This October Long Weekend promises to be a special occasion, as a 40th reunion is planned for the “Centenary Kids.” These are individuals who completed Year 10 at Broken Hill High School, Willyama High School, or St Joes School during Broken Hill’s Centenary Year in 1983.
Four decades on, the Centenary Kids are gearing up for their latest reunion, following similar events in 1993 and every five years thereafter. David Bearman, the Broken Hill High School representative for the reunion, told the Truth, “Some school years have never had reunions, but our group has been reasonably tight-knit.”
Bearman noted that in the mid-’90s, before the advent of Facebook and social media, a dedicated website already existed for the Centenary group. It allowed former students to reconnect with their peers across the country.
The upcoming festivities begin next Friday, September 29, with a gathering at the Palace Hotel’s second-storey balcony. This will be followed by a dinner at the Sturt Club’s Beer Garden on Saturday night. On Sunday, attendees will head to the Mt Gipps Resort for a recovery day.
“Most of our people who now live away haven’t been to the new Mt Gipps Resort, so it was an overwhelming decision to hold our recovery day out there,” said Mr Bearman.
Organising a reunion can be a challenging endeavour, but this will be the group’s seventh gathering. Mr Bearman pointed out that each of the school groups has two or three liaisons who communicate regularly. “We’ve really been the contact points for a number of years now, so it’s just a matter of finding a couple of venues and away we go; it’s a simple process,” he added.
For those interested in attending next week’s reunion, or seeking more information, Mr Bearman can be reached at 0473 830 877.
