The reunion was held over three days starting with a golf session on the morning of 26th June to kick off the event. That evening, we had a ‘Welcome’ party sponsored by David and Maureen Chin to warm up the soul for the main event.
The Big Reunion party itself was held on 27th June with about 200 guests backed by a 3-piece band, The Ghostriders, playing 60’s/70’s music to reflect the mood of the occasion. This was followed by a ‘Farewell’ party held on the 28th June which was fully sponsored by Michael Lim and wife, Gan Mei Pieng.
It all began in the 90’s when the idea of a reunion was first mooted by Benny Tan but it took many years after before the reunion seed was sown.
In June 2007, a group of old friends (Hai Tong Too from NZ, Ron Too, Ken Lim, Richard Ng, Tony Wong, Fred Seow from Sydney and yours truly) gathered in Melbourne for a ‘Tribute to The Shadows’ concert.
It was the common interest in music among these friends and the desire to perform again that started the reunion train in motion. What a better way to do it than performing as a band in a reunion among old friends?
The drive for a reunion soon turned to include the strong desire to meet up with old friends.
It took a few more months before Fred and I could take first step towards organizing the reunion. In late 2007, I received an email from a friend that some ole’ buddies of mine in Kuala Lumpur would like to catch up with me. These buddies turned out to be Michael Lim and Teoh Lay Hock. I was truly over the moon when I heard from these guys.
They gave us their unwavering support and backed us all the way. On another front, David Chin and Benny Tan were also ‘gung-ho’ about a reunion. So, along with a quiet achiever, Zuraidah Omar, we formed the Reunion Organising Committee. The scope of the reunion was quickly defined to be an inclusive one with a 60’s/70’s mood. The rest is ‘history’…albeit a very good one.
The key success of this reunion, apart from the tremendous turn-out, is the ‘mix’ of the committee members. They were all very committed and focused on the issues at hand. They worked tirelessly towards a single objective (i.e. let's have one helluva great party!) Not a single disagreement ever surfaced throughout the planning of the event. They did it for the fun of it. The joy and smiles on everyone’s face was a bonus to them.
Henry Cheong.
Reunion Committee members 2008
Grand reunion for Wellington alumni
Rolling back the years
