click here to go to the home page

Rutlish 1957 - the 50 Year Reunion
click here to go to the home page


mini-Reunion: 14 July 2007

Reunion | Mini-Reunion       Photos (miniatures pages): Reunion | Mini-Reunion | Golf | Real Tennis

Richard Nicol hosted a mini-Reunion at the Old Rutlishians Club on 14th July primarily for those people who could not make the main event on 1 September - Richard Nicol himself, Colin Burley, John Milson, Ken Mitchell, and Peter Walpole (all the way from Ontario). Other 'locals' in attendance were John Cunliffe, Brian Martin, Trevor Musk, Ian Newton, and Peter Tozer.



Comments on the mini-Reunion by Peter Walpole

Gentlemen:

First let me express my total pleasure at the meeting with you and the guys, last Saturday, at the Old Boys’ clubhouse in Merton. You have no idea how much I enjoyed my day with you all — the conversations, trips down ‘no memory lane’, distant recollections coming back, identifying a voice, body language, an incident from the past. Wonderful. Priceless.

Congratulations on beginning the exercise of contacting us all — and achieving such a spectacular result. 100%.

After I left the clubhouse, I picked up my wife at her old school. She too had had a magnificent time. That only made me regret more that I cannot be with you all at the ‘real’ reunion in September. She had been nervous that after all the years she would know nobody. Not the case at all. I know I will regret missing September’s events.

But on the other hand, the small get together was really fun. I particularly enjoyed the ‘picnic’ lunch. It was exactly what I really wanted that day. I’d not been able to get a serving of pork pie, and there it was. Great planning.

I mentioned to my wife Karol, as we drove away from Wimbledon, that no matter how we had done at school, whether or not we had pursued higher education or not, all of us seemed to be at a very similar place in life: we were all doing things we really enjoyed, things that had little (if anything) to do with our education or careers.

As one who spent almost his whole professional life in education, I find it interesting that in later life our education, our family circumstances etc. mean nothing. We all seem to have made a very similar life for ourselves — whether in the UK or elsewhere. If I had the motivation I might make an academic study of this observation. But I’m busy having fun!

Karol had already noticed that her long lost friends (all of whom had remained in England) were living almost identical lives to hers.

Thank you so much for a wonderful day. Thanks for helping me meet old friends and associates. My best wishes to you (and the whole group) as the reunion approaches. Sorry I’ll miss out on it.

Feel free to share my comments with anyone and everyone.

Cheers

Peter Walpole
18 July 2007


click here to go to the home page
This page was last updated on
Comments by e-mail are welcome;
Copyright information; Help