:: Balwyn High - Class of '67 ::

:: Saturday, September 22, 2007 ::

Blog ON!!!!

Believe it or not I have BLOGGED ON!!! Chris and Geoff, I do hope you are both sitting down!!

Great to read about the contributions so far.... Will work on the photo component, later!! I do have an e-mail address for Ian Butt, so will forward that to you!!! Please DO let me know once a date is confirmed... Perhaps it might be in the NEW Year!!! Greetings from the Sunshine Coast.... Beautiful one day ... PERFECT the next!! Cheers ADJC ?!?!

:: Sandy Carr 12:42 PM 1 comments ::
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Belle Vue PS Reunion

Received an email today from Cheryl Davenport (FriendsReunited site) telling of a reunion for former Belle Vue PS alumni. And it's (gasp) for a 50 year reunion!

Here's the message:

Hello,
I'm hoping to organise a reunion for Belle Vue Primary School Balwyn North
If you would like more information on when, where and who's going, please click here
Thanks,
Cheryl Davenport

Belle Vue Primary School
BELLE VUE PRIMARY SCHOOL 50 Years On . . Still Going Strong!
Our Golden Jubilee Celebration will be held on Sunday 21st October 2007 from 1.00pm – 4.00pm!
All former staff and students are warmly invited to attend an afternoon of activities, demonstrations, roll call, afternoon tea, open classrooms, entertainment and memorabilia!

Please let us know if you are attending and pass the word around to other people you know! We look forward to seeing you there!

belle.vue.ps@edumail.vic.gov

Belle Vue Primary School Balwyn North
Reunion Noticeboard

Years: 1958 - 2007
Organiser: Cheryl Davenport
Date: 21 Oct 2007
Venue: Belle Vue Primary School


People who have expressed interest so far are:

Tim Armstrong
Leigh Cunningham
Andrew Dowling
Wendy Howarth
Rhonda Mcbain
Peter O'Donnell
Sally Pattison
Rob Rees
David Sheehan
Ian Smith
Daniel Tyson
Geoff Williams


I know most of us in the BHS class of '67 likely came from North Balwyn PS (Maud Street), and in fact I spent one year there (but actually was in two classes, "bubs" as we vividly called it for one day, then a quick graduation to first grade for the rest of my first year - see above pic Grade 1B, 1956).


Here's maybe a few familiar names who have registered on the FriendsReunited site for Belle Vue, and the year they left:

1961 Erica Barclay
1961 Dianne Devine
1961 Ian Hansen
1961 Geoff Williams
1962 Ian Smith
1962 Greg Wallace
1963 Daniel Tyson

Labels: 50-year reunion, Belle Vue Primary School

:: geoff 4:54 PM 2 comments ::
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It's Quiet Here...

Either we're a shy lot or not as computer savvy as we surely would have been if we were 40 years younger. Imagine the Bill Gates who would have come from the intellects of our matric year, and if there'd been an internet back then we would have had all those bright ideas like starting google and eBay and MySpace etc etc. But alas, we were born too early to leave our mark on the cyber world that way.

Anyway, get on board here and let's make this a memorable cyberspace record of our matric year (it might even still be around when we're all not!)

News update: we have an email contact for Kathy Ley (nee Noble). Welcome Kathy, hope you join up and are brave enough to post something (picture?). I'll post another pic to go with this, but they're all on my work computer so it'll have to be on Monday [have done as promised, group of us celebrating at the local Indian restaurant on Steve's last visit downunder, August '05; caption "We're a happy team - at Hawthorn? (Rajbhog, Templestowe actually!)].

Otherwise, if you click on the link at left "blogs that link here", you'll discover that we're currently ranked blog number 7,966,799 in popularity world-wide. Now there's a challenge, we should be able to improve that considerably by making this more interesting...

Labels: Balwyn High School, Class of 1967, cyber record, matriculation, news update

:: geoff 11:04 AM 0 comments ::
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Reunion Suggestion

OK here's some seed suggestions, bits from some email correspondence between a few of us. Give us your responses by posting a comment (it's simple to do, you don't even have to be signed in or a member to comment - but rude ones or overly officious ones by former teachers will be severely disciplined!)


Tony reminded me that next year is the 40th anniversary of our graduation from high school. Not sure it's something we necessarily wanted to be reminded of, but there it is...

And so, a celebration is called for!

Thought I would simply track down dozens of email addresses for our old Balwyn High colleagues, but alas - it's not so easy (what would high school have been like for us, if we'd had the internet and SMS instead of the Scalextric set that occupied all my time when I wasn't listening to Beatles records with Chris or catching frogs in the lagoons on the Yarra that have now been turned into a golf course??) Geoff 22/9/06



Hello Geoff...I have few contacts as well...I am off to a Conference for 5 days but will send the contact info to you ASAP. Needless to say a reunion date in your summer or spring would be preferable (that’s our winter and fall)...but we can accommodate for what is convenient. Steve 23/9/06



We better coordinate again, I sense another trip "down under" coming later this year...

Diane...bayreuth is Chris Ritter,,,I remember you asked and we did track him down.

Any interest in planning a 30 year reunion? Nov-December? Steve 23/7/07



Ok...I'll coordinate "State-side" ...Diane, can you be the link with the ladies? Geoff and Chris, that leaves you two as the link with the "dudes"...remember Noel Chong does not have e-mail.

First step, let's look at calendars and pick a mutually acceptable time we are available, and then we can provide the potential date to the rest of the class. Steve 24/7/07




Hello everyone, When do you have in mind? And where? Malibu or North Balwyn?

By the way, we saw Sandy Carr up in Queensland last September. He is
organising a reunion of his own in Melbourne at The Rose Hotel, 309 Bay
Street, Port Melbourne on Sunday 26th August from 2.00pm - 6.00pm. I presume
not many of you can make it but just to let you know. I'll pass on these
messages to Sandy. He will definitely be in touch.

How is Noel? What about Ian Butt? Chris 24/7/07



Hello all...I would suggest the first week in November if possible (except for Nov 10th)...2nd, 3rd or 4th would be ideal...Friday (Nov 2) is always a good day to celebrate...after all this only happens once every 30 years!

Diane, are you still in touch with Vivian? It would be nice to see her as well as others... We definitely will chase Noel and Ian Butt down...they would both be more than welcome.

I shall volunteer to make up the invitations...maybe Noel and I can do this together...I remember he had an artistic talent also (remember he and I worked together to create the "Facing Lions" mosaic formerly at the North(?) school building entrance). Steve 25/7/07



So that's where we're at. We need a date and venue. Steve suggested November. He has to come from the States. Or I guess early in 2008, if we need more time (heck it's been 40 years since we escaped, what's a few more months??)


And I've just found Diane Tucker (nee Urie)'s email, so Di you are also getting an invite as a founding member of our blog.. welcome!

Labels: 40 year reunion, Balwyn High Class of '67

:: geoff 9:59 AM 0 comments ::
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Our Mission

Like Elwood and Jake, we're kind of on a mission from God. Getting the band back together!

So the purpose of this blog is to:

a) round up as many as possible of the gang from Balwyn High who matriculated in 1967, get us all registered here on this blog, and that way we have a growing network of up-to-date contacts;

b) keep up to date with news and happenings in all our lives;

c) share photos and anecdotes;

d) organise things. Like hopefully a "40 up" reunion; and

d) reminisce. Nostalgia. Funny stories from back then. And now that we're at least as old and wise as those teachers who put the fear of God into us, we can chat about them from on high!

Our hope is for humour, lots of it. And just the fun of sharing with the only people on this earth who lived through those school days with us all, and have the same memories. Special people from a special time in our lives! Getting everyone together again, like the Blues Brothers on a mission, putting the band back together.


Founding members, simply because these are the emails to hand, are Sandy Carr (ADJ Carr, and there'll be a special prize for whoever remembers what each of those initials stand for, perhaps we'll call it the Archibald Rogers Prize!), Tony Masters, Chris Ritter, Steve Stretchberry and Geoff Williams. If you are one of the special members of this band of 1967 matriculants, simply reply to the email at the top, or post a comment with your email address and we'll get you signed on.

Then start posting. Pic's. Funny stories. News updates. Whatever, just great to hear from you.

Labels: Balwyn High matriculation, Blues Brothers, Class of 1967

:: geoff 9:30 AM 0 comments ::
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Sandy's Bash

A wonderful invitation out of the blue (rather uncharitably headed "Invasion of the Ageing Boomers") from Sandy..

"SANDY'S BACK!! (For one week only...)
Leave your 'zimmers' and 'gophers' outside and join me for drinks, nibbles and a BIG catch up, in the FRONT BAR..."

So we did as told, left the zimmers behind and headed off to the Rose Hotel, Port Melbourne. Last Sunday, 26th August. With considerable anticipation and also some concerns.

Concern that there might, after all these years, be some bad news about one or other of our old school mates. And dreading meeting up with old schoolyard sweethearts, but disappointed when they didn't turn up. And a fear that we'd walk into a bar full of old school mates and hardly recognise (remember?) any.

Well we did walk into a bar full of people, and we did hardly recognise any, except most were from other areas of Sandy's life and the only BHS contacts were Sandy of course, Chris and Heather Ritter and their bright young son Alex, Geoff and Katrina Williams and Geoff's baby sister Liz, also Sandy's older brother Russell.

And thankfully there was no bad news, and like I said all the school sweethearts disappointed yet again.


Sandy's opening greeting was something along the lines of what are we organising to celebrate 40 years of freedom from matriculation exams. Which got us thinking, and this blog is the result. Hopefully it will be useful and fun.

Labels: Ageing Boomers, reunion, Sandy Carr

:: geoff 5:20 PM 0 comments ::
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Some Words of Encouragement...

on starting your new venture:


Hey this is cool. Good luck for the future!
Archie Rogers

Always knew there were more than 3%
Mr Willis

I hope you've all learnt to write better grammar than when I struggled to teach you.
Millie Campbell

Labels: Balwyn High School, Class of 1967

:: geoff 10:15 AM 3 comments ::
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