06 September 2008
Hi 89ers,
Firstly, we are up to over thirty '89ers that have responded and I know of another 10 who will respond this week. So, a big thank you to all you have completed the contact list as well as those that have passed the link on to all their mates from matric.
One of the best things to come out of this so far, is that I have had endless requests to put old friends in contact with each other again. I am really happy to do it, so if there is someone on the respondees list that you would like to contact, let me know, and I'll pop them an email with your contact details.
The other thing is, that I have had several requests to post the old school photos on this site. This is happening as we speak - however scanning each photo and posting it is a bit of a mission, but I will prevail (keep checking in to see when they are up).
You will also notice that I have added a new page called 'Remember When'. This has been added becasue I have received quite a few emails telling funny stories of things that happened at school. Take a look at it, it's maybe a bit corney, but still good fun. Also, please post a 'remember when' story if you have one - I'm sure a lot of us will enjoy it - just think of it as a "THIS ONE TIME, AT BAND CAMP' story.
Don't forget to send a short message to the message board as well please
Stats Update:
60% of respondees are still in South Africa
92% are married
10% have one child
46% have two kids
13% have three kids
6% have four kids
October is voted for the most as a possible reunion month
November is second (but it is quite spread)
Most people want a braai and / or a spit braai
The Blue Bulls have a 98.7% chance of winning the Currie Cup
Have a great week, and please chase other 89ers to complete the contact list form.
Chat soon
Andre
Update No 6
11 September 2008
Thanks to all our new recruits for joining this ever growing group of ‘89ers. However, now is not the time to sit back, only 24% of all 1989 matrics have completed the contact list.
Thanks also to all you Respondees – fantastic effort in getting the numbers up.
You may have noticed a few additions to this site. In my last update, I mentioned that I would start adding some photos. So, please go to the Fun Stuff page and follow the links. Still more photos to come, but there are only so many hours in the day!
Another nice feature (I think) is the Remember When page. If you have a funny or embarrassing story to tell from school or referring to school mates, don’t hold back, and give us all something to smile about.
- I would like Athene to tell us about the interesting evening after the French dinner
- Clyde Michael can tell us about the ‘science’ experiment performed in the fridge of the prefect’s room (both of them)
- Dean Thompson can perform his ‘He Man, and the Masters of the Universe’ routine.
- Neil Piper can tell us about the time Craig Vollmer’s dad ‘caught’ us on the dance floor in that crummy hotel in
- Debbie to tell us about the harassing phone calls to her mother…
- And then there was the time that . . .
Hey, it shouldn’t all be up to me to reminisce about the good / bad old days – if you have a story, please post it on the remember when page.
Also added, is the full list of 1989 matrics taken from the Thistle (I eventually found it). You can find the link at the bottom of the Respondees page or you can go there directly by clicking here.
I’m hoping that the full list of names may jog some memories so that more ‘89ers can respond.
Have a great week, and keep checking in for updates
Cheers
A
(Photos deleted)
Update No 7
20 September 2008
Welcome back to everyone who has been here before, and welcome to all first time visitors. If you have not done so, please complete the contact list form so that we can register you as an official '89er respondee.
And talking about respondees, our list has grown from 31 to well over 60 in the space of one week - Fantastic.
The full list of 1989 matrics can be found here, and as you will see there were 249 of us that graduated. It would be great to get a response from at least 80% of the group before the end of 2008.
Sadly, two members of the 1989 group have passed away since finishing school - Michelle van der Bol and Bradley Wilkinson.
* * * *
Ok, so here is another summary of statistics for all respondees to date:
58% are still in South Africa
13% are in the USA
18% are in the UK
82% are married (Paul Mulder is not one of these...I hear a few screams of delight)
87% have children (not sure if Paul had anything to do with this)
We have produced 98 children so far which equates to a birth rate of 1.6 kids per respondee. Therefore, we can deduce that the whole of the 89 group has probably produced around 400 children!
About 28% of the respondees are 'self employed' or own their own business.
Some interesting occupations include:
- Professional Snowboarder
- Hostage Negotiator
- Wine Critic
- Helicopter Pilot
- Hotel Executive Manager
- Professional Rally Driver
* * * * * *
The reason why we keep checking in to this site, the reunion planning process is fairly slow at the moment, however I should be meeting with Mr. Brink (current headmaster at the Glen) within two to three weeks. We would like to have the school involved, and as mentioned previously we may use some of the school facilities for the reunion. (Actually, with 400 kids running around, we may need more than the school facilities).
However, the first priority is to make contact with as many of the 89 group as possible. It is given that several overseas members will not be able to commit to a specific date, and therefore I would love to arrange 'mini reunions' all over the world for those that will not be in South Africa at the time - Please keep getting your old mates to respond.
Once again, keep checking in for updates, and please also submit some entertaining reading for all to enjoy on the Remember When page or otherwise the Message Board.
Before I sign of for another week, I'd like to mention a new feature that I plan to put on the site. It's called Snap Shot. Basically, I'd like to 'interview' some of our respondees on what they have been up to for the last 19 years and post the stories on the site - NOTHING TOO INTRUSIVE. There are two reasons for this, the first is to keep the site interesting so that you guys keep checking in to it, and the second is to give a little insight into the lives of 89ers since they left school. Nothing too detailed, just a snap shot of what they have done since 1989.
These stories, together with photos will be posted as links next to each of the respondees names on the full 1989 list.
Give me shout to discuss other additions to the site.
Have a great week
Andre
