THIRTY-six ex-Bangor Grammar School pupils met up on Saturday, October 19, for a reunion.
Most of the Class of 1984 had not seen each other since walking away from College Avenue four long decades ago, and had a lot of catching up to do.
The main organiser of the informal event at The Jamaica Inn, and later Jenny Watts, was Alan Rosbotham, formerly of School House. When his old classmates stood round to applaud him after the event he said: “It wasn’t that difficult really.” No one believed him.
Alan had painstakingly hunted down and collated the contact details of everyone there – plus many more who weren’t – chaired an unruly chat group and settled on a time and place.
“Without Rosso I doubt this would have happened,” said Andrew Frame. “He gave us the necessary nudge to do what many of us had maybe thought of for years. He deserves every credit for making this happen.”
“The last time I had met these people we were spotty and clueless but we thought we knew it all,” said Sean Greer. “And not everyone’s schooldays were rose tinted. I was hoping we would be the same, but also different.”
Sean admitted he had found the reunion ‘quite a moving experience’, adding: “These were my classmates, and I realised today they still are.”
A survey of the group revealed an interesting diversity of interests and occupations, just like a class at school is a mixture of developing personalities. But was it obvious back then that Keith Rolleston would become a beekeeper and the owner of 40 hives? Or that Mark Armstrong would walk the whole of the Appalachian Trail on his own? Musician Allistair Elliot had come all the way from Calgary. Also in the group was an artist, a writer, teachers, firemen, an archaeologist and a GP. Some had even retired, some were nearing retirement and some a long way off.
The reunion also gave the opportunity to remember friends that had died in the intervening years: Graeme Lowry, Mervyn Francis, David Ronaldson, Colin Jameson, Tom Scott, and Jonny Packham.
Everyone was keen for more reunions soon and Alan Rosbotham is already collecting more names.
