News about the Successful Re-union.............................See the Pictures.............

  29th June - 1st July 2001, Watford, England

So, it happened... 

The Re-union 2001 was by all account a great success! So many batchmates turned up and we all had a wonderful time over the whole weekend. 

A good number came on Friday, 29th June. After a brief chat at the hotel, we all gathered at my (Mike Isweran) House. The gathering was a little unmanageable at the start, as all started to greet each other in top of their voice and chatted away, catching up with the news they missed for so many years. 

The excitement was understandable as some of them have not met any other batchmates for over 30 years. There were plenty of drinks and food, thanks to those who brought them and Premala (my other half). For those who were there, it was a good warming up session for the things to come over the rest of the weekend.

The canal cruise on the Saturday (1st July) morning was a wholly enjoyable experience. The weather was on the whole very good, in spite of occasional passing clouds. The coach journey though the winding roads through the Hertfordshire villages was as exciting as the Huggalla journey we had so many years ago. The canal boat was spacious and its smooth and relaxing cruise along the peaceful open fields was well suited to those who are on the verge of their declining years (I did not mean us!). The exciting part of the canal cruise was that everyone able to learn quite a lot about the canal network in England and how the locks etc work.

The boat trip became so excited that some people wanted to walk along the boat rather than relaxing in it. Others tried their hands on the lock gates and saw for themselves how the canal water levels are maintained. There were plenty of snacks and drinks. We did not want to get carried away as we had to come back on time to get ready for the evening. Nearer the end of the trip, one of the boat crew announced "we hope you have enjoyed your re-union in the Grand Union canal" and all responded appreciatively with a loud cheer, "yeah......!!!"

The Grand Re-union Party on the Saturday evening was a truly memorable one. There were a record number of 76 people altogether with 38 batchmates. The occasion was made so much interesting by the presence of three of our grandees at the university - Professor Varagunam, Brian seneviratne and Barr Kumarakulasinghe. It was nice to see those whom we dreaded during those years being mellowed and being nice to us. Everyone at the party was dressed up for the occasion and some did not appear to have changed much from the university days. The pentagon shaped hall with the nicely laid out tables with the lovely flower arrangements (with compliments from Shanthi) provided an air of grandeur. A bright multi-coloured banner behind the stage proudly displayed "Peradeniya66". All were in high spirits and after some traditional chatting, we settled for a well appreciated meal served by the helpful waiters from the caterers, the Moonbay.

The smartly dressed master of ceremony, Linga (our old president) introduced the speakers. A one-minute silence was observed in memory of those of us who are no longer with us. Ravi Muthiah gave the main speech with anecdotal stories about the life we had during the memorable years. Even though he was warned to keep his speech within the acceptable limits of public decency, he was testing the limits, but everyone laughed their guts out. Joseph continued the hilarity of the occasion with some further jokes. 

Then it was the time for the guests to speak. Prof Varagunam spoke in the same calm. but authoritative voice (his voice did not change at all) and spoke about the importance of maintaining the old ties and then quickly passed the microphone to Brian, who cracked some jokes at our expense. He also told us that we were the best batch ever to pass through the Peradeniya Medical school. We all believe it, but we also believe that Brian came from heaven to make us all good doctors! Finally Thanga gave a short speech talking about how he coped with the ridicule we suffered at the hands of some of our teachers and how he turned it around on them.

There was unfortunately only a short time to have a dance, but quite a lot of people joined the floor to dance to baila music provided by Manel Seneviratne, the music lady. The party continued at the hotel...

The Sunday morning was mainly meant for winding down and to say goodbye. We also had a short meeting and planned the next get together. So, there's more to come! See the information on the proposed next re-union through the link below and keep watching for updates.

We have just managed to balance the account. See the accounts of the Re-union through the link below.

I hope you enjoy the Souvenir Peradeniya66 CD. To enjoy it, you should relax, listen and reminisce the good old days. If you have not received your copy, please contact me. If you have not attended the re-union, you may have to pay!  See information about the CD through the link below.

PICTURES OF RE-UNION

ACCOUNTS

SOUVENIR CD

PLANS FOR THE NEXT RE-UNION

Thanks for your co-operation and the compliments.

Mike Isweran