Gala Farewell Dinner-Dance on Friday 9th March From 7pm to 12.30am at the Wentworth Hotel. Pre-dinner drinks will be served in the Canberra Room on the 1st floor. Dinner will be served in the adjoining Brisbane Room, followed by a night of fun and dancing. During the evening we will also be having a very special lucky door prize, several items for raffle, and a model of a Star Ferry will be auctioned. Dress for the evening will be dressy smart casual.
 

My thanks to (Sid & Sandra Fattedad) for these photos.

Sid & Sandra Fattedad, Johnny Monteiro, Gopal Lalchandani and Les Harvey

Skip Heinecke and Sandra Fattedad, with Helen Lew in the back.

(Maunie Kwok)
Day 6 Friday 9th March Gala Farewell Dinner-Dance

The last day of the Sydney reunion had arrived and it was hard to believe the week was almost over. Everything had gone to plan and everyone was on a high but all good things have to end sometime and today was the day.

I went downstairs to the Brisbane Room at about 3pm to help set things up ready for the Gala Farewell Dinner-Dance to be held in the evening. Nick, Philippa and Claire were already there and Suzy, Jose, Caroline and Rui arrived shortly after. The latter four were in charge of organising the dinner-dance and did a splendid job.

Jobs were soon delegated and whilst Rui blew up blue and gold balloons with an air cylinder, Jose knotted the ends then Philippa and I tied lengths of gold ribbon on the blue balloons and blue ribbon on the gold ones, then curled the ribbon before lettering the balloons float up to the ceiling.

The tables were already made up and in the centre of each was a candelabra with three royal blue candles. Suzy and Caroline then surrounded each candelabra with thin shiny royal blue streamers and sprinkled gold and royal blue stars and hearts. Each place setting had a roll of paper tied up with ribbon which contained the words of the school song as well as the words of our reunion theme song Graduation (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C. The chairs were covered with gold satin slip covers elegantly gathered up at the back and when finished the entire room looked stunningly beautiful. The Wow! factor was certainly going to be high.

The evening started with drinks in the Canberra Room then at about 7.45pm the doors were opened to the adjoining Brisbane Room and everyone entered to find their table. A table plan was on display in the Canberra Room to make it easy for people to find where they were sitting.

Our Sydney Committee Chairman Nick Vargassoff welcomed everyone then we all stood and sang the school song with gusto. The evening was underway. The meal was excellent, the music by The Wright Brothers was absolutely terrific, and of course the company even better.

During the evening presentations were made to three spouses who it was felt deserved acknowledgment. Jamie Clements, husband of Helen (Taylor), Sharon Harvey, wife of Leslie, and Vianney Willy-Furth who attended the reunion to honour a promise made to his wife Sonja (Horwood) who passed away last year.

In between breaks in the dancing several donated items were raffled. I was lucky enough to have one of my tickets drawn out and I selected a lovely silver highland cuach, a cup of welcome and farewell, donated by Jamie and Helen Clements. There were also two items auctioned and the bidding was enthusiastic. Helen (Feldman) Dalton is now the happy owner of a model of a Star Ferry, together with details of the history of the Star Ferry. Ron Park was the highest bidder for a framed photo of the Sydney Harbour Bridge surrounded by signatures of all reunion attendees.

Towards the end of the evening we were requested to ask someone from another table to dance to our reunion theme song "Graduation" and the chorus says it all -

"As we go on, we remember

All the times we had together

And as our lives change,

Come whatever,

We will still be friends forever."

The evening finished at 12.30am with lots of hugging, and a few tears, as we said goodbye to each other. Some were continuing on to the Gold Coast for another week of activities whilst others were returning home and what wonderful reunion memories we all have to take with us.

Jennifer Vargassoff and Carolyn Ames

Sandra (Quinn) & Sid Fattedad singing the school song. Kathy Huber and Graham Cochrane in the back.

Diana (Parker) Mullan, Julia (Tingay) Moolenschot, Mary (Gillett) Farrell

The stunningly decorated venue

Mary (Gillett) Farrell, Dick & June (Lee) Tieken, Julia (Tingay) & Jack Moolenschot, Maunie (Bones) Kwok, Helen (Feldman) & Mike Dalton, Diana (Parker) Mullan

Helen (Feldman) Dalton, happy with winning the Star Ferry in the auction.

My thanks to (Frank Rodrigues) for these photos.

Janina Rodrigues & Bob Burnaby at the Gala Dinner.  Image from Frank Rodrigues.

Helen & Jamie Clements.  Image from Frank Rodrigues.

Graham and Madeline (O'Connell) Jones.  Image from Frank Rodrigues.

Laara (Lynn Baldwin) Zimerman and Denny Brausen. Image from Frank Rodrigues.

Laara (Lynn Baldwin) Zimerman, Monica Chang and Graham Jones.

Les and Rosemary Baker.

(Rod Sell)
The end of a wonderful week.  Everyone was sad this week had passed so quickly and we really did not have enough time to catch up.  On arrival there were raffle tickets and special products to purchase, as well as making sure the picture of the Harbour Bridge was signed.  Then off to the Brisbane room for drinks and chats.  Nicky Vargassoff dragged me off to the foyer to show me the School Photo and tell me how small I was then (he wasn't much bigger but it was hard to tell as he was sitting).
We were ushered into the Canberra room where 12 table of 10 each had been set up.  Dinner was served with 2 different meals being served and the food swapping started.  Prior to starting the meal Rui Barros was nominated MC for the night and laid down a few house rules.  The first was we had to open the scrolls on our plates, which had the words of the School Song.  A rousing version was then sung which did us all proud.  Then we could eat, a bit like prayers in Foxy's canteen.  Dinner of Lamb or Chicken was readily consumed or swapped and a 2 man band started with the dance music.  The dance floor was a bit small for 120 as about everyone joined in, luckily there were no Scottish reels.  At 11.30 the raffle prizes were drawn and the 2 special items ( A model of a Star Ferry and the signed photo of the Sydney Harbour Bridge) were Auctioned.
Nick Vargassoff reminiced about our school days.  He remined us about how in the winter our brown blazers were yellow after the pollen fights.  I remember getting a very strange reception at home one day when I walked in with the comments " I was well and truely pollinated at school today"
Dicky Gaston then said a few words thanking the organising committe for the wonderful job that they had done.  He also made my night by saying how nice it was to see so many pupils of the earlier years at this reunion, and mentioning Graham Cochrane by name.  Graham and I were in the same year about 3 years behind Dicky.  I immediately called Graham a fossil.  It must be his debauched lifestyle that makes everyone think he is fossilised.  Shortly after midnight I sadly made the rounds saying my goodbyes till the next reunion.

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