14 July 2013 Bastille Day Gathering (tap on the photos to see a bigger picture)
After our great get-together last year, a few of us thought it would be a good idea to have a catchup gathering. We chose Sunday July 14 which is also Bastille Day, the anniversary of the French Revolution. Those of us who did Modern History with John Martin in 1962 have very fond memories of his teaching and the many ways in which he reminded us of the significance of the revolution. Sadly, John Martin died in 2010. You can read obituaries of him at http://www.scotch.vic.edu.au/gscot/10maygs/83.htm and http://www.wendishheritage.org.au/publications/obituaries/john_stanley_martin.php. He had a wonderful career as a teacher and academic.
At the bottom of this page you will find a copy of the invitation John sent out to his 1962 Modern History class for an end-of-year gathering at his parents' home, complete with hand-drawn illustrations of the Bastille and guillotine! We were fortunate to have John Martin as an inspirational teacher, mentor and friend.
So a gathering was organised at the North Fitzroy Star on Sunday, 14 July. A leisurely lunch, time to relax and enjoy each other's company and raise a glass or two to the revolution, to Balwyn High School and to John Martin. A great day. The final roll call was:
Apologies were received from even more, most of whom were travelling in warmer climes:
Good food, good company, lots of fun. We toasted John Martin, the revolution and Balwyn High School, this latter a suggestion from Peter Thomas who realized we were perhaps remiss last October in not toasting our own school. So we did it properly, stood for the toast and, astonishingly, some even broke into an impromptu chorus of the school song: Constanter ac Fideliter! Amazing how it sticks in the memory!
Andy Blunden was a late apology but sent in a paper he wrote in 2008 on history in connection with Claude Levi-Strauss, Jean-Paul Sartre and the Algerian War c. 1961, which touches on the place of the French Revolution in our lives. The events discussed in the article happened in 1962, just when John Martin was teaching some of us about the French Revolution.
And most importantly, we all spent quite some time remembering the wonderful teaching style of John Martin, his humour, brilliance and the way he brought history to life and into our lives. He was also a good friend to many, including beyond Balwyn High.
At the bottom of this page you will find a copy of the invitation John sent out to his 1962 Modern History class for an end-of-year gathering at his parents' home, complete with hand-drawn illustrations of the Bastille and guillotine! We were fortunate to have John Martin as an inspirational teacher, mentor and friend.
So a gathering was organised at the North Fitzroy Star on Sunday, 14 July. A leisurely lunch, time to relax and enjoy each other's company and raise a glass or two to the revolution, to Balwyn High School and to John Martin. A great day. The final roll call was:
- Brian Stagoll
- Kath Semmel (McKay)
- Robyn Dalziel
- Geoff Camm
- Sylvia Garnham (Geddees)
- Helen Dewhurst (Rodda)
- Helen Miller
- Don Page
- Geoff Lambe
- Graham Little
- Doug Beattie
- Stuart Ashburner
- Ray Walker
- Marg Voutier (Wilson)
- Max Costello
- Dorothy Vietz
Apologies were received from even more, most of whom were travelling in warmer climes:
- Otto Rehak
- Pam Heath
- Peter Winford
- Peter Thomas
- David Slater
- Val Bennett
- Peter Barter
- Janet Geyer
- Mary Verginis
- Anne Hawker (Jubb)
- Peter Keller
- Bronwyn Mitchell (Mayne)
- Andy Blunden
- Gisela Olbrich
- Julie Asker (Marland)
- Sandra Young (McComb)
- Roger Schnagl
- Trevor Merton
- Yvonne Ronalds
- Bev Harrop (Ash)
- Michael Alston
- John Braddy
- John Sinclair
Good food, good company, lots of fun. We toasted John Martin, the revolution and Balwyn High School, this latter a suggestion from Peter Thomas who realized we were perhaps remiss last October in not toasting our own school. So we did it properly, stood for the toast and, astonishingly, some even broke into an impromptu chorus of the school song: Constanter ac Fideliter! Amazing how it sticks in the memory!
Andy Blunden was a late apology but sent in a paper he wrote in 2008 on history in connection with Claude Levi-Strauss, Jean-Paul Sartre and the Algerian War c. 1961, which touches on the place of the French Revolution in our lives. The events discussed in the article happened in 1962, just when John Martin was teaching some of us about the French Revolution.
And most importantly, we all spent quite some time remembering the wonderful teaching style of John Martin, his humour, brilliance and the way he brought history to life and into our lives. He was also a good friend to many, including beyond Balwyn High.
Hand-drawn invitation from John Martin to his 1962 Matriculation Modern HIstory class. It was a great party! The theme, of course, was the French Revolution.
