Reunions !

[Deleted member 1258]

I've never attended a reunion. If I met someone from my old school I doubt if I'd recognise them, it's been about forty years since I moved away from the area where I was brought up and over twenty years since I last visited.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I regularly see folk I was at school with, one brother in law and one sister in law at family do's plus various others at church, and folk I played rugby with locally. At mother-in-laws funeral last week I saw about 12 mothers of people I was at school with, several of whom seemed insistent that I wasn't at school with their son, until b-I-l, from same class, insisted I was.

I did tlh's school reunion (same school five years younger) and knew more of her year group than I did my own.

 

[Fnaar]

We have absolutely brilliant school reunions. All now in our mid 50s, we raise a glass to those who haven't made it this far, and although we are scattered far and wide, we usually meet in the pub we used to go to in 6th form lunchtimes. People have come over from the USA to be there.

I helps that I have good memories of schooldays, and although I didn't really keep in touch after, the interwebs opened up a whole new world. I now get on well with blokes I really didn't mix with at school, and have renewed friendships with fellas who were once my mates, smoking and drinking pals etc. It's all been good, to be honest.

 

[The Jogger]

I have one to go to on Wed and although I use to commute up to and around London everyday, I really couldn't be arsed but I will, even if it's just an excuse to ride the Brompton around London again.........

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

You can still have sex in the cupboard at the office party though

Thankyou, my iPad just got covered in tea as I laughed out loud!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

A well known, former Science teacher of ours at school, died of Leukaemia a few years back and our year organised a reunion fundraiser for one of the Cancer charities. Maybe that is an indication of what people always told us, we were 'a good year', but I would like to think that other school years would have done the same.

Anyway, I found it a little bit disconcerting as, despite this only being 7 years after we left, a few people, the girls really, had changed, some beyond recognition. They all knew me, but I had no idea who they were, and then there were their spouses who also came, so I was extra confused as to who was who.

Anyway, enough of my friends and people I did know were there, so it was an enjoyable, if strangely awkward evening!
The drink helped.

 

[stephec]

I left school thirty years ago and don't have any friends from back then, until I bumped into an ex best mate at parkrun about six months ago. We chat a bit but it's confirmed I was right not to go to any of the reunions, we don't have much in common now and I imagine it would be a bit dull.

People drift apart for a reason, I don't see much point in trying to pretend we're all back in the good old days.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I left school thirty years ago and don't have any friends from back then, until I bumped into an ex best mate at parkrun about six months ago. We chat a bit but it's confirmed I was right not to go to any of the reunions, we don't have much in common now and I imagine it would be a bit dull.

People drift apart for a reason, I don't see much point in trying to pretend we're all back in the good old days.

That was another reason why I found it strangely awkward, it was nice to see people again (once I knew who they were that is), but what I found was that, with it being so soon after we had left, people began to stay in their old groups of friends, and some had never drifted apart since leaving school, so it was just another Saturday night for them. With Facebook, it has meant that people are more connected, so there was an element of 'cross grouping', but on the whole, a lot of people just stood with their old mates, me included, some of the night, I am ashamed to say.

I think it was too soon after we had all left (7 years), but we had our reasons (it was a charity fundraiser in memory of a popular teacher).

 

[Tin Pot]

Last Friday I went to my second company reunion and I just wonder if anyone else as had the same experience.
Arrive at the pub walk in and then desperately look for a familiar face amongst all that are gathered in there.
Oh by the way as I am sure there are other ex gas board employees on here I worked in the South East.
So I am looking and unlike me ( chuckle ) everyone else seems so much older greyer or balding and rotund in shape. Suddenly spotting a familiar face I approach them and why I don't know ( another chuckle) you can see in their eyes they're thinking who is this idiot talking to me but then it all clicks in and we both realise we were once great mates and the drink and chat begins to flow more easily.
Its then a matter of progression as others join us and the evening begins to swing.
As we are reminiscing about how hard we all worked and how much easier it is for the youngsters who do our jobs now we then remember those that are not with us and in fact are no longer with anyone and how lucky we are to still be here. Still because they left us with such good memories they will always be with us at any future reunions we have.
Are my experiences similar to those you have had or do you shy away from such events as they can bring back unhappy memories. I know I would never attend a school reunion because I do not have great memories of my time there.

I've never heard of a company reunion, only school ones.

Are they common?