Grassy Park High School’s Class of 89 stages a Grand Reunion.

The Reunion Hideout

There we were at Vanantheo ( Theo)’s place, welcomed by a huge sign, a personalized glass filled with a pen and blank business card for your networking contacts.  That set the scene for a glorious, mad, spontaneous reunion of folk who have not seen one another for 24 years! Imagine – almost 2,5 decades yet one would have sworn it was just the other day. 

Group pic - there may be some on the sides - sorry (blame Junior Theo,Lol)

The troop arrives...

Bonita breezed in and immediately tackled Nino for pretending NOT to know her in public, Lesley, the quiet youngster darted from place to place, enthralling us with his anecdotes of years gone by and then Alistair arrived with aplomb.  After stomping at the entrance to the ‘chill section’, he gave us all the once over and then with a mixture of typical Cape Flats lingo, he worked his way round the circle to greet everyone.   Selena just glanced around, sitting serenely and allowing the more vocal ones to make their presence felt.  And of course, Heather decided that this was vengeance time –s he was going to tell Mr Fred – her then Economics teacher, that she heard that she was too lazy to obtain an “A” pass – and she wanted the record to be set straight right here and now – Lekka. It was fun to watch Fred’s amused smile, wondering I suppose, how to deal with this assertive grownup now – away from the school benches and the safety of the ‘Teacher’s authority’!

Glorious... glorious

Tribute to Marelise

Remembering Marelise

I simply lapped up all the energy and was held buoyant by the laughter, the teasing and all the craziness that enveloped us. Then it was time to officially declare the Reunion celebration open. We paid tribute to our beloved Marelise  Vester whom we had not too long ago, bid farewell to. She would have enjoyed seeing all her classmates having so much fun because that was always what Marelise wanted –always the cheerleader and the regulator to ensure that others are being cared for. 

Zaida aiming for a shot

Sharing our gifts...

Well, what a joy it is to know that our protégés are helping to shape our world; our communities. What a humbling experience it is to know that as teachers, we have helped to unlock the gifts our young people have. However, this is only one side of the coin. Yes, teachers play a profound role in the lives of our young people, but I think we often neglect to applaud the amazing emotional and spiritual gifts we gain in return from them.  I am a walking testimony of the hundreds of young people who have taught me the capacity to love unconditionally, to understand the complexities of life and to celebrate when we conquer adversities.

Circles of friendship

Stepping out....

So, way too soon, I had to leave because my family and I were going to see Music Alle Kaap, a line up that included the homegrown talent of the Rockets, the Boys, Zane Adams and PJ Powers. When I came home, I was bubbling over with excitement  and en route to Grand West, the family were inundated with snippets of my time with the Class of 1989. So, there I was in the car – ready to rock the night away with my hubby, my two sons and their partners, my daughter and nephew.  Needless to say, my kids thought I had indulged in something stronger because every song on radio became my cue to belt out and sway like willow in the autumn breeze.

Concentrating hard to get the right shot

Looking back...

This is life; we need to create spaces to find one another and share our spirits. A huge thanks to Theo, Zaida and the rest of the organisers for bringing us all together. I am immensely proud of each one of you…

 

All excited

Crazy moments

This is the life after school!