Vocal Voices

Four of my ex classmates are organising a school reunion in October. It isn't really my cup of tea but I have said that I will go along - I don't feel I can say no as a) it is being held in my village and b)one of the organisers is coming all the way from Jakata!!! If he can make it from there I'm sure I can manage to roll down the hill.

We have been busy compiling a list of people we were at school at and trying to get in touch with them. It is relatively easy with Facebook. But I have been shocked that at least 10 of them have passed on - we are only 45 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There were around 90 in the year.

I didn't go to mine, there were people who I wouldn't want to see again and I'd kept in touch with those who I wanted to.

That's a high number, how sad

I had a sudden rush of Facebook friend requests from people who I'd been at school with a few years ago. I found out why when I looked in the local paper the following week. Someone my age and with the same first name and my maiden name had died.

Jo, it looks as though you were "dead" popular. That's what you get for being the life and "soul" of the party.

Blimey that is a very high percentage Debih Hope it goes ok xxxx

Jo

debih wrote: If he can make it from there I'm sure I can manage to roll down the hill.

It's the stumbling back up the hill that could be quite entertaining sorry couldn't resist

debih wrote: We have been busy compiling a list of people we were at school at and trying to get in touch with them. It is relatively easy with Facebook. But I have been shocked that at least 10 of them have passed on - we are only 45 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There were around 90 in the year.

Same age as me Debih; and we were loads of girls in our school - in total about 1200 (our year alone about 200 or so) and I don't think we have had that many pass on; that is quite a scarily high number

But I bet it'll be such fun to catch up with some people. Our year had a reunion about 3 years back but it was in SA and I just couldn't afford the trip. I'd have loved to go though

I've resisted all temptation to join the Old Boys Association for my secondary school.
They do organise reunions and dinners at the school, but I know for a fact that they make strenuous efforts when you're there to tap you up for money!

I also know, from what I've seen online, that only a small proportion of my year group ever joined it, and those who did wouldn't necessarily be the ones I'd want to meet ...

There's only two pals from schooldays I'm in touch with now - the third of our "Gang of Four" passed away from cancer last year.

That is a lot Debih, how sad x
Hopefully there will be enough there that you will have a few to get on with

One of the drawbacks from moving away, even in the same country, is that you no longer have access to local info. It would be quite different if my mum was still around, but even when Dad was more with-it he wouldn't have known what/who I would be interested in from the local news

I suppose the one good thing about it being so close to home is that I can clear off home when I've had enough.

I don't mind going really - I'm just very worried that not only will I not recognise half these people but I still won't know who they are when they tell me!!!!

My oldest friend (have been friends with her since birth via our parents) is going (she is one of the organisers) and I still see her on a weekly basis so I will arrange to meet her and go with her. And I am friends with half a dozen or so of them on FB, and see a few of them around town now and again.

debih wrote:
I don't mind going really - I'm just very worried that not only will I not recognise half these people but I still won't know who they are when they tell me!!!!

Slightly off on a tangent but we were in Asda a while back, me and John, and he stopped to talk to this fella. They were talking about running so I gathered from the conversation that they were both members of the same running club when they were younger. I nodded and grinned in the right places, as you do.
When we walked away I asked him who it was.
It was a lad I was at secondary school with for 5 years and I even went out with him a few times after we'd left

Jo I'm like that

Bb is brilliant with faces, he will recognise people he last saw years ago, even if nowhere near home, in fact he did it just today while working.
My dad was always fine with faces but not names, so he'd stop and talk but could never introduce them to Mum or me

Back to the school thing, being a grammar school we all came from far and wide, I was one of few local ones, so it never was easy to stay in touch.