

Today On the site of the Railway Goan Institute now stands the dormitory of the Pangani Girls School.

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