50th anniversary reunion

With some trepidation, I drove up the M5 to The Crown pub at Wychbold earlier today to attend a small reunion “celebrating” the 50th anniversary of leaving Rookery Road Junior School in Handsworth, Birmingham. I’d had lunch with a few former pupils about seven years ago (and had declined various subsequent get-together invitations) but 50 years is 50 years! Despite the wonders of facebook, would I actually recognise anyone? Well, actually, I DID (well, most of them at least!). It was very good to see them, especially Les – who I had NOT seen for 50 years, but with whom I’d be in touch with via facebook over perhaps the twelve months. The social network site may have its critics, but it made meeting up with Les again very easy and we each felt we already knew a little about each other. One great discovery was that Janet Winwood, from my class, is the sister of Stevie Winwood (Traffic/Spencer Davis Group/Blind Faith) - it’s only taken 50 years for me to find out that she had a brother (ok, he wasn’t famous then, but…)! Brian and Les brought some class photographs along with them (wonderful, even if I couldn’t remember everyone’s names!).
Photo (from left to right): Chris Meredith, Clive Pulley, Ron Starling, Janet Pulley, Les Allan, Brian Probyn, Dave Lowe, me and Elizabeth Chittock (and we haven’t changed one bit!).