Reunion 2022 in Vancouver – September 8 to 12

Another Glorious Reunion in Vancouver!

By Pradeep Kapadia

It goes against all reasonable assumptions: as we age, we should be slowing down, our reunions should be getting smaller and smaller, and we should be giving up our ‘promenade obligatoires’, and dancing only to slow music, then promptly going to sleep by 9 pm.

Not in Vancouver, my friends. Thanks to our excellent host, Susan Reaper, and our great alumni reunion committee members, this was one of the best attended reunions and we had a blast. Some 73 people showed up, many of them first timers from the Vancouver area. The five reunion virgins were asked to either tell an embarrassing story from their time at Bluche or buy a round of drinks. Maybe they will show up at the next reunion to fulfill their obligations.

Vancouver gave us four splendid sunny days, a full harvest moon, a panoramic sight to behold on top of Grouse Mountain, great food, music and dance, and many opportunities to catch up with each other.

Things we remember:

Susan Sturgis singing the Pres Fleuris song on the bus to Grouse Mountain, just like she did on a bus some 52 years ago (how do you still remember the words, Susan?);
Seven brave fools who decided to hike up the mountain instead of taking the cable car, being greeted with applause and wine as they arrived at the top;
A silent moment for those alumni and teachers who have passed away recently, and a toast to those teachers (Mr. & Mrs. Hill, Irene Neveau and others) for keeping the torch alive;
Paul Wirth revealing a secret message embedded in a drawing in the 1973 yearbook;
Mikael and Annie Bengtson offering to host the next reunion in June 2023 (just 9 months away) in Sweden and getting an enthusiastic response from the alumni;
The fabulous dinner and soiree, where we danced to the music of the 60’s and 70’s, watched a slideshow of past reunions, and shared stories well into the night;
Ross reading a heartfelt and funny letter from a former teacher, who taught us more than just English, he taught us the facts of life;
On Sunday, the 35 or so alumni that stayed on went for a dim sum buffet, followed by a walk to Gastown and the Granville Island Marketplace.

Our alumni represented many countries and many states and provinces in the US and Canada. Local alumni got to boast about the vibrant city of Vancouver, its art, culture and scenic beauty. Some took time before and after the reunion to visit Whistler and Seattle. Melanie (a first-timer from ’64-65 and a local), got to show off her favorite places around Granville Island, the second-most visited spot in Canada.

So many other alumni who could not attend for various reasons, sent us their best wishes – Pichet in Bangkok, Carl in London, Giancarlo in Switzerland, Jitendra in New York, Katy in Indianapolis, Alfie in Kuala Lumpur and Sharon in South Africa among them.