Well, there goes another DRGS reunion into the history books! Another week of events organized by a talented committee of dedicated individuals, who spared no effort in coming up with events which gave all attendees a variety of venues where they could have a good time. High rollers were given a chance to win a few bucks, or lose their shirts at the casino night .Wine lovers headed to the Niagara region to sample some of Ontario’s best wine, and Golfers were given the chance to score well on the greens or lose their balls in the process. I have some regrets about not having participated in this preamble to the bigger events of the week, namely the Class of ’64 dinner on Friday, and the Gala Dinner on Saturday, but I am happy that I did attend at least those two events. I was not able to attend the picnic on Sunday, but it was good to hear that even the picnic was a success, and not a wash out because of the rain, as some had feared.

This year’s class reunion dinner was a little different from 3 years ago, because I knew about the attendees ahead of time. None the less, it was a pleasant surprise to see faces I could barely recognize among a bunch of faces that have now become so familiar.

Godfrey and Lucina, chose a nice restaurant, The Host, for the class dinner. We had excellent Indian cuisine, followed by a “name those classmates in the photo” contest . This time I was relieved not to be the dunce, who three years ago at the last reunion, could not remember more than a mere handful of my classmates in the class photo of 1959. This time I did my homework! Norma, as usual, was able to name all of us, and was the outright winner.

Remy, who came from the UK, was but a vague memory from a distant past . We had so many classmates like him in our class of 64…quiet individuals who gained neither fame nor notoriety while at the DRGS, and who, by dint of hard work were able to carve out a comfortable living for themselves and their families in distant lands. In Remy’s case it was in the Middle East. Afra also from the UK, exuded an air of self confidence and has a great self depreciating sense of humor .She is still the fast walking, fast talking, no nonsense broad that I remember from days of yore! Irenio the ageless wonder, still exudes the charm that earned him the sole privilege of getting a photo taken with all the women of our class of 64.

The Gala was more poignant for me than I expected. How nice it was to see the former Miss Olive Pereira, our class teacher from Standard III, with her husband Albert Fernandes. There were few former teachers present, probably because some are frail, and also because not many survive.

The Canadians were well represented, with Joan and Clement, Seraph and Carmen, Jules and Edith, Luis, Thelma and Dragan, and of course, Godfrey and Lucina. The US contingent was smaller, with Merwin and Carol, and myself with my wife Sue, who had a very nice time at the dinner, and also at the Gala on the following day. Jeanne and Lenny, and Tina joined us at the Gala.

Thank you Godfrey, Joan, Merwin, and others of our class who worked behind the scenes to make the reunion a success.

Memories fade as time passes, some forever! Perhaps that is just as well, because otherwise, we would be living constantly in the present, with no concept of what the past represents .Instant and total recall may be a thing of the past for many of us, with our fading brain circuitry, but it is so nice to have at least some of those memories of our childhood come back! We tend to remember the pleasant things of the past more than we do the less pleasant ones. Perhaps that too, is just as well! That is why I will keep coming back.

Olav