Thanks for the site link. I have been tardy in responding to your request for anecdotes, and I had meant to ask you if this was to be anecdotes from the reunion or from days at school?  I have added a few notes on the former, in any case.

Pete Sadler, John Price and I went for lunch at Jimmy's farm, and we met with Tanya there. It is a great location and the menu was very good. If we are thinking of it as a possible locale for a future lunch or whatever, I would give it my vote. Pete was on good form, which was great.

It is hard to believe that it is 50 years since I first stepped off the coach in front of Hall's House, back in 1963. Of course, the house has long gone, demolished with Johnson's after the roof of the latter caved in (or so I believe). This was no great loss, as those boarding houses were a bit of a blight on the beautiful estate.  Curiously, despite having lived there for seven years (formative years at that), I felt quite detached from the young boy that I had been in those days, and did not wallow in self-indulgent nostalgia. I remember almost every geographical detail of the grounds, even though the vast playing fields, lawns and terraces seem to have shrunk with age. The buildings are maybe a little shabbier than I recall, but then, with age everything gets a little more worn at the edges.

As a group of OBs we searched for evidence of the cluster of Nissen huts (and the 'decontam' hut) but were collectively unable to resurrect much more than a ghost of double Latin, maths and the sailing shed. Wasn't the tuck shop down there also?  I also looked in vain for the start of the Cresta Run (Ed: Is THIS the Cresta Run start??) , as I have memories of sustaining a number of painful bruises on its slippery descent.

For me, connecting with other OBs (mostly older than I) was the highlight of this, my first reunion. Exchanging memories of former pupils and staff engaged us all for hours, and regardless of our points of view in the halcyon schoolboy days we were remarkably consistent in our memories. Reconnecting with staff was great fun, and reminding them of their old nicknames and foibles added to the entertainment. They all seem to be much younger, relative to us, than they were then, but I suppose that it is a fact.

I thanks the organizing team for their efforts - Chris, Fred et al (apologies for omissions) - and am glad to have made the trip from Toronto for this event. I look forward to seeing more of my contemporaries at future reunions and plan to start recruiting a few starting right away.

Nisi Dominus Vanum (sadly about the only Latin that I retained, with apologies to Mr. Cromarty)

Ceri Howell

Dear Ceri

Good to hear from you. This is brilliant, as indeed were you during the weekend, and it was a mastercoup getting hold of Peter Sadler.

I much appreciated your hearty cheerfulness that accompanied all you brought to the reunion.

Too early just at the moment to think about future reunions, but in truth it needs a few newer and probably younger people to keep them going. Your comments about recruiting people from your generation are therefore double welcome. You missed the barge cruises, but the Masters are finding it increasingly difficult to get onto the barge and up and down into the hold where the buffet is. There may be other boat options with easier access, but we haven't explored them.

Well, perhaps we can think about next year in a couple of months or so, but while I personally would not like to go past a sell-by date (whatever that might be) the feedback seemed positive. Even Merlin - who is almost 90 - said he was looking forward to next year!

As for the latin, retaining a full three words from your entire 5 years latin teaching can't be bad, and is probably better than many have achieved!!

Thanks for the feedback, which I will incorporate into the site.

Good luck with your business and all the rest in the coming year, and thanks once again.

Best wishes

Chris SNUGGS