For the last year or so there’s been a WhatsApp group reconnecting some of our school year group who started at school in 1978 and left in 1985. Yesterday some of us met up in St Albans and had a tour of the school, lunch together and some time in the pub. It was an amazing day.
We were met at the school by the current head who was very impressive. Townsend is a Church of England School and he’s clearly upped the spiritual side of the curriculum and daily routine. He began our reunion by leading us in a reflection time and he went on to share stuff which gave me a load of ideas when I’m helping schools with inspections! I took a lot of pictures of notice boards…
About 30 of us had a tour of the school which brought back some happy and some painful memories. Those of us in Winchester class found our old classroom we lived in for our fourth and fifth year. We went and sat where our desks would have been which was a bit of a moment. We remembered dear Mr Laurens who we drove to distraction. He failed to keep control of us and would often lose it. He’d then apologise and say he didn’t mean to shout at us, he only wanted us to pass our exams. We’d say “that’s alright sir” as though he was the one who’d done something wrong! We were always last into assembly as the room was in chaos with several of the class lobbing paper at him. Poor man!
There were parts of the school I’d rather not have seen again like the PE masters office. I got slippered on day one for being last out of the changing rooms as someone had nicked my pants! At least the swimming pool is no more. The classrooms felt smaller and the field of blessed memory felt a lot bigger. The lecture theatre was as it was - the place we got class detention for being disgraceful more than anywhere!!
I was glad to get a word with the Head and told him while school wasn’t always easy for me, the spiritual life there and the regular visits to the cathedral began a call to what I do now. We laughed when he spoke with us about a respect for all policy which he was sure was in place in our day. A cry went up from near me “not on your life, mate!” Some of us were pushed into the deep end of the swimming pool, some of us had our ears twisted getting maths sums wrong, some of us were called names for being different or failing exams, bits of school were very cruel in the late 1970s and 1980s but somehow yesterday all that was healed. It was an important day for many of us.
We ended our tour in the hall, the place of assemblies and exams and our beloved Miss Legerton Headteacher trying to hold it together over the noise! The school motto was still there at the front and it still has no s on the end of alway!!
Why was yesterday so special? Well it was quite amazing that after forty years apart we seemed to be a very happy and supportive and connected group. Some of us had travelled a long way to be there. There was a depth there and a feeling of finding friends who might now share the future with me. It was a privilege to be there, worth a four hour drive and landing in a Travelodge at 1.40am and having to spend last night up to 2am writing today’s services. I hope we will meet again soon - I think there’s a commitment to have another big reunion in two years time when we are sixty.
The group camped after a nice fish and chip lunch to a St Albans City Centre pub called Saints and Sinners. I rather liked the signage!
Some of them may still be there!! I did have to keep telling people I work on a Sunday. So to remind them still partying or nursing hangovers this morning I sent a work picture from the vestry in Masham! Thank you fellow travellers yesterday. It was a day I’ll remember for a long time and I’m glad to be part of a group who may now be important.
It was lovely to be told how glad people were I was there. It was also lovely to be told I haven’t changed a bit and it was fascinating to be told some knew I’d always end up in the Church. I was asked if I do block bookings for funerals!!!!!!
And to end this - find me on this picture! Clue - my hair used to be a mop out of control!!
No comments:
Post a Comment