Sweet Get Together

We are delighted to receive the following write-up from Fiona Wong dated 26 June Monday about a warm alumni gathering in Calgary. We welcome the sharing with us any mini-reunions leading up to the BHJS 1967 grand reunion next year.

I am in favour of setting up a BHJS 1967 graduates alumni which reminds us that we walked into each other's life as a teenager, for many of us like me somehow got lost over three decades, but re-connected through our efforts and the wonderful invention of the internet. I treasure the pure friendship developed in school and have the will to continue to keep in touch as long as I live.

When I first joined in the e-mail orrespondence, I wrote about my settling well in retirement life in Calgary for 4 years. Then a few days later, Pauline Wong (F5B) who happened to have lived in Calgary for 30 odd years contacted me and visited me at my home. Then Joshua Wu (F2A, F5C) was found and wrote to us all. He thought he was the only one in Calgary. He moved to Calgary from Ottawa about 9 years ago because he got a new job here. To his surprise, he is not the sole BHJS 67 graduate here.

I am a retired solicitor. Pauline wants to tune down a bit and is selling her Kumon business (a sort of "po chap ser" which provides drilling on Maths after school) but is still a school librarian. Joshua is an electrical engineer doing some high tech stuff along with some retired military personnel. His hair is natural black without artificial colour treatment. I envy him. He has not changed much, just more muscular.

I am happy to tell you all that last night we had a wonderful reunion at Joshua's house. Pauline and her husband Fred were there but my husband was in Hong Kong and missed our gathering. Joshua's wife Christina prepared a delicious Chinese meal. Pauline brought along a healthy home baked carrot cake with less sugar and less butter which was tasty and fluffy. I am not creative in making desert. I cheated a little bit and made almond soup from frozen concentrate I bought and boiled some frozen sweet round dumplings ("tong yuen") which I also bought from Chinese supermarket.

Although it was the first time for Joshua's wife and Pauline's husband Fred and me met each other, we chatted as though we have known each other since our school days. During our conversation, it was disclosed that Fred knows some of Joshua's colleagues because they go to the same church. It was also disclosed that Christina and I also have mutual friends. Another unbelievable fact is that Pauline and her husband met my cousin and his wife in an Anglican church when they were in Vancouver some 30 years ago and they are still good friends. It is a small, small world. The five hours we spent in Joshua's house passed very very quickly. We really had to leave shortly before midnight because Joshua and his wife had to catch an early flight to Seattle today.

Pauline will try to set up a gatherng in Edmonton in mid August when we take a three and a half hour drive about 400 odd kilometersup north to meet 3 more 67 graduates who live there.

Joshua and Christina, thank you for your hospitality and delicious food. Pauline, thank you for the delicious 100% home made cake. Joshua and Pauline, you both have wonderful and friendly spouses who fit into our 1967 alumni.

I attach photos we took in front of and in the back yard of Joshua's house. Christina in red dress, Joshua next to her, Fred in blue pants and Pauline next to him, and then me in a brown shirt. Will anybody plan to visit Calgary? Calgary is getting more world attention because of the boom in the oil and gas industry and the Oscar Award winning film Brokeback Mountain which was filmed in and around Calgary with beautiful scenery.