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School reunions

There must be genuinely wholesome people who are genuinely excited to meet their old classmates again, who beam good wishes at every face they think they recognise, who give everyone they meet the impression they are there to hear their story. I know a couple of people like that, and as much as I like them I can't help but suspect it's too good to be true.

There will, hopefully, be a generous complement of these ego-deficient people at every school or class reunion, but I suspect they'll be swamped, if this open-faced enthusiasm can ever be swamped, by those of less wholesome workings. I've never been to a school reunion but I'll be surprised if the intention of most of those who go is not to scoff, to dismiss and to reward themselves with a smugness befitting their success.

School reunions are for those who've done well, and I suppose pleasant memories of school days helps. School for me was a time of boredom broken only by peashooting the teacher, using a ruler to catapult blobs of chewed paper onto the ceiling and getting caned. School days passed in an interminable drone. So why would I want to go back there via a reunion!

Have you been to one of these shindigs? Tell us about the goings-on beneath the pumping handshakes and air kisses.

Posted By: Jeff Corbett on 31/03/2009 4:25:57 PM | Comments (15)

comments

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Well I have been to a school reunion and Yes some like to be like that but I was not. I was glad and so were a few others just to catch up and talk about family what they have done and how the world is - all the general stuff. I suppose it depends on how the person wants to go. I enjoyed seing friends from school and that was a 30 year one. and guess what, we still knew who each other was without our name tags.

Posted by Eyes wide_Open+, 31/03/2009 11:35:03 PM

never had a school reunion. Went to an all boys school, and only chicks arrange reunions.

Posted by fista, 1/04/2009 1:13:15 AM

Yep I've been to the 10 year and 20 year reunion. I went to a private girls school in Brisbane which could be pretty brutal for your ego at times, particularly if your parents weren't rich. I remember the embarrassment at being dropped at school sometimes in Mums Morris Minor, where as most Mums drove BMW's and the like. It was fascinating going to these reunions and seeing the difference between pouty rich bullies and grown up women. They were all lovely women and it truly was a lot of fun. But wow, some had aged and were truly old before their time. I have always remained best friends with my best friend from school, so she and I had a great time. No matter what your motives going, it's still fun.

Posted by leahkf, 1/04/2009 8:04:09 AM

A part of my life plan is to never attend a school reunion, but I am one of the lucky ones; I do not care one iota what anyone thinks of me or what I am or do. Why would I want to spend any of my minutes with people I haven't bothered to stay in touch with over time, and didn't want to know 'back in the day'? Who cares if they want to gratify themselves by gloating at my relative failure, or sneering suspiciously at my relative success? School for me was a technical, rather clinical experience. I have no further use for it.

Posted by StopPayingTheBludgers, 1/04/2009 9:19:30 AM

I remember globite bags ,they were tough and good to sit on while waiting for the bus . I also remember painting my name on the side and spelling it wrong.(left out a letter)

Posted by chaff and oats, 1/04/2009 11:10:28 AM

I was the kid in the school who was constantly bullied. So I recently boycotted my High School Reunion. I had no desire to relive that part of my life.

Posted by Ian, 1/04/2009 11:22:18 AM

One of my workmates told me a couple of years ago, Ian, about his return to his hometown for a class reunion when the school bully turned up. This fellow, he told me, had been much bigger than the other boys and had bashed pretty well one of them in the class repeatedly. He was hated, and he knew it, yet he had the gall to turn up to the reunion.

But things had changed. The boys had continued to grow into their late teens and the bully had stopped growing, so that years later he was smaller than most of the boys in the class! My workmate, who had become a keen rugby player, admits that he considered squaring the ledger, and he knows that others considered the same, but they let it go. Somehow, he tells me, they managed to ignore the bully's history and included him happily enough in the weekend's fun.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 1/04/2009 11:32:15 AM

I went kicking and screaming to my reunion (didn't want to go but the only mate I had from those days just waited outside my house until I went) and got to tell you, I had a great time! ..and all for the smug reasons you mentioned! I was the bullied nerd at school who had a pretty awful time and got satisfaction that all the football heros were now fat bald old men and the girls - looked fantastic! So many ugly ducklings now just looking so good and very friendly. When we're teenagers, we interact with so many people (and friends mean everything) but many people behave terribly to each other - now we're older and wiser and can talk about what is a very tumultuous time as schoolkids. I'd recommend to anyone to go to a reunion - it doesn't bring it back but can help you move on.

Posted by stevo, 1/04/2009 11:55:58 AM

Nobody ages as early and as vigorously as a big footballer.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 1/04/2009 11:58:53 AM

Reunions are organised by girls who have done OK for themselves by starting a family, and landing a guy with a reasonable job. The whole purpose is to check out everybody who isn't so well off and then gossip about them with their close mates in the weeks ahead. Plus partners are always a bit out of it, particularly if old flames are in attendance. Not much good comes out of the whole exercise - I just ask, why ?

Posted by Reggie, 1/04/2009 12:49:56 PM

Ironically I was in the process of organising a 30 year reunion. Sadly if people are constantly critiquing their 'friends' like I read in your column then there is no point. In other words everyone shoud just get on with the rest of their life.

Posted by CH, 1/04/2009 2:12:17 PM

Yep.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 1/04/2009 2:17:49 PM

I have been to a few of these reunions and for the most part they are friendly get togethers with the odd ego popping up here and there to provide a highlight for the evening and talking point in the future. However the best ones I have ever attended were for other people at schools that I never attended. In other words, gatecrashing and you would be surprised at how many people remember you after 20 or thirty years even though they have never before met you. Just takes a little time to gather the right material to make it sound real. Hilarious.

Posted by Beldor, 1/04/2009 3:10:29 PM

I'd love that, Beldor. An extraordinary number of people approach me any and everywhere, pump my hand like a long-lost mate and ask how the wife and kids are. Of course I tell them, and often they'll realise after a bit of this that they don't know me personally at all. Some will become anxious that they ever thought they did, and they'll scurry off. I think what happens is that they recognise my face but don't realise that I'm from The Herald, they assume I'm an old friend they should know and hence the "how's the wife and kids".

Good fun.

And yes, I think the best reunions would be those you gatecrash.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 1/04/2009 3:22:35 PM

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