_We were the 5th form of Wallsend Grammar School, 1966/67.
We are 5/67.
I was known as Col Jennings at school and I am the founder of 5/67. I arranged the first reunion and subsequent getogethers.
It was Batey's fault. How many times have I said that? But usually with Sir or Miss on the end. It was Ray's 50th birthday in September 2000 and I was rummaging through old photos so I could put captions on and send them to him when I came across 5B. I looked at the faces and thought how strange it was to go to school in monochrome. I wondered what had happened to 5B and then I thought, what if?.........
I left a message on a Tyneside website run by Newcastle City Council and a few weeks later, I got an email from George Cronin, 5C. We exchanged emails for a while and finally met in December 2000 for a pint at Bowburn, Durham when George was passing.
My sister-in-law told me where Alan Connolly, 5C, was living and I contacted him in January 2001. I found Alan Common's mother in the phone book and Alan, 5B, put me on to Val Kennedy, 5C. Val gave me the number for Lilla Brown, 5A, and that's when things really took off. Lilla's memory is phenomenal and some of the stuff she retains is worth remembering. Two days after I spoke to Lilla, Lindy Griffin, 5A, rang me. What a strange and good week that was. From that point on, the Gang that became known as 5/67 got bigger and bigger. Lilla knew where all those who had stayed local were and Lindy found others from further afield through mothers and other contacts. Lindy also wrote to the local Wallsend rags to find and encourage people to join us.
On 9 June 2001, 41 5/67ers from the south coast to Scotland, from Wales to deepest darkest Wallsend and even America gathered to conviviate after 35 years. Some of us met at the School in the morning and wandered around the old buildings. It was great but I still haven't worked out how they managed to shrink the hall. Some of us then went to the coast for a bag of chips and drinks. That evening, all 41 of us, together with two teachers, Malcolm Berry and Roy Todd, got together at the Hilton, Wallsend (is that an oxymoron?). Brilliant/superb/great/excellent/fairly good, choose any superlative you like, that was it. It was so damn good that we've done it again and again since and the June and December Dos are now annual events on the first or second Saturday. In June and December. Every year.
We have 5/67 cds and there's a 5/67 book -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/We-Just-Gelled-Biographical-Durkheimian/dp/0956426131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354545357&sr=1-1
The first book was so successful (sales were in double figures) there's a second 5/67 book, Fourteen Days -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourteen-Days-collection-stories-written/dp/B08BDSDCKQ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
It was Batey's fault. How many times have I said that? But usually with Sir or Miss on the end. It was Ray's 50th birthday in September 2000 and I was rummaging through old photos so I could put captions on and send them to him when I came across 5B. I looked at the faces and thought how strange it was to go to school in monochrome. I wondered what had happened to 5B and then I thought, what if?.........
I left a message on a Tyneside website run by Newcastle City Council and a few weeks later, I got an email from George Cronin, 5C. We exchanged emails for a while and finally met in December 2000 for a pint at Bowburn, Durham when George was passing.
My sister-in-law told me where Alan Connolly, 5C, was living and I contacted him in January 2001. I found Alan Common's mother in the phone book and Alan, 5B, put me on to Val Kennedy, 5C. Val gave me the number for Lilla Brown, 5A, and that's when things really took off. Lilla's memory is phenomenal and some of the stuff she retains is worth remembering. Two days after I spoke to Lilla, Lindy Griffin, 5A, rang me. What a strange and good week that was. From that point on, the Gang that became known as 5/67 got bigger and bigger. Lilla knew where all those who had stayed local were and Lindy found others from further afield through mothers and other contacts. Lindy also wrote to the local Wallsend rags to find and encourage people to join us.
On 9 June 2001, 41 5/67ers from the south coast to Scotland, from Wales to deepest darkest Wallsend and even America gathered to conviviate after 35 years. Some of us met at the School in the morning and wandered around the old buildings. It was great but I still haven't worked out how they managed to shrink the hall. Some of us then went to the coast for a bag of chips and drinks. That evening, all 41 of us, together with two teachers, Malcolm Berry and Roy Todd, got together at the Hilton, Wallsend (is that an oxymoron?). Brilliant/superb/great/excellent/fairly good, choose any superlative you like, that was it. It was so damn good that we've done it again and again since and the June and December Dos are now annual events on the first or second Saturday. In June and December. Every year.
We have 5/67 cds and there's a 5/67 book -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/We-Just-Gelled-Biographical-Durkheimian/dp/0956426131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354545357&sr=1-1
The first book was so successful (sales were in double figures) there's a second 5/67 book, Fourteen Days -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourteen-Days-collection-stories-written/dp/B08BDSDCKQ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Dear Sir or Madam can you read our book?
It took us days to write, will you take a look? It's a bunch of stories by a bunch of friends Jenny's got a job but she wants to be a paperback writer A ski adventure set in Switzerland A tragic tale of an abusive man A dirty story with a transvestite and a dirty deed on the River Tyne An alcoholic finds release at last There's a holiday at a Butlins camp A ghost appears in Northumberland There's a rescue dog who likes to dance A gay boy learning how to find himself A girl's bad luck with a pointy fence A young girl falls into the family way There's a thief in Norway that got away There's a family ghost, a guiding soul and a lucky man with a lump of coal |
If you were in our year and you'd like to join us, email me - [email protected]
Stew Barrett is the oldest 5/67er. This is what the school looked like when he started.