It was a momentous occasion as former Ladysmith High School (LHS) scholars gathered at the school on Saturday to commemorate their 50th reunion anniversary. The event was attended by scholars from the 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966 English and Afrikaans classes.
The 1964 scholars formed the majority of the attendees. It was a day of socialising and ‘catching up’, as everyone enjoyed the chance to see the school premises, which has undergone a variety of changes since the 60s! The guests were then treated to a scrumptious lunch held in the girls’ hostel.
Thereafter, guests relished the opportunity to give testimonies and tell stories of their activities and achievements. One of the co-ordinators, Inky Powell, said that he was thrilled with the turnout at the event.
“Celebrating 50 years is a remarkable achievement and it has been a fantastic day being with everyone again,” he said.
He is looking forward to a potential reunion in another five years’ time.
“We have begun a system of networking, especially keeping updated with our children’s activities, and constant e-mails certainly makes communication more convenient,” he added.
A message of thanks from co-ordinators Inky and Penny Powell: “We wish to thank Mrs Amanda van der Walt and LHS for accommodating us on this very special occasion (our thanks to LHS teacher Mrs R Conradie for arranging the function); to Andre and Dirkie, who have been wonderful with their support in arranging the event; to Chris, who has been amazing in marshalling the forces electronically; to Jill van den Berg for initiating the function on behalf of the English-medium class; to Lenie van der Merwe and her team for organising the lunch and tea, the decor, and the music; and to all who made the effort to come (people travelled all the way from England, Namibia, Cape Town, Gauteng, the Free State and various parts of our province to be here); to Penny for her assistance – I could not have done any of this without her support; and to Pier Turconi and his committee for their accommodation.
“Thank you all for making the effort to come! To those who did not make it, we missed you – Norman, Anton and others. Next time in five years! God bless you all.”
