Re-unions....

[Irene]

I am currently organising an evening re-union dinner for a few old school friends.

Three of us have kept in touch for the past 44 years!! We met when we were just eleven years old when we went to Grammar School (in the days when it was a real Grammar). ;)

There should be seven of us on this next occasion... should be quite a gaggle!! :D

Do you ever see any of your old school pals?

[-pops-]

I joined Friends Reunited expecting to be able to contact people I was at school with - not a single hit.

Nobody in my year at any school I attended was listed nor has ever made contact. People in the years above and below but mine? Nothing.

Similarly with college, one hit with the college bore/weirdo. No thanks.

[joysness]

Honestly, never had school chums. I've always been a loner, never really fit in with the crowd.

I still only have one good friend that I met about 10 years ago and we keep in touch for birthdays.

Although my sister has said she ran into a couple of folks I went to school with and they remember me but we don't keep in touch.

Irene, your get-together sounds like it will be fun. Hope you enjoy it.

[Irene]

Honestly, never had school chums. I've always been a loner, never really fit in with the crowd.

I still only have one good friend that I met about 10 years ago and we keep in touch for birthdays.

Although my sister has said she ran into a couple of folks I went to school with and they remember me but we don't keep in touch.

Irene, your get-together sounds like it will be fun. Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you Joy. :) I'm sure we will.

Just before Christmas, the "three" of us went to a local Stately Home, which has been converted into a fabulous health spa. We had an overnight stay. It was wonderful... We did it because we're worth it! :D

[andsome]

I play bowls with one old school mate and keep in touch by e mail with another. That's it I'm afraid.

[Thos]

Having been in the forces, then moved around the country until settling here, I completely lost touch with friends from my childhood, school and otherwise.

I tried Friends Reunited but got no hits. No one born before about 1930 ever logged on. The School Reunions consisted of forty year olds and under, though when I enquired one of the teachers wrote me a very nice handwritten letter. So I have given up on the Old Sandbachians!!

Good luck with your get-together, Irene.

Thos.

[artist]

I joined Friends Reunited

Me too. There were a few names on there I recognised but they weren't people I liked much.

[-pops-]

Is Friends Reunited all its cracked up to be?

From the responses here, it seems a complete failure in putting old friends in touch with each other yet, if you are to believe all the publicity about the organisation, it's one of the best inventions of the 20th Century.

Has anyone had what they'd call a positive response?

[andsome]

Is Friends Reunited all its cracked up to be?

From the responses here, it seems a complete failure in putting old friends in touch with each other yet, if you are to believe all the publicity about the organisation, it's one of the best inventions of the 20th Century.

Has anyone had what they'd call a positive response?

The old school mate that I play bowls with found my name on there. So did the friend who keeps in touch by e mail. Someone else also got in touch by e mail, but he now lives in Australia. We exchange the occasional e mail.

[Thos]

Has anyone had what they'd call a positive response?

The old school mate that I play bowls with found my name on there. So did the friend who keeps in touch by e mail. Someone else also got in touch by e mail, but he now lives in Australia. We exchange the occasional e mail.

Is that a positive response?

Thos. (the quote didn't work properly)

[Irene]

Is Friends Reunited all its cracked up to be?

Has anyone had what they'd call a positive response?

One of the names which came up for me, was a girl who started at the same Infants School as me, just before I was 5 years old. We subsequently attended the same Grammar School. She is one of the people I intend to contact for future 'Dinner Reunions'. I might even use F.U. to contact others from the same leaving years.

Looks like I may have set myself up for quite a job!!

P.S. I am also a member of Genes Reunited. I've been contacted by a number of people about my ancestors. One of them turned out to be the daughter of one of my cousins, who I've not seen for many years!

[AlanHo]

Is Friends Reunited all its cracked up to be?

From the responses here, it seems a complete failure in putting old friends in touch with each other yet, if you are to believe all the publicity about the organisation, it's one of the best inventions of the 20th Century.

Has anyone had what they'd call a positive response?

My late wife, who died in 2004, spent the last 3 years of her life trying to find Barbara - her best friend from junior school - who she lost touch with in her teens. I also wanted to find an old schoolmate from grammar school and posted both our details on Friends reunited in 2002.

In my case it worked straight away and I found my old friend and we are good mates again - but my wife's friend Barbara was more elusive and it seemed not to have worked.

However, Barbara's daughter was doing some family genealogy, spotted the entry and put Barbara and my wife in touch - the very week that my wife was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Their friendship was renewed and over the ongoing traumatic months Barbara provided tremendous support to both my wife and myself using her years of experience as a stress management consultant. After my wife died I continued to correspond with Barbara and over many months our friendship grew to the point where we now share our lives together.

Hence I can only speak well of Friends Reunited

There is another side though - if you don't mind me rabbiting on. As part of her genealogy searches on Friend Reunited and other sites - Barbara's daughter discovered that her father had an elder brother the family were not aware of. It became clear that her grandmother had a child "out of wedlock" and it had been raised by her great grandparents. To compound the problem, both boys were called Michael which made sorting out old records a little interesting.

So Barbara's daughter had a dilemma - having satisfied herself that there was no possibility of error - should she tell her dad or or keep quiet that he had an elder half brother. She eventually decided to tell her dad and uncles, which unfortunately resulted in some serious family problems and a complete breakdown in relations with her dad who has taken the news very badly.

So the moral to this story is - if you decide to go poking into the past - you may be truly lucky like me - otherwise be prepared to face some demons.

[Thos]

Wonderful story, AlanHo. I hope your lives together will be happy and peaceful.

Regarding the second part of your story. Isn't it strange how different people react to news like that. Some would be so happy to discover a relative they didn't know existed, others look beyond that and make a judgement on things that happened long ago.

Best of luck to you and to Barbara.

Thos.

[andsome]

Hope things carry on going well for you Alan.

My brother in law is well into family history, and has tracked back well into the 1700's . My other brother in laws wife asked him to look into her family history. When he had the results he told her that he preferred to say nothing as she may be upset. She insisted on hearing what he had found out, and he reluctantly told her that the man she thought was her father, was in fact not, and that her mothers lodger was in fact her dad. She was very upset by this news. As Alan's lady found out, research into family history can have two faces, good or at times bad.

[deuces wild]

There were close to 1,200 kids in my high school graduating class............I had maybe a half dozen or so close friends and sadly have not kept in touch with them.

Have a great time at your party Irene.

[Irene]

Have a great time at your party Irene.

Thanks DW.

If any photos are fit for uncensored posting, I'll do so! :D

[Irene]

This is where we plan to meet for the forthcoming "reunion". :D

http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/pub14_1.html

Thos will know the area well, I think.

I no longer live in that exact part of the world, so will be staying with one of the "three", who still lives in 'that neck of the woods'.

What do you think of the venue?

[andsome]

This is where we plan to meet for the forthcoming "reunion". :D

http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/pub14_1.html

Thos will know the area well, I think.

I no longer live in that exact part of the world, so will be staying with one of the "three", who still lives in 'that neck of the woods'.

What do you think of the venue?

Is that the pub mentioned in the Sunday scandal rags a week or two ago? :D

[rong]

This is where we plan to meet for the forthcoming "reunion". :D

http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/pub14_1.html

Thos will know the area well, I think.

I no longer live in that exact part of the world, so will be staying with one of the "three", who still lives in 'that neck of the woods'.

What do you think of the venue?

Is that the pub mentioned in the Sunday scandal rags a week or two ago? :D

If it wasn't it probably will be after the reunion.

[catgate]

What do you think of the venue?

I think it good that it's location is spelled with a "W" and not a "U".

[Irene]

If it wasn't it probably will be after the reunion.

So, you've heard of our reputation?

We were (are) real nice, well educated girls. Most of us did reasonably well in life. One or two of us managed to survive one or two marriages.

I do remember being called into the Headmistress because I had left the school grounds wearing a crash-helmet instead of my school beret when I was collected by by current boyfriend. B)

[Tankus]

The hand and strumpet ?

[Irene]

The hand and strumpet ?

Ooohhhh, you cheekie thing!! :0

We are good girls.

[Irene]

Well, did you miss me? I have been away overnight for the Reunion, as mentioned earlier last month.

I have to admit, I did feel a little delicate this morning. However, I did say that I would show a photo if there was a 'decent' one. Here it is........

[-pops-]

- - - and where are you seated, Irene?