We met again at last
After nearly a year of planning, talking, sending emails, 65 of us finally met face to face on Saturday 27 October 2012. First stop was our old school, Balwyn High School. About 50 of us gathered at the front of the school - expectantly scanning each face as they wandered up - and it wasn't hard to find those same smiles, those eyes, the laughter that we remembered. Bit of grey hair, bit more or less weight and 50 years is nothing really! Name tags in large print, beautifully prepared by Sylvia Garnham (Geddes), were a great help!
School Tour
Thanks to current Principal Deborah Harman and her senior staff team: Karen Harris, David Nicholls and Andy Corr, we toured the school. A vastly different school to the one we went to between 1957 and 1962 - fabulous facilities. Music Centre, Art Centre, Sports Centre, Assembly Hall, state-of-the-art technology in every sector of the school - which is at least twice the size of when we were there, to cater for almost twice the number of students!
It is easy to see why Balwyn High has such a high reputation - world-wide. One of the top government schools in Australia in many ways. Very different to the humble beginnings we found in 1957!
It is easy to see why Balwyn High has such a high reputation - world-wide. One of the top government schools in Australia in many ways. Very different to the humble beginnings we found in 1957!
The tour of the old school
Left to Right: Graham Little, Kath Semmel (McKay), Geoff Lambe, John Braddy (behind him Warren Pill), Peter Barter, Anne Hawker (Jubb), Linda Barter, Jim Verginis, Noelle Gretgrix (Minifie), Robert McMullen, Mary Verginis, Lloyd Minifie, Alf Sumner, Helen Dewhurst (Rodda), Lindsay Cook, Jan Fleming (Toll), Betty Jensen (Fordyce-Burke), Ray Walker, John Willis, Danae Kandiliotis, Brian Stagoll, Robyn Dalziel, Pat Maw (Terdich), Ian Priestly, Val Brooks (Bennett), Peter Thomas, Sylvia Garnham (Geddes), Dorothy Fergusson (Slater), Andy Blunden, Caryl Voutier, David Slater, Pam Heath, Gisela Olbrich, Otto Rehak, Sue Jones (Foster), Deborah Harman, David Albiston, Kelvin Margetts (on tour but missing from photo, Greer Larsson (Allica)) (photo courtesy of Karen Harris, BHS)
BBQ dinner at Kew Golf Club
After the school tour, it was off to the Kew Golf Club for an informal get-together, bbq meal and lots of talk. More students joined us here, roughly 65 of us all up.
There was so much chatter and reminiscing that after an hour it was hard to hear the background music - all from our 'era' of 1957 to 1962: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chubby Checker, Everly Brothers, Frankie Laine, Johnny Cash, Pat Boone, The Chirelles, Ricky Nelson, Little Richard and many more. And lots of jazz. On the big screens we had a rolling display of school photos, provided by ex-students.
Then after the main meal and the formal welcomes and thank you addresses from Peter Thomas on behalf of us all, there was an 'open mike', hosted by Kath McKay and Brian Stagoll. This was to encourage any ex-students who wanted to share some of their memories and anecdotes. We all learned a great deal and, no doubt, our special guests, Principal Deborah Harman and her deputy, Karen Harris, learned even more! There was a great deal of laughter as former students 'fessed up' to their real opinions about the school and some of the antics of those days. Deborah has written an article on the reunion in the current Balwyn High School newsletter "The Lion" which can be accessed on the school's website at www.balwynhs.vic.edu.au As former students, you can register as an Alumni on the school's website and receive all future copies of the school newsletter by email.
There was so much chatter and reminiscing that after an hour it was hard to hear the background music - all from our 'era' of 1957 to 1962: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chubby Checker, Everly Brothers, Frankie Laine, Johnny Cash, Pat Boone, The Chirelles, Ricky Nelson, Little Richard and many more. And lots of jazz. On the big screens we had a rolling display of school photos, provided by ex-students.
Then after the main meal and the formal welcomes and thank you addresses from Peter Thomas on behalf of us all, there was an 'open mike', hosted by Kath McKay and Brian Stagoll. This was to encourage any ex-students who wanted to share some of their memories and anecdotes. We all learned a great deal and, no doubt, our special guests, Principal Deborah Harman and her deputy, Karen Harris, learned even more! There was a great deal of laughter as former students 'fessed up' to their real opinions about the school and some of the antics of those days. Deborah has written an article on the reunion in the current Balwyn High School newsletter "The Lion" which can be accessed on the school's website at www.balwynhs.vic.edu.au As former students, you can register as an Alumni on the school's website and receive all future copies of the school newsletter by email.
Feedback
From Anne Hawker (Jubb)
Good morning Kath
Wow! What do I say? What an absolutely fantastic afternoon and evening we all had on Saturday. As organisers of the much anticipated event, you (the organising mob) could but plan and arrange a get-together for us. It was then up to us to make it the enjoyable and worthwhile experience that you had hoped for in your planning.
The tour of the school, the perfect venue, the instant recognition of some, the peering at name tags to recognise others, the beautiful meal, the hysterical reminiscences of early life at BHS and the catching up on 50 years of post BHS life with some you knew well and some not so well known all made the day so, so enjoyable. I speak, as well, for my husband, Peter, who shared my enjoyment of the day even though he was not a past student of BHS.
It was lovely speaking with Mac Ronan after all of these years and it was evident that he shared the same pride as we did in the revamped school magazine "Buchanan". I was probably aware of it at the time, but Mac reminded me that Mr. Norman was most put out about the upgrading of the magazine as it had been his 'baby' until then. From some of the stories told, this might have been Mr. Norman's 'karma' eh?
I speak for everyone in thanking the 'organising mob' for your efforts in bringing us all together again in such a delightful and entertaining way. I am still recovering from the excitement of it all!!
Please pass this message on to everyone. If anyone is passing through East Gippsland and has a couple of hours to spare, please feel welcome in calling in at Seaspray to visit us.
Regards & best wishes
Anne Jubb (Hawker)
From Doug Beattie
Hi from a reflective Doug Beattie.
Congratulations to the organizing mob for a unique reunion.
Except for a few grey hairs and wrinkles, everybody looked the same as 50 years ago. The same body language, The same mannerisms. I had some deep chuckles at some of the stories............with 3%: The green apple eater
The 2 bricks in the the school bag .
Thanks Max Costelloe.
Our favorite river gum cruelly chopped down and a leaf from it saved !!!
Mac Ronan....always impeccably dressed, great English teacher who didn't like chalk dust on the ledge. It was wonderful to see him at the reunion.
Loved catching up with old friends.
Looking forward to further get togethers.
Cheers, Doug. :-)
John Braddy:
I certainly concur with the other comments. Congratulations to the organising mob for a dedicated effort that resulted in a great evening
.What a school we have left behind. If only I still lived in North Balwyn I could have saved a fortune in school fees and my kids would have had an outstanding education .
Hope to renew some old friendships in the coming months.
Thanks again it was a night worth remembering while I am still able to do so.
John Braddy
Andy Blunden:
Many thanks to the organising group for making the reunion happen. You did marvellously well. Even better than the 25th!
I apologise for slipping away before the dinner was served, but I had to get back to Vonney not too late.
It was really a joy to see you all and to rediscover so many kindred spirits.
A pity all our kids can't get access to such a school as BHS. We were lucky, eh?
Robyn Dalziel:
I'll second that. You did a great job and the whole event, school and dinner, went very smoothly. Everyone I was able to speak to was delighted they had been able to come and those I didn't get to talk to were so deep in memory-lane conversations I didn't like to interrupt. So well done Peter, Kath, Brian, Pam, Kelvin (and Marilyn) and Sylvia.
Hope to catch up with individuals and smaller groups long before we have another anniversary get-together
Robyn
David Slater:
Thanks Peter, and thanks to all the committee for their hard work organising such a great celebration day. Dorothy and I really enjoyed catching up with everyone.
We were blown away by the advances the school has made since our last visit in 2004.
If anyone is down Paynesville way we would love to see them.
Regards to all
David and Dorothy Slater
Peter and Linda Barter
Hi Kath, Peter and the organising gang,
Thank you for a wonderful and memorable night. I must confess to being a reunion skeptic, but I think you orchestrated the whole event so well that I'm a real convert !! Perhaps at 50 years we have all moved past the trumpet blowing stage which may have also helped. It was fantastic to reminisce with so many "old" friends.
The venue was perfect and Kath, I think the web site was great in creating interest and enthusiasm beforehand.
The school visit was excellent and restored may faith in public education as to what CAN be done. What a superb principal and ambassador.
Once again thank you all. I look forward to the 60th!!!
Best wishes
Peter & Linda
Phyl Coath
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for organising the reunion last Saturday. The vibe was amazing and the hours just flew by. I was quite surprised by my excited and emotional response to meeting everyone again and I really couldn't believe how easy it was to chat as if we'd been together only last week. Obviously the interactions were reasonably shallow but it's an experience I will be reflecting in for quite sometime. I loved that so many people still had the same style and mannerisms that they had when we were at school. Some things about us just never change despite the time.
Thank you for having the foresight and energy to bring together such an amazing experience for all who attended.
I hope I'll be able to catch up with some of you in Sydney!!
Phyl
Gisela Olbrich
Thank you all, for the wonderful opportunity of diving back into one's youth! What an adventure to suddenly see people one has not seen for 50 years! ... and what a transformation "our old school" has undergone!!!
I had a very interesting and enjoyable time. A big "Thank You!" to the organizing committee for a great job in making this happen, and at a time at which I could attend. You certainly put in a lot of hours and work.
All the best to each of you and your partners, as we continue along our different lives' paths..
Cheers!
Gis
Julie AskerDear organizing mob,
I just want to add my thank you to you all for the concept and immense work in the reunion evening. I was so happy that I was, in the end, able to get there and see everyone.
What became very clear was that, whatever the shortcomings of our school at that time, there was abundant warmth and affection among us, the students, for each other and that this has in no way been dissipated by the years.
Julie
Lindsay Cook
I thought it was a terrific afternoon and night. I’m very glad I made the effort to travel from Sydney to attend. I admit I had some reservations – would I recognise anyone, would anyone recognise me, would we have anything to say to each other after all this time. However we did mostly recognise each other, and we had plenty to say to each other.
The school was of course unrecognisable from our time, and unbelievable for the facilities it enjoys now. I can see why there is great pressure to get your child into the school – it is as well equipped as many public schools, at a fraction of the price, and none of the snobbery. I think they are very lucky to have Deborah Harman as Principal, as she seems particularly well suited to the task.
The biggest problem with the dinner was getting a chance to speak to all those I wanted to speak to. I missed saying more than g’day to quite a few, which was a great pity. As I tried to say on the night, the breadth of life experiences from those present and who provided some information on their life, was truly remarkable. I just wish those who have not written anything would do so.
Anyway I wanted to say to the organising mob that it was really really well done, and congratulations. You struck just the right note in each decision on the day and evening. Also congrats to you, Brian and Peter for handling the speaking part of the evening so well.
Thanks again.
All the best.
Lindsay Cook
Good morning Kath
Wow! What do I say? What an absolutely fantastic afternoon and evening we all had on Saturday. As organisers of the much anticipated event, you (the organising mob) could but plan and arrange a get-together for us. It was then up to us to make it the enjoyable and worthwhile experience that you had hoped for in your planning.
The tour of the school, the perfect venue, the instant recognition of some, the peering at name tags to recognise others, the beautiful meal, the hysterical reminiscences of early life at BHS and the catching up on 50 years of post BHS life with some you knew well and some not so well known all made the day so, so enjoyable. I speak, as well, for my husband, Peter, who shared my enjoyment of the day even though he was not a past student of BHS.
It was lovely speaking with Mac Ronan after all of these years and it was evident that he shared the same pride as we did in the revamped school magazine "Buchanan". I was probably aware of it at the time, but Mac reminded me that Mr. Norman was most put out about the upgrading of the magazine as it had been his 'baby' until then. From some of the stories told, this might have been Mr. Norman's 'karma' eh?
I speak for everyone in thanking the 'organising mob' for your efforts in bringing us all together again in such a delightful and entertaining way. I am still recovering from the excitement of it all!!
Please pass this message on to everyone. If anyone is passing through East Gippsland and has a couple of hours to spare, please feel welcome in calling in at Seaspray to visit us.
Regards & best wishes
Anne Jubb (Hawker)
From Doug Beattie
Hi from a reflective Doug Beattie.
Congratulations to the organizing mob for a unique reunion.
Except for a few grey hairs and wrinkles, everybody looked the same as 50 years ago. The same body language, The same mannerisms. I had some deep chuckles at some of the stories............with 3%: The green apple eater
The 2 bricks in the the school bag .
Thanks Max Costelloe.
Our favorite river gum cruelly chopped down and a leaf from it saved !!!
Mac Ronan....always impeccably dressed, great English teacher who didn't like chalk dust on the ledge. It was wonderful to see him at the reunion.
Loved catching up with old friends.
Looking forward to further get togethers.
Cheers, Doug. :-)
John Braddy:
I certainly concur with the other comments. Congratulations to the organising mob for a dedicated effort that resulted in a great evening
.What a school we have left behind. If only I still lived in North Balwyn I could have saved a fortune in school fees and my kids would have had an outstanding education .
Hope to renew some old friendships in the coming months.
Thanks again it was a night worth remembering while I am still able to do so.
John Braddy
Andy Blunden:
Many thanks to the organising group for making the reunion happen. You did marvellously well. Even better than the 25th!
I apologise for slipping away before the dinner was served, but I had to get back to Vonney not too late.
It was really a joy to see you all and to rediscover so many kindred spirits.
A pity all our kids can't get access to such a school as BHS. We were lucky, eh?
Robyn Dalziel:
I'll second that. You did a great job and the whole event, school and dinner, went very smoothly. Everyone I was able to speak to was delighted they had been able to come and those I didn't get to talk to were so deep in memory-lane conversations I didn't like to interrupt. So well done Peter, Kath, Brian, Pam, Kelvin (and Marilyn) and Sylvia.
Hope to catch up with individuals and smaller groups long before we have another anniversary get-together
Robyn
David Slater:
Thanks Peter, and thanks to all the committee for their hard work organising such a great celebration day. Dorothy and I really enjoyed catching up with everyone.
We were blown away by the advances the school has made since our last visit in 2004.
If anyone is down Paynesville way we would love to see them.
Regards to all
David and Dorothy Slater
Peter and Linda Barter
Hi Kath, Peter and the organising gang,
Thank you for a wonderful and memorable night. I must confess to being a reunion skeptic, but I think you orchestrated the whole event so well that I'm a real convert !! Perhaps at 50 years we have all moved past the trumpet blowing stage which may have also helped. It was fantastic to reminisce with so many "old" friends.
The venue was perfect and Kath, I think the web site was great in creating interest and enthusiasm beforehand.
The school visit was excellent and restored may faith in public education as to what CAN be done. What a superb principal and ambassador.
Once again thank you all. I look forward to the 60th!!!
Best wishes
Peter & Linda
Phyl Coath
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for organising the reunion last Saturday. The vibe was amazing and the hours just flew by. I was quite surprised by my excited and emotional response to meeting everyone again and I really couldn't believe how easy it was to chat as if we'd been together only last week. Obviously the interactions were reasonably shallow but it's an experience I will be reflecting in for quite sometime. I loved that so many people still had the same style and mannerisms that they had when we were at school. Some things about us just never change despite the time.
Thank you for having the foresight and energy to bring together such an amazing experience for all who attended.
I hope I'll be able to catch up with some of you in Sydney!!
Phyl
Gisela Olbrich
Thank you all, for the wonderful opportunity of diving back into one's youth! What an adventure to suddenly see people one has not seen for 50 years! ... and what a transformation "our old school" has undergone!!!
I had a very interesting and enjoyable time. A big "Thank You!" to the organizing committee for a great job in making this happen, and at a time at which I could attend. You certainly put in a lot of hours and work.
All the best to each of you and your partners, as we continue along our different lives' paths..
Cheers!
Gis
Julie AskerDear organizing mob,
I just want to add my thank you to you all for the concept and immense work in the reunion evening. I was so happy that I was, in the end, able to get there and see everyone.
What became very clear was that, whatever the shortcomings of our school at that time, there was abundant warmth and affection among us, the students, for each other and that this has in no way been dissipated by the years.
Julie
Lindsay Cook
I thought it was a terrific afternoon and night. I’m very glad I made the effort to travel from Sydney to attend. I admit I had some reservations – would I recognise anyone, would anyone recognise me, would we have anything to say to each other after all this time. However we did mostly recognise each other, and we had plenty to say to each other.
The school was of course unrecognisable from our time, and unbelievable for the facilities it enjoys now. I can see why there is great pressure to get your child into the school – it is as well equipped as many public schools, at a fraction of the price, and none of the snobbery. I think they are very lucky to have Deborah Harman as Principal, as she seems particularly well suited to the task.
The biggest problem with the dinner was getting a chance to speak to all those I wanted to speak to. I missed saying more than g’day to quite a few, which was a great pity. As I tried to say on the night, the breadth of life experiences from those present and who provided some information on their life, was truly remarkable. I just wish those who have not written anything would do so.
Anyway I wanted to say to the organising mob that it was really really well done, and congratulations. You struck just the right note in each decision on the day and evening. Also congrats to you, Brian and Peter for handling the speaking part of the evening so well.
Thanks again.
All the best.
Lindsay Cook
