By Kath Gannaway
HEALESVILLE High School’s Class of ’82 took a trip down memory lane at a class reunion in Healesville on Saturday 20 November.
Organising committee members Gayle Mackenzie (Thomas) and Cindy DeLuca (Scopel) said months of planning brought more than 70 ’40-somethings’ together from around the country to the Fluid Lounge in Healesville for the big catch-up.
Along with former students Kris Wenhuda and Maxine Berezy they put the word out on Facebook and through the ever-reliable grapevine, to reach students who started year seven in 1977.
Name tags with ‘back then’ photos helped jog a few memories leading up to DVD show of photos sent in over the past year.
“It was a marvellous trip down memory lane after nearly 30 years,” Ms Mackenzie said.
A mannequin with a girl’s summer uniform on was the first ‘relic’ to greet people and a hot topic during the night as the focus of a “guess the owner” competition.
“Debbie Hoskings who was at the reunion was revealed as the owner of the dress at the end of the night, and she could still fit into it,” she said.
“Everyone seemed to be the same but older,” said Ms Scopel.
“It was just magical and for a lot of people walking around the room, it seemed like some kind of time warp,” she said.
Ion Whykes who was principal for the entire time the students were at Healesville High was a special guest.
Ms Scopel said a special tribute was paid to students who had passed on.
“It was a beautiful thing to be able to include in the night,” she said.
Home-time came too early for many with the party continuing at a private home, and at The Harvest for breakfast the next morning.
Ms Mackenzie said there was a satisfying sense of “pay-back time” for those who had arranged for the children to come and pick them up from the Fluid Lounge.
