Reunions and revisiting

It has been a while since I last wrote on the blog, over a year actually. When I wrote about some family history that I had discovered back in November 2014, it was part of the process of digging deeper about how I got to where I am now, to understand better, and to put some things to rest.

2015 wasn’t an easy year on the whole, family illness, my favourite aunt passing away, friends ill and passing away, taking a hard look at myself, coming out of depression. By years’ end, I started to feel cautiously optimistic that things will be better.

When I found out more information about my family history, it opened up a lot of avenues to explore. With a lot of further research and reading I finally felt that I was getting somewhere in my search for underlying elements that had affected my family and me. It has been such a relief. I will go into more detail about this in another post.

A part of this was a positive experience that I had during the summer – going to my 50th high school reunion. I have had mixed feelings all my life about the place where I grew up, a small coastal town in southern BC. I had always wanted to escape from it when I was young, which I did. I came to realize though, that it wasn’t the place I had wanted to escape from but from the life that I had there growing up. There were good parts, but in finally looking back with a new perspective, there were quite a few not so good parts. I also came to understand and acknowledge the root of these things so that I can finally let them go after all this time.

I decided I would go, to put some things to rest. I figured that if it was awful, I could always just leave. Instead, I had a lovely time, reconnected with the people I had known all those decades ago, was so pleased to see what they had done, all of us really. I had a good wander around over the few days there, and found that all but one of the places I had lived was gone, rebuilt, as were all of the schools, but for one. I walked all over, walked and drove my old routes to school, and put it into a good place of remembrance. One of my school mates I met reminded me that back in grade 9, we had shared the proficiency award. I had totally forgotten that. Someone found the photo that was taken to put into the local paper. Here it is, pretty blurry as it is from a scan of a 45 year old newspaper, but good to have nonetheless. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in the photo.

My Dad, my brother and I, at the house on Zero Ave, 1953.

The house on Zero Ave. July 2015. Apparently it is to be sold, so that will be the last of the houses I lived in gone.

The only school left that I attended, this one for grade one. It is a heritage site. The other elementary, junior high and high schools I attended are no more.

One of the walks to school that I took in grades 2 and 3. Lots of hills!

My Dad and Grandpa in front of the house on Washington Ave, 1944.

The white balcony house, rather tatty looking, sits on the site of my grandparents’ house now.

Me dressed to go to grade 12 grad. This house is also gone now, just a pile of dirt when I went by.

I also found this in the local paper archives our class photos after seeing it at the reunion:

Reading the article, I found out I had received the PTA Bursary, one of the 25 Service Crests, and one of the three A Student crests. I really managed to bury my accomplishments.

Drama club, many of whom came to the reunion. We had a good time looking at the old programs and reminiscing about our drama teacher, Miss Watts, who is still living in England.

Me 50 years later. I got to have a ride in this lovely red motorbike with side car, that belongs to one of my high school friends. Such fun, but I don’t know that I could go on an extended tour!

I thank all those who worked so hard to put on our reunion. They did a wonderful job finding all of us scattered here and there, finding photos and mementoes, organizing great food and music, putting together the memorial, including the piper’s accompaniment, to those no longer with us, and allowing us to visit with each other once again. Good memories made.