‘That’s the fun of going to a high school reunion: it’s seeing the people who you were close to all those years ago, and re-exploring the relationships of the past.’
– American screenwriter and director, Jon Hurwitz
IT looks like 2025 is year of the school reunions for me. It is only March and already, I have received three invitations to take part in reunions with former classmates.
The first invitation is to join my former classmates at St Elizabeth’s Convent School in Sibu for a lunch date on March 27.
A friend, Evelyn Lim, is coming all the way from overseas – I’m not sure whether it is USA or Canada – and former classmates who are now residing in Kuching have graciously and generously organised a lunch date to welcome her.
Like a few others, I have not met Evelyn for years and we are all looking forward to catching up with her.
Evelyn has lived overseas for decades and returns home to Sarawak occasionally. I look at the list of potential attendees and realise that most were my Form 3A classmates in St Elizabeth in 1973. I studied at the all-girl Catholic school located at Oya Road from 1971 to 1975 and cherished the years I spent there.
I had lots of fun; not a day was dull with my playful yet clever classmates.
After Form Three, I switched to Arts side but remained close to my classmates, most of whom remained in the Science stream.
In fact, my Form 3A classmates and I maintained our close ties until today. Though we seldom meet in person, we remain close to one another through a group chat.
Evelyn is not the only one who has migrated overseas.
A few other classmates also found greener pastures overseas. Whenever these classmates come back for visits, those of us who remain in Sarawak will be invited to join them for lunch or dinner dates.
I have received another invitation to join a reunion dinner in Sibu organised by my former primary school classmates at SUDC No.4.
The dinner will be on March 28. I attended this co-educational school at Oya Road from 1964 to 1970. I’d love to meet some of my classmates whom I have never seen since 1970 but alas, I’m in Kuching while the dinner is in Sibu.
SUDC No. 4 was a relatively new school in 1964. Most of the school blocks were wooden. But I am sure the school infrastructure has changed a lot.
But I have not returned to the school since leaving it in 1970. However, I did pass it a few times when I travelled along Oya Road.
I remember Mrs Chai who was the headmistress when I was in Primary Six and Miss Sma, the softspoken class teacher who invited us to her house once for a gathering.
All my sisters and brothers also studied at the school.
There, I also met a few good friends who also continued their education at St Elizabeth’s Convent School.
While many of the girls at SUDC No. 4 had their secondary education at St Elizabeth, many of the boys had theirs at Sacred Heart Secondary School, an all-boy school, which could be seen from the all-girl school. Some of my classmates at St Elizabeth eventually married the boys from Sacred Heart.
Their husbands were, however, a few years older than them.
Lastly, I have also received an invitation to a St Elizabeth Class of 1975 reunion at this end of this year.
My classmates from other towns of Sarawak, especially Sibu, will be coming out to Kuching to join this reunion.
Details of the programme are being planned and it entails a trip to a resort outside Kuching City. About 16 former classmates including yours truly have expressed interest in the reunion.
Some of us were in the Science stream while others were in the Arts stream.
A few years ago, we had such a reunion. We even published a book to commemorate the occasion.
What an unforgettable gathering it was!
School memories, I guess, are the best part and happiest days of our lives. Our school days may be over, but some of the memories stay with us forever.
I look forward to the lunch date and school reunion at the end of the year.
They will, no doubt, allow my friends and I to revisit our school years, share stories and laugh about old times.
Yes, together, we will feel and laugh like teenagers again…
