Peterite Class of ’74 Magical Reunion In Melbourne – By Lawrence Machado
It was a day most of us thought would never come: Meeting classmates 50 years after sitting for our Ordinary Levels at St Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya. It was a truly one of those magical evenings to remember, providing us with many grand memories for the rest of our lives.
Organised by our classmates (ably marshalled by Bertie Paiva, Everard Perera, Melroy Christiansz and Herman Bastian) in Melbourne on November 16, the Class of ’74 Reunion was something we had dreamed of but never thought would materialise because of so many variables.
I would not be truthful if I didn’t mention that I had to look very closely at a few classmates trying to guess who they were because we have all changed so much since we left St Peter’s. I am sure others look closely at me too! For the next reunion, we may well have to wear name tags for easy identification!
The specially-designed T-shirts, caps, mugs, and bookmarks to mark the occasion made the reunion extra special. A majority proudly wore the tee-shirts, adding a special sparkle to the occasion. A giant cake, with the Peterite motif and colours, was cut while the college anthem was also sung with gusto during the evening.
The Melbourne get together – at the gaily decorated Number Ninety in Oakleigh – followed the main reunion in Sri Lanka in July this year. Quite a few of the classmates flew from Australia for the Lankan reunion as it was the first time the class of ‘ 74 held an official reunion though there have been smaller gatherings when someone travels to Colombo for a holiday.
Australia is where many of our classmates reside – even more than in Sri Lanka – and it made sense to hold the reunion in Melbourne, where a majority reside. Two classmates journeyed from Sri Lanka – Doric Atton and Graeme Bertus – while some flew from Perth, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Sydney, for an evening of reminiscence, swapping old tales, remembering long lost mates and staff.
Incidentally, Doric Atton, Raymond Bartholomeusz, Graeme Bertus, Dwight Van Gramberg, Kevin Gomez, Patrick Fernando, and Joel White also attended the Sri Lankan reunion, which is a tribute to their close ties with their classmates. The other mates who attended the event in Melbourne included Riz Moldrich, Kevin Labrooy, Keith Pereira, Tyrone Perera, Patrick Serpanchy, Len De Silva, Emyard Souris, Ralph De Niese, Tony Martin, and Lawrie.
Fittingly, we started the evening by remembering our dear classmates who have left this world including Christopher Chong Kao, Jerome Paiva, Sheran Martin, Lorenz ‘Lolla’ Labrooy, Sampath Ratnatunga, Prince Machado, Adrian Serpanchy and Dion White.
Neville de Alwis and Eric Roche led prayers of thanksgiving for making this day and event possible, invoking blessings for everyone present and absent. The fellowship springs from our busy WhatsApp group formed some years ago to bring us back together even though we are oceans apart.
Like many of us living in different lands, since we left college, I had not met quite a few classmates since leaving college. So, as we downed a few drinks, and enjoyed a sumptuous buffet dinner of hoppers, kothu rotti and delicious accompaniments, we caught up on the lost years, took plenty of selfies and spoke fondly of a different era.
We caught up on the families, careers and the antics we had been up to during the college days many moons ago. It was lovely to see many classmates accompanied by their wives who all contributed to making this such a special evening.
Besides the nostalgic music pumped out by the DJ, we had our very own entertainment section: Our local Elton John aka Dwight Van Gramberg, Patrick Fernando and Graeme Bertus who showcased their singing talents showing us what we have been missing over the years.
Patrick also showed off his premium acting skills by transforming himself into a lifelike Rector, holding some ‘errant schoolboys’ to account while channelling our venerable rugby coach and class teacher Archibald Perera, whose cutting one-liners and character assessments are the stuff of legends both during rugby training and classes.
One of the most touching things was the group of old classmates singing and dancing together to close off the night, knowing this was a special moment in our lives as we don’t know when we will be able to do this again.
Our gratitude to all those who worked hard behind the scenes to co-ordinate the event while dealing with classmates in different time zones to make it such a delightful experience.
Adios. Till our next meeting, Godwilling.
