The 60-year reunion of our CBC Class of 1964, proved to be a very genuine coming together of the boys with clebrations spanning the entire weekend. While the organising committee went to trememndous efforts in the year leading up to the event, the results saw the group come together so effortlessly, and instantly reconnecting. The immediacy that the boys felt at ease in each other's company was wonderful to see.
Activities throughout the weekend brought together familiar faces where they recalled their school-yard memories, while creating some fantastic new ones to hold onto. With casual drinks on Friday night, the campus tour and dinner on Saturday, and culminating with Mass on Sunday, the reunion was a blend of laughter, nostalgia, and reconnection.
The weekend began with informal drinks on Friday at the Cally Hotel, which quickly evolved into an impromptu sticking around for dinner. The familiar faces brought on stories and conversation.
Saturday was the centerpiece of the reunion, beginning with a tour of the campus. Wandering the grounds, the boys discovered that many buildings had been put in place since 1964. However the White House, the "new" school, and the handball courts remained highly recognisable, and fostered the sharing of many stories and debate of numbers of students in classes and where doors had moved to. School yard games like "Last to the Wall" and Marbles resurfaced, reminding the boys of the grazed knees, fierce competitions, and the fun and freedom of youth.
These ice-breaker events fostered a significant increase in the expected turnout for dinner on Saturday night! Here the stories rolled on, and the sense of shared history grew stronger.
Sunday morning brought the reunion to a reflective close with Mass, a moment to honour the past, remember absent friends, and express gratitude for the lifelong connections that began at CBC.
By all accounts, the weekend saw the enduring spirit and friendships of the Class of 1964 flying high. It seems that every moment was truly a celebration of the community built all those years ago.
