posted Dec 29th 2004

Well - I hope everyone had a great Christmas. The reunion was a fantastic event and everyone seemed to have a great time. CDs will be sent out to those who attended and anyone else who wishes to order one once I have gotten pictures from people who attended, photos from those who didn't (and hadn't sent one in) and made it all easy to use.

Have a safe and enjoyable New Year's and please note that the reunion email address has changed and that the bigpond version of the website will be going away mid Jan (or at least not updated from then).

The new email address is uhs1984reunion(at)gmail(dot)com. I've written it this way so that I can cut down on the amount of spam that comes through. The bigpond address was getting more spam mail than reunion-related emails for most of the time it was active (except for when newsletters were sent out).

Plus, if you have photos of the evening or couldn't attend and want to send through a current photo for inclusion on the CD then you can send it to the new address. It has 1 GB of storage space so it shouldn't fill up anytime soon. Also send through any comments about the reunion if you have them.

It's been a blast doing this and while I plan to get back to having a life again, we can continue to use this website to announce any news you want to share, people you want to get in contact with or gatherings you want others to know about.

Pete

posted Dec 14th 2004

The last newsletter is being emailed out today, but if it gets blocked, or you only have web access where you are, or don't want to wait, then you can download it.

Pete

posted Dec 12th 2004

Updated details and reunion etiquette rules (at the bottom) on the details page.

Pete

posted Dec 9th 2004

Thanks Liz Boggiano for getting a picture of the prefects scanned in. It's on the Images page - click on it for a larger version with the names at the bottom.

Plus - lots of you still haven't RSVPd yet. We are going to try and telephone you but to save our phone bills can you please get your RSVPs and payments in ASAP.

Thanks to those of you who have done the right thing and either posted, emailed, telephoned or personally told Belinda or myself that you are coming, and have paid, or have told us that you aren't and have sent us a photo and message for display.

Pete

posted Dec 7th 2004

We aren't the only ones having a 20 year reunion. For those not in Melbourne here is a story from The Age's website. - thanks Mark Harrison for sending it to me.
nb. if it doesn't open without asking for registration try this instead. Not as pretty, but you can read it.

Pete

posted Dec 5th 2004

First - thanks to those of you who have been helping Belinda track down those who we haven't contacted yet - or who had moved. We want to give as many people as possible the chance to attend.

Please check with those from school you are in contact with to make sure they know about the reunion.
This isn't something that is going to happen again, at least not for a long while.

And for the very few (and I can count you on one hand showing a rude sign) who have not been passing on information, and deliberately providing excuses for why people who don't know about the reunion wouldn't come anyway - shame! - plus you're wrong.

Second - there has been some confusion about the food.
This is not a sit-down dinner, it's buffet style, so you aren't forced to sit next to someone you don't know or don't like, and can pick and choose what you want to eat.
There will be chairs (and tables) though, so you don't have to balance a plate on your hand.

Third - Staff christmas functions, family gatherings, and drinks with clients are all happening at this time, but if they are memorable it is normally for the wrong reasons.
There will be more of them next year, but not another 20 year reunion.

Please try and come, even if only for a short while. And if you think you are too late to RSVP, provided you let us know as soon as possible, we'll still get you in.

Pete

posted Dec 1st 2004

OK, let's dig through the cupboards and drag out the stuff you thought you had forgotten.

We aren't limiting ourselves to matric photos. If you have class photos of other years, or any other piccies of people from back then, we'd like to display them on the night and include them on the CD (with permission of course).

Plus, if you have any other memorabilia from the 80s we want to display it on the night, so if you are able to let us borrow it for the evening it would be great.

Pete

posted Nov 29th 2004

The third newsletter is being emailed out today, but if it gets blocked, or you only have web access where you are, or don't want to wait, then you can download it.

Pete

posted Nov 26th 2004

Invites have been sent out, and if you haven't received yours by Monday (29th), please let Belinda know.

We really would appreciate prompt replies (and payment) as the bills are starting to come in and we want to make sure that everything is not delayed to a rush at the last minute.

And some of you have had reservations about whether to come or not: so here is my top 10 reasons not to come to the reunion (plus rebuttals)

• 10: I won't know anyone there.

Oh, puhlease. I had less social interaction during high school than 95% of you and I'll still know more than enough people to keep me busy catching up the entire evening.


• 9: It costs too much.

And would you seriously come if it was cheaper? We have kept the cost down to the bare minimum to cover expenses, and the memories, stories and contacts you will be able to make are priceless. Sponsorships are helping to keep the cost down too. Ask a family member to buy you a ticket as an early Christmas present if you really want. It certainly beats jocks and socks, or a box of choccies.


• 8: I don't have a partner / my partner doesn't want to come

It isn't a dance. We've invited partners so that they can ask your old friends about all the rotten things you got up to in high school - you know - the things you didn't want them to know. Seriously though - there will be more than enough people without partners, for whatever reason, that no one will care about the absence of yours (except perhaps you).


• 7: I'm a vegetarian, or have special dietary requirements

Let us know. We are already making sure that there is more than lettuce available for vegetarians, and as long as we know what you need to eat - or avoid eating, we can cater for it (within reason - no Bollinger champagne or Beluga caviar - see 9: above).


• 6: I've got a baby.

And so do quite a few others. We're making sure that there are some areas set aside for breastfeeding, changing and sleeping babies. And we won't charge you extra for bringing them either.


• 5: I already keep in contact with all the people from High School that I want to.

And you are probably one of the people who has been causing Belinda grief when trying to track down your colleagues, then finding out you had their details all along. Aren't you at least a little curious about others you went to school with, and how much you've really forgotten about those days? It is one evening out of your life, you get fed, get to relive a significant time in your life, and perhaps catch up with folk that you'd forgotten about.


• 4: I don't want to relive my school days, I had a terrible time

Hey - we all had our downtimes at school, but there were a lot of good times as well, and we've all moved on from then. Regardless of what we remember, it was a time of major influence on our lives. Maybe you'll find some good memories that you'd forgotten about, maybe you'll get a sense of closure, or maybe it will be a bit cathartic. At least come with an open mind. It's cheaper than a visit to a shrink.


• 3: If X is going, I'm not! I never want to see them again.

With a conservative estimate of more than 200 people coming there will be plenty of space to avoid those you want to avoid. I think you'll find that the difficult part will be catching up with all the people you want to catch up with instead.


• 2: I'd be embarrassed for people to see how I look now.

It's been 20 years folks! We're all older, some with a lot more weight, some with a lot less hair (or more grey), some with wrinkles, bad breath, or whatever. It's not a beauty pagent, nor a dating service. I'm not going for people to say how fantastic I look (and would know they are lying if they did). People will want to see you because they knew you in high school. It is your recollections and willingness to share stories that is important, not how well you have aged.

and finally

• 1: um, maybe I'll wait for the next one.

and you are going to organise it? It's been 20 years, and goodness knows when or even if there will be another one. 50 years? - many folk might have died by then, or not be in a position financially or health-wise to come. It will be harder to recognise folks without squinting at name tags, and that much harder to remember what you got up to in high school. More people might have moved away from Adelaide (and yes we have people flying in from the other side of the world for this reunion), and it will be that much harder to track down people who have changed addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, names.
We've (especially Belinda) tried really hard to track down and get in contact with as many people as possible. We haven't been completely successful, but at least you know about the reunion. There may be some who will only find out after the event and be disappointed they missed the opportunity to come. You have the chance to take part in an enjoyable evening, reminiscing and catching up with faces from the past.
Don't make excuses and regret it later.

Pete

posted Nov 17th 2004

Another class photo (5HU - thanks Jenny) on the images page, only 6 more to go!

Some people have disappeared (help us get back in contact) and many more have been found.

Pete

posted Nov 10th 2004

Belinda has been busy again and found a few more of you, so check out the changes on the images page.

Also, if you have any old photos of when you were at school, or one of the missing class photos, or stories from school days, or stories about how you found out about the reunion then please let me know.

If you have photos but can't get them scanned, let me know!

Pete

posted Nov 8th 2004

The newsletter has been emailed, and I've gotten bounces from quite a few of your email addresses. If you didn't receive it, please get in touch to make sure we have your correct contact details.
If I've gotten a bounce due to spam blocking I'll try and send via another email address.

On another note, Belinda, Linda and Carl had a visit to the school - and Carl was struck by how much it has shrunk in the last 20 years! Then Belinda and Linda caught up with me in town and, well, I'll let Belinda tell you in the next newsletter (grin)!

Oh - and while the newsletter says we need a photo for 5Gniel (5GN) - we now have one - so check out the images page too.

Pete

posted Oct 28th 2004

Well, Belinda has had computer problems so I haven't been able to get the newsletter emailed out to everyone yet, but I've got it linked here for you so you can read it now.

Please make sure we have your correct postal addresses as we will be getting proper invites mailed out in the next few weeks.

Pete

posted Oct 7th 2004

Ok, the count-down is on and we'll have another newsletter out Real Soon Now, plus maybe a couple more over the next 2 months. I'll also try to add more regularly to this page and update the other info as it comes in.

We really, really, really would like to make sure that everyone has the chance to come along to the reunion so it is very important that you all spread the word and get people to pass their contact details on to us. (or - hopefully not - tell us NOT to contact them if that is their wish)

Some people may have changed address, email address, phone number etc, so our information may be a little out of date. If so please update us. We'd rather have your currect details and receive them again, than not at all!

Remember that anyone who was in Yr8 in 80, Yr9 in 81 ... through to Yr12 in 84 is welcome - not just the people who finished matric in 1984, but, sorry, for those who were at UHS from 79-83 or 81-85 etc., this is not your reunion.

Pete

posted Jul 2nd 2004

Well, it's been a long time between drinks, but with less than 6 months to go things are rolling again. So, hope you had a happy Christmas and New Year (and birthday for probably half of you) and are getting excited about December 18th.
We abandonned the telephone and email for one evening and met together with Linda Gove and have been trying to do more name to photo matching (please help - it's hard with the small black and white ones we have)!
The other logistics are starting to be worked out as well including how about how much we are gonna slug you for tickets (won't be much :-), catering, music, decorations, hall hire (confirmed) and fundraising (so we don't have to slug you all too much for tickets).

Pete and Belinda

posted Nov 9th 2003

thanks to Jo Hoskins at Unley High for helping to gather some more names. Now we have to match them to faces in the photos. Please check out the images page for some extra names for some of the classes, and if you can help eliminate a ? then let us know.

Pete

posted Oct 10th 2003

Leilani Meadow Draper - born 3:39am @ home - 8lb 3oz. Congrats Belinda!!!

Pete

posted Apr 22nd 2003

More class photos up on the new images page - and a reunion date of December 18th 2004.

And Belinda has done the first newsletter (90kb pdf) - check it out.

Pete

posted Nov 19th 2002

We'd appreciate your help in tracking people down.

To make this a little more interesting I'd like to post class lists and photos on the register page.

Note that any contact details you send in is kept confidential (only seen by Belinda and me).

Check out the images page and if you have any lists or photos to add then please get in contact.

thanks in advance,

Pete

posted Oct 18th 2002

posted early Oct 2002