40 years on!

40 years since we left school! It's hard to grasp such large figures, especially when maths was not my strong point. The girls have stood up well to the test of time, with some hardly changed in any way, just as beautiful as ever! The boys have obviously gone grey, bald, moustachioed, bearded and plenty of pairs of glasses. But nevertheless, they have all aged gracefully, some looking better than ever! I must say that in the dim light the menu was hard to read, but candlelight came to the rescue for many of us and most of us succumbed to the all-you-can-eat prawn special, which didn't need to be read up on.

So many of us are reaching, or have reached, retirement, mostly due to successful careers and businesses, and an amazing number have gone into teaching, remaining in the valley at the schools they attended over the years, or working in an administrative capacity. The average IQ in that room was definitely in the Superior category, and yet everyone remains basically what they were at school, a group of motivated, fun-loving kids with a vision of what they want the world to be and making their mark on the world.

I salute you all, matrics of 1973, and particularly those who shared an evening of great laughs and camaraderie - those were the best years of our lives, despite the annual cross country run over the sanddunes and so many visits to the Headmaster's office - we were privileged to go to school in the valley with the freedom attached to those far-off days.

We'll be doing it all again next year for those who were reluctant or unable to party with us. Try not to miss it!