A request to those of you who attended any of the HK Reunion functions.  Please drop me a line about it, with photos if you have them and I will add them to this page.  Thanks  Rod.Sell@elderwyn.com

Sent: 14 March 2002 08:43
Subject: Hong Kong reunion.

The Hong Kong reunion started this morning with a special school centenary assembly.  The speech made by the Headmaster was terrific, and he spoke of why people of all walks of life that attended KGV become very special people, and they share close bonds with their high school friends, and continue to attend reunions to meet up and share good times together.

The students treated us to a great musical concert.  The school choir and orchestra is first class, and they will be touring Australia, so all our Oz friends should be on the lookout for this event.  Well worth attending.

As one sat through the assembly, and toured the old school, past memories flooded back vividly as if it just happened.  What wonderful memories, even when you went to the Gym....it is totally unchanged, even the changing rooms still smell the same!!  One can only get such clear recollections actually being in the old school.  Wish you all could have been here to share these moments with me.

Not to worry, there is the Thailand reunion to look forward to.  See you all there.

Johnny.

A few of you requested a follow up email on the HK reunion, so here goes report #2 (and the last one!):

After a great tour of the old school (including the "boys" toilet which remains untouched! but they would not let us guys into the "girls" side), which brought back many many memories of the days we spent in the school rooms, the hallways, the playgrounds, the Pavilion, the lunch room by the clock tower where we ate (ugh!!) Foxies daily specials, we had a good BBQ lunch.

That evening, we boarded a huge Chinese junk, done up in garish Chinese style, called "Nobel House" to cruise the beautiful romantic harbour, all the way out to the two new bridges that span Kowloon to Lantau.  Although the harbour has changed, it is still a magnificent harbour, and the millions of lights coming from the thousands of new sky scrappers is just a fantastic sight.  However, there are still a few old landmarks that exist when we attended KGV like the Peninsula Hotel.

The next day the group split into two.  Some went to Lantau by road over the new bridge.  They visited the world's largest sitting Buddah, followed by a vegetarian lunch prepared by the Monks.  The return journey will bring back many memories for all of us....a Yaumati ferry ride from Silver Mine Bay to the Star Ferry terminal in Central.

The other group went by train to Shenzen, a new satellite town in China just accross the boarder of Yuen Long.  There is incredible shopping there, especially for fakes like Rolex, Cartier, Vitton etc.  The Kowloon Canton Railway still runs on the old track, but with new fast trains.  One still passes many familar places easily recognised like Homantin, Kowloon Tong, Shatin, Taipo etc.

The evening was topped off with a Black tie event held at the 5 star Shangrila Hotel.  The senior pupils did an incredible job decorating the grand hallways and the ballroom.  There were picture boards everywhere, NOT of the current students, but mostly of "our generation".  You would have enjoyed going down memory lane, pointing out pictures of yourself, and friends when we were all teenagers (with hair!!).  Pictures of the old school as it was then, pictures of Track and Field, hockey, cricket teams, Friday night club parties, teachers, prefects, house competition, school assemblies, and parties held at the schoolhall.  It was emotional to say the least, and a great sense of pride that the tradition of KGV is still so very strong and that I am a past student of this great school.

The singing of Honestas Ante Honores by 150 people brought a lump to my throat.  Although most of the Alumni were not "our crowd", there were many "new" faces that I have not seen in 45 years, and it was great catching up, and talking about the good old days, and experiences at KGV.  Hopefully they will be candidates for the Thailand reunion (I sure pushed it).  There was a far greater span of generations, some I wonder if they made drinking age!!

However, the band was fantastic, and played non stop Rock n Roll, Cha Chas, and then of course, the good old slow dances.  Songs from our era!!!  In between the bands' breaks, the younger group played current CDs and went nuts, but when the band returned, us "oldies" showed them a move or two.

There was a FIVE tiered 100 anniversary cake and guess who cut it?  95 year old Mrs. Hale, who then danced with everyone.  Can you imagine that she still does not wear glasses, and she is as sharp as a needle, with lots of good wit.  She made a wonderful speech about her days (starting in 1946) at KGV, and how every generation still remains with close bonds as one big KGV family.

FYI a former teacher (Mr. Clinton - no he is not American!) put together a GREAT book.  It is full of pictures of the school and its teachers and pupils spanning 100 years, and it is full of history.  Anyone interested in a copy, I guess you get hold of Danny Hooley.

The party was packed until 2 am, and would you guys who know me believe I went home instead of partying on somewhere else!!

Hope this wets your appetite and that you are now all planning for the Thailand reunion.  May I suggest that you all give Skip a note on your views on what you'd like added to his itenery for the two weeks in Thailand so that everyone gets to participate and to have a great reunion.  Also, may I ask Maunie to forward this to the participants of the OZ reunion, and whomever else, as I dont have that list, so we can get as many people planning for Thailand.  We GOT to have fun while we are still able!

NB - They are planning another Hong Kong reunion for 2006.

Bye for now.  Hope you enjoyed the above.  Tonight's event......"HAPPY DAYS" rock n roll dance at the old school hall (smooching in the upper gallery is encouraged!!).

Love to all.

Johnny Monteiro.
 
 

The Following from George Grout 9th June 2002

Hi all!
I posted a bunch of pictures at the following website http://photos.yahoo.com/ggrout.rm
Take a look...you just might see yourself there!
Anyone who has photos to share please e-mail them to me (ggrout@rocketmail.com) and I'll add them to the album.

Best Regards, George AKA Garoupa
 

Thanks go to Roy Tjioe  for the following photos and comment.

Rod, here are some photos I took of the reunion this year.   Had a great time.

Vinod Dadlani sits in front of the school.  There are several other buildings and the grass area between the old and "new" block is covered with concrete and "temporary" classroom buildings.

The front of the school doesn't seem to have changed much, though i don't remember the tiered  seating.  The hibiscus bushes have gone, I can remember how we used to throw the pollen on the back of a friends blazer.  Rod.

The view from Adrian Churn's balcony, overlooking Deep Water Bay, and you can see Ocean Park on the right.

Deep Water Bay hasn't changed that much.  A lot more houses at Shoushin Hill and on the left going to Repulse Bay.  I ues to keep my canoe at the VRC across from the Golf Club house.  Used to canoe around Lamma Island seen beyond the ship.  Rod.

Pictures from Adrian Churn's sunday barbecue on the incredible balcony above his apartment.
Photo shows:  Rohit Baghat, Stephen Ashworth, Linda Sackett (left after 1S), Adrian Churn, Andrew Da Rosa and Sushma Hegde (former  head boy and head girl), Vinod Dadlani, Suzy Remedios, Jay Chan, Puran Dadlani, and Roy."
 

Photo shows the usual suspects Rohit, Adrian, Linda, Roy, Sushma, Puran, Adnrew, Vinod, David Smith and Stephen.
 

Linda, Andrew, David, Adrian, Vinod, Sushma, Puran and Roy.
 

This shows  me and my wife Robin in Adrian's living room

Vinod, Adrian and myself at the downstairs balcony

Me and Puran at dim sum.  Thanks to Puran, I now have a tailor made tux and two new jackets for an amazing price and turnaround in two days.  If you need tailored clothes, Puran is your man.

Robin, me, Vinod, Sushma, her husband Sridhar and Vinod's wife Jane, as we were perusing an old issue of the Lion.

the Da Rosas, Mary and Drew, plus Adrian and his girlfriend Rita

The Da Rosa family, and Robin and my son Christian at Ocean Park, where we spent a great day together (Drew and I had curry fishballs...YUM!).

We hear there's another HK reunion planned for 2006, and of course there's Thailand next year.  We hope to see more of you all in the future, as it was definitely worth it.

aloha, Roy
 
 

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