Ferris Bueller got it right: “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. On Friday 15 November approximately 35 Old Reds from the Class of 2014 attended our ten year reunion at The Cumby.
I’d been thinking about this day since I started at the College in 2012. When I first attended a PAC assembly, which celebrated a large gathering of old scholars, I was fascinated. I had never seen a school with such a robust and loyal community. At the time, I thought “that’ll be me one day!”.
Fast forward to last Friday evening and as I’m walking along the front oval, I see a friendly-looking group of men with very familiar faces. Every man sports an ear-to-ear grin as he chats about the past decade. Sporadic cheers and laughs erupt as new arrivals enter the group and old memories are recalled, all the while the volume gradually increasing. Before long, the Headmaster David Roberts approaches us. David warmly welcomes us and provides an update on the exciting plans for the school’s future. Our tour guide for this special occasion was Chris McGuire, a man more than capable of leading a group of boisterous young men through PAC’s well-curated grounds. Assisted by his booming voice and visible passion for the school, Chris presented to us in surround sound and high definition the school’s numerous transformations and developments.
As we ended our tour of the school’s remarkable facilities, we felt the need to quench our thirst for both knowledge and beverages. Arriving at The Cumby, it was now time for some proper catching up. A whirlwind of laughs, jeers, sausage rolls and beers swirled around the room as old friends re-connected. The buzz throughout was palpable, spilling out onto The Cumby’s balcony and winding its way along Waymouth Street. Discussions jumped from Peaky Blinders, Christmas Trees and farming to solar panels, wine-making and the daily grind. It was fantastic to see the wide variety of pathways that the 2014 cohort took after leaving school. Whilst all diverse, the common thread of young men trying their hardest stayed true and strong. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s now looking forward to numerous coffees before the end of the year with old chums.
Sincere thanks to Anthony DePalma, Phil McBride, Tom Parish and of course Mary-Ann Standish, without whom the reunion would not have happened!
Jack Dascombe (2014)
