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Retrospectives Toxic Custard newsletter

Thirty years on

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. This is especially so for school reunions. My eldest son is pondering whether to even go to his – the people he wants to stay in touch with, he does via Facebook. Fair enough. I however do go to my school reunions. Melbourne High School has an active  ... [More]

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Retrospectives

25 years on – school reunion

The weather on Friday night wasn’t favourable, but I think we all had a good time at the 25th school reunion in any case. Amusingly, it clashed with the year 9+10 social in the main building. When I first arrived (wearing a black suit) I was asked if I was with Security. It was a  ... [More]

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Retrospectives

Before Facebook and Twitter, we did analogue social networking with paper and pen

Tonight I’m going to a school reunion. Almost unbelievably, it’s 25 years since year 12 in 1988. To mark this occasion I’ve dug out something even older than that. Once upon a time, before Facebook and Twitter, we couldn’t write on each others’ Walls or send a Tweet. On occasion in class, we’d pass a  ... [More]

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Clothes Retrospectives

No old school tie for me – how about old school cuff links instead?

I’m not a great cuff link wearer, but recently I inadvertently bought a shirt that needs them, and I couldn’t find any at home. I noticed the school Old Boys association sells them, so (I guess to mark 25 years since I did VCE — gulp) I bought some. I don’t mind these… they aren’t  ... [More]

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music News and events

Happy Australia Day (and make sure you have a ticket)

The words on the left are from I Am Australian, by Bruce Woodley: We are one, but we are many And from all the lands on earth we come We share a dream, and sing with one voice: I am, you are, we are Australian Wikipedia says the song was written in 1987. I’m pretty  ... [More]

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Retrospectives

Twentieth reunion

Friday night’s 20 year school reunion had all the standard components: old mates chatting; drinking; fairly raucous singing old the school song; a meal; more drinking; a few speeches, that kind of thing. And a school tour. If my kids had been there, I’m sure they would have thought it was very Harry Potter, especially  ... [More]

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Retrospectives

Not everybody made it

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my leaving high school, and the Old Boys’ Association has a reunion dinner organised which I’ll certainly be going to. I’m even thinking I might go early for the tour of the school, to see how it’s changed. (A teacher I knew at a different school is now  ... [More]

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Retrospectives

15 years on, when afar and asunder

It was my school reunion last night. 15 years. I’m getting old. It was good to see people again. I went to the one 5 years ago – less people turned up this time, but still a crowd of about 60. As last time, we were all a little fatter, balder and/or greyer, apart from  ... [More]

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Retrospectives

Reunion

For those who share my age of 28, this year is the tenth anniversary of leaving high school, which means it’s reunion time. Mine was last Wednesday night; a chance to get a look around the school to see how it’s changed, and to catch up with a few people that I haven’t seen since  ... [More]