Peter and Sue Martyn celebrated Xmas in Deniliquin which provided the opportunity to briefly link up with Lee Pattinson.
Peter noted that Lee is doing well but like all of us he is starting to show that time does catch up with you. He surely remembers the good times we all had in 69/70.
Once again we were priviledged to be invited by the youngsters to share Christmas dinner. Our numbers were down but we made up for it with style. Phil and Chris Newman, Al McMurran, Kev Loughrey and John Elphinston and Sandra Davies represented the class of ’72 but alas no photo – we’re getting forgetful. But thankfully someone remembered the camera, and there were a few other photos taken – first prize goes to the Gallipoli Survivors from ’72 and ’74.
It was somewhat special to see the class of ’74, many of whom, some of us hadn’t seen for 50 plus years. It’s pleasing to report that all our hard work paid off as they’ve turned out to be a fine bunch of young men. Well not so young anymore but . . . .They spruiked their 50th Anniversary Class Book and they’ve kindly agreed to for it to go up on our website so you can judge for yourselves.
The speeches were good – lively and entertaining and Kev did us proud with a heartfelt speech of thanks. We were also priviledged to have Tracey Spicer deliver an after-dinner talk on Artificial Intelligence. Tracey’s grandfather was a decorated WWII veteran and a very close neighbour to Peter and Rosemary Keane in The Gap.
Thanks to Peter Keane for organising the dinner and for the invitation.
Twenty two classmates and partners met on 8 December at ‘Snappers’, an outdoor venue that’s part of the Canberra Southern Cross Club. We jagged a warm day with a cooling breeze off the lake – perfect for outdoor dining.
Great company, good food and a few laughs.
It was time to gather at the Gold Coast so we convened on the Grand Hotel Labrador for a few Christmas drinks and lunch. Thanks to John Black and John Mac for organising it.
We are going to have to make aformal name change soon as the numbers from south of the border continue to grow. Good to see Sue and Lindsay Rowlands join us for the first time from Pottsville and also to welcome Judy and Murray Smith from Coffs Harbour and Janet and Kevin Loughrey from Ballina. Unfortunately Maurie Meecham missed out on being in the photo.
Happy Chritmas to all. . .
Per the Warning Order, the next class lunch in Canberra will be on Monday 29th Sep, starting at 12.30 at the Bistro in the Hellenic Club at Woden.
Car parking is fairly easy and we can order and pay individually.
If you need to be signed in, please text Kym MacMillan (0418 295 511) when you arrive and he’ll meet you in the foyer.
Spouses, friends, out-of-town mates always welcome. Could you please let Kym know if you can make it by midday on Friday 26 September so he can confirm numbers with the club.
And for Canberra classmates, please also come with some thoughts and suggestions on a Xmas lunch in early December.
At first I thought it was just another class photo and then I realised it was something I hadn’t seen before. Obviously I didn’t spend enough time in the corridors of power. Many thanks to Al McMurran for bringing it to the surface after all these years. If you talk to Al, he’ll reveal how come he managed to obtain and retain such a piece. Many thanks Al. The 56 year old original will be on display at Coffs.
John Mac and I went to Landsborough for the official handover. A nice outing to the Sunshine Coast.
If you want to see the memorabillia, click here.
Cheers
John Elph
Canberra Classmates, a hardy bunch, will meet for lunch on Monday week – 7 July.
Details for the lunch are as follows:
Could Kym have confirmed numbers (including partners/friends/out of towners etc) by COB Thursday next week (3 July). Those who have already told Kym they’ll be swanning around in warmer climes need not reply again – it’s just too depressing!
Replies email to Kym please (do not reply to this blog!) at kymmac@ozemail.com.au
Needless to say, all are very welcome especially partners.
And if you’re uncertain of the location, this might help:
Thanks to John Mac for organising another great catch up. We had a good roll up, with Al McMurran attending his first lunch since relocating to the Sunshine Coast, Don and Diedre and Kevin and Jan from just south of the border, plus the Gold Coast and Brisbane regulars.
From John Mac
Last week Trace and I visited Michael and Annie Barrett in Richmond, Tasmania. It was our 7th or 8th trip to see them and it has now turned into an annual event. Michael is doing pretty well and is 84 and still full of cheek as you would expect. He remembers our Class with much affection and amazes us with his recall of events from our years together.
I just wanted to share this with you all and say that Michael passes on his best wishes to you all.
Regards,
John Mc
The Canberra Classmates (plus a couple of blow-ins) met for a very pleasant and social lunch at the Statesman Hotel in Curtin on Monday 17 Mar. Some may remember the Statesman from our glory days of 69-72 as a bit of a dive, frequented mainly by bikies and tradies. But it’s been done up recently and was a perfect spot for a few genteel RMC graduates and their ladies! Paddy Ryan and John Mc joined us – John gave a brief update on the plans for the gathering at Coffs later this year (see our website for details).
Our next lunch will be in early July for the hardy folks who haven’t fled to Queensland to avoid the Canberra winter – details will be advised later, and of course any interstate classmates who might be passing through will be more than welcome.
L-R Marina Houston, Deborah Jones, Paddy Ryan, Steve Jones (hiding behind Paddy), Bill Houston, Pat Cullinan, Mike Swan, Darryl Poole, Warwick Elliott, Kym MacMillan, John McNamara, Brenda Elliott, Rhonda Swan.
RMC Class of 1972 