Fidelis et fortis

Ever feel like you didn't fit in at school.

A few weeks ago I contacted my old high school as they are about to begin work to reconstruct it. I wanted permission to go to the school to take some photos of the buildings. The deputy head wrote back and said it was not a problem.

She also advised me of an event held today, an open day where you get tours of the school before it gets the renewal treatment.

I have very good memories of school, although my time there was somewhat conditioned by the death of my father four years in. That said, do I have much contact with people from the school. Circumstances were such that the main people I used to hang around with in the last couple of years left and after this the majority of my friends were in different schools.

After the dance class/trip to park with the number one son where he rode a bicycle for the first time and a belated birthday party for the girl who makes stunning cakes, I went up to visit the old school.

I bumped into, people from my year, people from my class, a couple of teachers, very good friends from the year below and a fellow whose brother was my mates brothers' mate, yes a bit tenuous. But we had a very entertaining talk and wander around the school, sharing anecdotes galore, the most hilarious of which was when he told me of a teacher who told his class that any homosexual act was physically impossible. Ah, they don't get teachers like that any more.

The highlight however was looking for and eventually finding a photo of my mother and her name in the school magazine, #47. She is in the back row far right.

Even more surprising was that the lady I started chatting to regarding where information could be found was the girl wearing glasses standing in the back row one person away from my Mum.

Yes I know it was a school reunion, but the it is indeed a small world.

A stunning day.


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