Reunion Weekend

VIRGINIA CORDINGLEY | Alumni and Archives Officer

After much uncertainty, we were grateful to be able to run this year's Reunion Weekend, albeit on a more condensed schedule than in the past.

The weekend began with a wonderful cocktail party to celebrate 75 years of the St Peters Old Scholars Association. Attendees ranged from Old Scholars from the 1950s cohort to our newest members from 2020. There were stories from our guest speakers Rupert Hoare (2019), Kathie Newton (1994) and David Radke (1978) who reminisced about their fond memories of St Peters. Drinks were flowing, stories enhanced as the memories came flooding back and classmates who hadn’t seen each other for years rekindled friendships.

Tim Kotzur welcomed the crowd and told of his own personal connections to the school. The Chapel bell rang to signal the beginning of a memorable video display which showed many achievements and highlights of what has made our College what it is today. It was the start of what was going to be a reunion weekend to remember.

Sunday morning we returned to continue the festivities and honour our College in the form of a Chapel service. The service included confirmation and we paid our respects to those classmates we have said farewell to. This was followed by a morning tea of freshly made scones with jam and Chantilly cream to be shared with the Sunday congregation. Three of our Prefects - Isabella Barber, Carter Lui and Jake Harford - gave up their holiday time to escort some of our Old Scholars through the campus, including the hallways of Ross Roy where some of our guests used to live when they were boarders. As you can imagine they were suitably impressed by the state of the art PAC and insight of the new Centre for Learning and Innovation, currently under construction. A special mention needs to be made to Mrs Gloria Curtis (1948) who was our oldest Old Scholar in attendance at the Reunion Weekend. Mrs Curtis was one of the first students at St Peters in 1946 and used to sleep in the verandahs of Ross Roy. Her son Alan drove her down from the Sunshine Coast for the day so she could revisit the school she holds so fondly in her heart.

Lunch was next on the agenda and a celebration of our golden, diamond and platinum graduates. Tim Kotzur launched Nicky Bricknell's book, Early Days Part One, which is the story of the first five years of St Peters. Plenty of stories and smiles over a meal in the old refectory and Reunion Weekend was well and truly back.

It was a weekend to cherish and appreciate as we learn to live for today. One thing we know is that friendships born at St Peters Lutheran College are life long no matter the distance or time passed. For this we are eternally grateful.