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It may be nearly 40 years since they
last sat in the classroom, but for one group of former pupils the
memories of their school days are as fresh as ever.
Past pupils of the Trinity High
School, Northampton, got together this weekend to share their
recollections of their time at the school in the 1960's.
Julian Tyler, who was known by his
middle name of Fred, organised the 4O-year reunion with the help of old
school-friends Steve and Jacqui Garrett (nee Brown).
Mr Tyler, who works as the principal
optometrist for the Department of Health and now lives in Bristol,
admitted that he'd lost all contact with Northampton since he left
school and moved away to university.
"So many people are now spread
across the country and are doing all sorts of things, and we have been
e-mailing people and trying to track them down on Friends
Reunited," he said.
"We know a lot of people weren't
able to make the reunion because they were coming down this weekend
instead - to watch the Cobblers play at home against Barnsley!
"But we just thought, now we are
in our early 50's, it was a good time to come together to share memories
and take stock."
Mr. Tyler said this autumn marked a
milestone for about 100 students who,
Trinity School
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in 1964, first crossed the
threshold of Trinity High School which has now become Unity College.
"Having passed our 11-plus exams
we entered with some trepidation a large modern school in which we knew
few people, but with whom we made some lasting friendships," he
recalled.
"We came into contact with people
from exotic locations (or so it seemed to me from the Headlands) such as
Kislingbury, Moulton and Jimmy's End and Kingsthorpe (THE 'places' to go
train spotting!).
"The lasting memory I have of my
first day was going into a class room where there were only about 25
other boys (the girls were segregated for the first two years) and
wondering when the other fifteen would arrive. Needless to say perhaps,
but classes of 40 were common in junior schools in those days."
Fellow schoolmates Steve and Jacqui Garrett, who now live in
Bournemouth, said some of their best memories were of the school Gilbert
and Sullivan performances.
Jacqui took part in the productions of the Pirates of Pirates of
Penzance in December 1966, The Mikado in 1968 and in the 1970
performance of Yeoman of the Guard.
Mr Garrett, however, remembered that "My only involvement in
G&S was to help Fred Tyler with the interval tuck shop for the
Yeomen of the Guard."
"Once the interval was over we packed away the stall and headed off
to the Romany for a couple of pints of Mann's Brown |
and a game of
skittles."
Despite being at school together for seven years, Mr Garrett added he
and Jacqui had only started "going out" just before their A
levels. "Before then we hardly knew each
other, although we did play some mixed hockey together" he said.
"Many of my memories revolve around sport - I played rugby until my
eyesight deteriorated so much that I couldn't see the ball, as contact
lens were almost unheard of in the 1960's.
"So I played hockey in
the fifth and sixth years, thanks to Mr Bennett who joined the a school
and invited lads to play hockey as an alternative to rugby in the
winter, and I'm still playing now (just).
"I played cricket and
remember having a run of six ducks in the second year; we bowled Moulton
school out for six in both the second and fourth years - but despite
these appearances for the school I always got a C for PE in my annual
report, and after all these years it still rankles.
" Mr Garrett
also recalled how pupils' status seemed |
to change over the years.
"When I joined in 1964 I remember all the prefects were like gods -
all huge - whereas when I finally arrived in the sixth form all the
younger kids seemed to ignore us Prefects," he laughed.
Mr Tyler
added that they might have all gone their own ways but many former
pupils still tried to stay in contact.
"The strong bonds of
friendship we forged at school have been a blessing ever since," he
said.
"Most of us still retain links with Northampton, even though
many may no longer live there because our jobs and families having taken
us to fields far away.
"But we still have such great memories of
the place."
Past pupils have also set up a website of school
memories from the 1950s, '6Os and '70s, which has been kept running due
to popular demand.
For more information, about future reunions and
school memories, visit the Trinity High School website at
www.trinityhigh.co.uk. |
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