Reunions

Walsh Club, Peers > 1967

Early in the year, we returned to our usual offsite venue Café Vic in the Melbourne Arts Centre. It was far from the usual fare though and we enjoyed a Vietnamese themed lunch! For some of us it was a new and pleasurable experience for the tastebuds.

It was wonderful to see some of our regular Walsh Club members and also welcome a few new members from our 1965 peer group.

Our next Walsh Club gathering is being held at the School on Friday 10 November at 12.00pm. Click here to book.

We hope to see many familiar and new faces then.

5 & 10 Year Reunion, Peers 2007 & 2012

Close to forty Kilvonians gathered at the Hotel Brighton in March to celebrate their 5 and 10 year reunions. It was a great evening enjoyed by all, and from all accounts the celebrations went on well into the night.

The attendees were thrilled to catch up with their former teachers Ann Cleghorn, Les Clements and Helen Cole (who they named the three Cs on the night). Many thanks to Ann, Les and Helen for sharing their time on a Friday night.

Many of the group have joined the Kilvonian Facebook group and were instrumental in spreading the word about the reunion. If you haven’t already done so, please join the group and help us stay connected.

40 & 45 Year Reunion, Peers 1972 &1977

It was fantastic to see so many of our 1972 and 1977 peer groups at their reunion in late April.

Combining the two groups added to the atmosphere, and we even had some sisters attend who were five years apart.

Our School student leaders, Lauren and Bryce, did a great job in keeping a very excited group focused during the School tour. As is often the case on the tour, memories of favourite and influential teachers come flooding back. This time was no different, and former Musical Director, Patsy Venn (the Music Building PVC is named after her) was very fondly remembered. Everyone was so keen to reminisce and spend time together that we abandoned the tour after visiting Dalton Hall to carry on socialising!

We hope to see you all again at our all-peer Alumni Evening in November!

35 Year Reunion, Peer 1982

The 1982 peer group had a fabulous time in late May at the 35 Year reunion.

For a start, they were greeted at the gate by two of our senior boys who continued to do a wonderful job showing the group around the School and generally keeping us entertained with their outgoing nature. At one point everyone sang the School song and managed to remember the words!

It was the first time back to Kilvington for a few of the group and whilst there have been some impressive improvements and additions over the years … reminiscing with friends about musical productions and sewing class with personalised embroidered aprons brought about many laughs and fond memories.

We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

30 Year Reunion, Peer 1987

It was fantastic to see the smiling faces at the 30 year reunion for our 1987 peer group in late July.

Plenty of laughs and a very exciting memory from Shima Ibuki about the time lightning struck the quadrangle (the area we now know as The Green). Many recalled sunbaking and slathering legs with loads of coconut oil during the lunch break!

A highlight of the night was when everyone burst into song when looking through the hymn book from their school days. It is amazing how these things stick in our memories and the words and music come flooding back.

All had a lovely time reconnecting and reminiscing. We look forward to seeing the group again soon!

Long-time Friends

Many thanks to Fay Buckley and friends from the 1959 peer group for sharing their friendship with us.

These long-time friends met during their school days at Kilvington and have remained in touch for more than 70 years! Fay remarks 'We have such a strong bond with each other with thanks to Kilvington for bringing us all together'.

They catch up every fortnight for mahjong and tennis along with Christmas get-togethers and even holidays to celebrate birthdays.

Attending your School Reunion

Reunions are quite different from other events. Some people maintain friendships with people they went to school with, but it’s likely there are people that you haven’t seen in a very long time and that can be a bit daunting.

Regardless of individual friendships and groups when you were at school together, there will definitely be some similar shared experiences as  you were all in the same time and place for many years.

What about you? Do you attend reunions or avoid them? Have you attended any of your reunions? Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts, email me at duced@kilvington.vic.edu.au.