The 1990s Decade Reunion Report
"Are you wearing a skirt?" "No, I think I am going to be rebellious and wear jeans!" I replied to Sarah as we got ready for the 1990's reunion at CLC.
We had mixed feelings as we walked up the steps of the new main entrance.
We were both excited and interested but also a little nervous. We walked to the GCR and quickly found two 'girls' from our year. It was a big relief to recognise some familiar, if more mature, faces. More people arrived, some had brought husbands or boyfriends, others even had a 'little one' with them. We started spotting people we had last seen when they had been 11 or 12 and tried to remember names & houses. We were all ushered into the PH for prayers. Some older Guild members sat behind us asked us if we had left last year!! We explained that it was a little longer than that but felt delighted that we could be confused for 19 or 20 year olds (the jeans seemed to have worked!) Vicky Tuck took prayers and gave a thought provoking address about the development of women's rights over the decades and the important part both past & present college girls play continuing that development.
When prayers came to a close we made our way to Lower Hall via the marble corridor for coffee and to meet up with old friends and swap news. We spent an enjoyable hour or so gossiping before being invited on a tour of college by two bubbly LC1's. They showed us the new art & design building, new 6th form common room and the modern science labs. We continued our tour; it felt strange in many ways as some parts of college had changed almost unrecognisably and others were just as I remembered them. We returned to LH just in time to be directed outside to the newly named Queen Elizabeth II quad to see Mary Blackburn unveil the Guild plaque.
It was lunch already; we all made our way to the PH for a lovely meal and a chance to catch up with those whom we had missed earlier. Jenny Tudge, the new Development Director, gave a speech about her new post which she takes up in September 2004 and the challenges which Guild and the Development Office face going forward.
The end came all too quickly and it was time to exchange email addresses and
say our goodbyes, with promises not to leave it too long before getting in
touch again.
Everyone really enjoyed themselves and had a fantastic day. I am sure I speak
for all those at the reunion in thanking the Development Office, Guild and
College for all their hard work both before and during the day.
As Sarah and I left, we noticed a couple of 6th formers ahead of us. "I
don't like the new 6th form uniforms, they look really scruffy". "I
know I am getting old!!!"
Carol Bates (1990's Guild Decade Representative)
Heraclitus points out that you can never step into the same river twice...
The truth of this observation was acknowledged by all who attended the CLC 1990s Reunion on Saturday 8 May 2004. Having spent perhaps seven years at College, those of us who entered in 1s in 1990 have now been away for a corresponding seven years. Not long, in the context of College's 150th Anniversary celebrations, and yet long enough for College to have educated another generation of young women. So perhaps we should not have been surprised to discover how much had changed.
The most striking physical change is the Fauconberg Wing; no longer new, it has grown into itself and is a stunning example of a futuristic vision which still manages to respect the mature beauty of the surrounding buildings. The Amphitheatre, which was officially opened that afternoon, will no doubt be a lovely venue for performances of all kinds, and the QEII quadrangle had been transformed. The new, beautiful Quiet Room is a boon for anyone wanting to step away from the bustle of College life for a short while.
For those of us fortunate enough to attend Prayers, sitting at the front of the Princess Hall where we hadn't sat since 1s, was surprisingly affecting, as memories came flooding back. As the girls politely stepped aside to allow our chattering groups to walk past, you could see them looking at us curiously and we looked back at them with equal curiosity. They must have been wondering, "Will I grow up to be like that?", while we were thinking, "Is this how we were? Were we ever this youthful and yet so poised and confident?"
"Is this how we were? Were we ever this youthful and yet so poised and confident?"
Ours was the last of many reunions that College has hosted and it would be entirely reasonable for both staff and pupils to have been 'all partied-out' by now. Instead, we pampered guests were enthusiastically welcomed, guided, refreshed, entertained, and all the while our hosts and hostesses remained as fresh as CLC daisies.
Last, but certainly not least, the reunion successfully did just that, it reunited the 1990s and allowed us the luxury of nostalgia and reminiscences, the pleasure of renewing past friendships and the discovery that, despite the many changes around us, we and our friends had "not changed a bit!"
Samantha Skinner (1990 - 97) and Anna Marie Skinner (1992 - 99)