Now that I am back in Seattle after almost 24h flying time via Doha.
The long flight gave me plenty of opportunity to reflect on the past 2 weeks.
It goes without saying that we owe you, Lance and John a huge debt of gratitude for your organisation
Thank you!
The reunion - and all the events you chose – was a huge success. We could not have asked for better.
How we managed to avoid load shedding remains a mystery.
Maybe we got lucky, but I learnt the following week how frustrating load shedding can be!
Catching up with our classmates and learning how successful they have been in their chosen career paths was another highlight
Class of 73 is special
Ian Mac’s poem is true to form – Thanks Ian.
Whoever took the photos and posted them on the website – thank you. Happy memories!
Will we have a 60th? I hope so – and I hope I make it!!??
Thanks again to every one who made it to Cape Town.
All the very best,
Bosie
Thank you for so thoughtfully providing this opportunity.
I’d like to send my warmest wishes for a really great time together...
Celebrating all the wonderful experiences we shared, and honouring the rest..
With love,
And very warmest best wishes to you, from sunbaked Riebeek-Kasteel.
Madeleine Mercer
A million thanks for all the superb arrangements and wonderful opportunity to meet again after so many years. We will have so many wonderful memories on which to reflect in days, months and years to come.
Much love and big hug,
Mary-Ann (Fitzcharles) and Gerhard Serapins
Jenny and I want to add our gratitude to the plethora of compliments coming your way.
The reunion went smoothly like clockwork in every respect
We appreciate the years it took to put the whole thing together (especially Trevor who was doing it from the other side of the planet)
It was wonderful to catch up with colleagues one hadn't seen for half a century.
My wife and I really enjoyed the bonhomie that was generated amongst our classmates and their partners.
Hopefully with zoom technology we can hold future (virtual) get togethers
Best Wishes
Martin and Jenny Jaffe
Adding my grateful appreciation to Trevor, Lance and John for all that amazing planning. It was a wonderful gathering and I agree it exceeded all we could have wished for and expected. Warm and funny memories and reconnecting, great laughs and fun in beautiful places…
Be well and take care all of you
Sue Comay
Dear Trevor … thank you to you, to Lance and John for all that you did in making our 50th year reunion a milestone event in our long history as colleagues and friends. Every event had a touch of class. Trevor, you were indeed the conductor of the orchestra of an event that took a number of years, zoom meetings and encouragement to celebrate a reunion that I believe, exceeded all we could have wished for.
Personally, I am mindful of those who, with partners, came from a long way to be in Cape Town for this special gathering. Thank you for making the effort.
Trevor, you asked me on Monday night if there was a poem that I might want to share with the class. Well…here it is.
Safe travels to you and all … and again,
Thank you
Ian McCallum
ONE DAY I WILL BE WISE : by Ian McCallum
"One day, I will be wise …
but not today.
Right now I’m trying to mind my own business
at the same time,
intertwined in the minds of others.
One day I will grasp the connection between things …
but not today.
Right now a flash of resonance with a tree,
or a storm or a river … however fleeting,
is enough for me.
One day, I will learn to put the past aside
and move on …
but not today.
Right now my memories feed me and besides,
I’m watching a heron that has hasn’t moved
all day.
One day, I will realize the Truth of things …
but not today.
Right now, the quest for answers excites me
and what is more …
the search has given me wings.
One day, I will find in me a calmness
to keep others calm, to make right choices …
but not today.
Right now I need to attend the call
of some wild inner voices.
One day, I will be wise …
but not today,
Right now I feel otherwise and anyway,
if it ever came to wild or wise,
I know what I would choose …
any day."
All these thanks, impress every time how special our reunion was.
Cannot thank you organisers enough.
But our hearts know how much we thank You.
Ian, I would love to read your poetry.
How can I access it, please?
Much love to all in Class of 1973.
Margie Anderson/ Stanford
Thank you so much for all you did to make this such a special reunion. Each day was great and it was so super to have lots of fun together, time to connect with old friends as well as time to get to know classmates that we did not really know well before. What a great class!
Trevor in particular worked tirelessly over a very long time to put it all together so well done!
We appreciate it so much.
All the best to everyone and we look forward to the next one.
Best wishes
Ann and Sam Moore
Great to see you all
Trevor is the glue that keeps us together in contact.
Also thanks to the Cape Town duo of Lance and John. Excellent organization
Will still see Walt and Leonie, Selig and Maureen, Martin and Jenny
Warm regards
Saville and Shelly Furman
I’ve been to lots of reunions! NOTHING like this one. SUCH fun and joy all round. As always these things depend on good organization. Hats off to Trevor Lance & John and our profound thanks.
Floss Floyd
We would like to add to the accolades for a “just right” event
To all
It was a very meaningful and enjoyable event because of the attendees and their inherent characteristics despite the often worlds apart
Best wishes and thank you
Michael and Beth Nochomovitz
You put together a wonderful set of events. For a lot of us, our time at UCT kick-started our career and it was lovely to have so much time and so many places to chat about what has happened to us.
Mike Madden
The 50th Reunion May be over, but will not be forgotten; it was memorable, in every aspect.
Thank you so much for the effort that you, Lance, John, Ann & other organizers put into it, and also to all the participants.
It was wonderful to spend time with old friends and also make new friends with classmates and their partners.
Thank you, Ian, for that beautiful poem. Juliette and I are looking forward to reading your new book.
Safe journeys to all,
Alex and Juliette Moll
Travel safely everyone, and well done to Trevor and the organizers of this reunion.
Best wishes to all,
Mike du Toit
Was so looking forward to meeting up with everyone and was not disappointed at all. We have a great class and the spouses match up wonderfully . Enjoyed seeing and chatting with you all , brought back great memories and hope to see many of you in the future. Now I have everyone’s picture too. Thanks again Trevor for achieving this fun reunion
Go strong everyone.
Leonard Miller
Thank you for the photos and feedback of what clearly a very successful reunion. I truly regret due to my health challenges I was unable to be there with everyone but I was there in spirit!
I am now home after just over three weeks in hospital and 10kg weight loss grateful to be alive.
You and those who assisted you deserve great credit for the success of the event. I trust that you also had an opportunity to visit some of your old haunts during your short stay in Cape Town.
Kind regards,
Craig Househam
We would like to reiterate all comments that have already been posted and thanks to your courageous efforts to arrange this amazing reunion and for managing to guide us all the way until the final wonderful conclusion ! A JOB EXTREMELY WELL DONE
I really thought this would be my final reunion but you have made it such a memorable occasion maybe we should from now on do it on an annual basis!
Again many thanks, kind regards to yourself and all the rest of my amazing classmates!
Sending kind regards from sunny Sydney in Australia!
Brent van der Westhuysen
It was by all accounts a wonderful reunion. Here is a photo of Peter Patton and I - in Sydney, raising a glass to the reunion. We greatly regret not being in Cape Town for the occasion.
Best wishes,
Peter Schutte
Peter Schutte and Peter Patton
Hi Trevor,
Thanks for your mail and I hope that you are well. I am OK, I suppose -had cataracts extracted last month and while my distance vision is good, reading small print is not. By all accounts the reunion was great and the posts and photos bear testimony to this. Well done to you and your team!
Trevor, I feel that I need to respond to your assertion that classmates of colour chose not to participate. There were only twenty two of us in final year and seven have passed on. Personally I have had no contact with the majority of the others since 1973, so I would like to emphasise that, as far as I am aware, there was no planned stayaway.
Looking at the list of attendees it is apparent that around forty of our white classmates chose, or were not able to attend the reunion, and I am sure that they had good reasons for this. So perhaps the same level of tolerance should be accorded to our non white classmates? We have all moved on over the past half century and at our age, priorities, I am sure, have shifted considerably.
Anyway, the bottom line is that most of us are still around and our shared memories of our med school days - good or bad, will remain with us.
I would like to thank you again for having set up our excellent class website and wish you and all my classmates good health and good fortune.
Indiran Naiker
Thank you very much or a wonderful reunion. I enjoyed every single moment, connecting with friends and colleagues was very special indeed. Thank you Trevor, John and Lance for your excellent arrangements. There appeared no hiccoughs at all. It was a privilege to be there, and the memories bring smiles of pleasure. Thanks again Look forward to the next one.
Love.
Louise (Berkowicz) Irving
Thank you, Trevor, John and Lance, for organising such a memorable and extremely enjoyable reunion. Good to see so many “old faces” again.
Best wishes.
Malcolm Cunard
Hello, all reunion attenders.
Trevor, I seem to have missed out on a really memorable occasion. You, Lance, and John pulled out all the stops.
I’ll come next time. Please keep me on the email list.
Sincerely,
Alan McDonald
Dear Trevor, Lance and John and everyone involved in bringing the class of 73 together (not 1873!).
Thank you for a most memorable time and for the collective sharing of the past, present and future of our lives wherever and whatever that will be.
All the best.
David and Sally Gordon
Dear Trevor, and all,
What an absolutely great time.!!
Wonderful to see everyone again and hopefully we will continue to do this.
Thanks again to Trevor, John and Lance, and all for making this such a successful event.
Looking forward to seeing you all in the Carolinas.
Please stay in touch.
Charlie Croft
Thanks to Trevor, Lance & John for a well organised reunion !! We had fun & it was great reconnecting with friends & meeting new people! Thoroughly enjoyable!
All the best to everyone….
Pam and Chris Lewis
Hi Colleagues
You seem to have had an awesome time
Sorry I could not be there but seeing my daughter in Oz could not be missed. I am still working (as a paediatric neurologist in Durban), but slowing down.
With kind regards
Anthony Crutchley
Thank you so much for forwarding the many photos of the class reunion, allowing those of us not fortunate (? or brave) enough to make the trip to Cape Town to share in the proceedings.
From the broad smiles on the faces it is evident that everyone had a
wonderful time, and I was able to recognize many classmates instantly.
The only disconcerting note was that many of the wives/lady companions appeared so much younger than us old grizzled veterans - maybe we are doing something right after all.
With best wishes,
Roy Williams
