The Class of 1961 of Orange High School had its origins in many places. The majority started back at the "old" High School site, at the corner of Sale and March Streets, Orange, in January 1957, when around 90 students began their secondary education. Some came from the Orange Rural School (Intermediate High), which shared part of the Orange Public School site at the corner of Sale and Kite Streets. A small number came from other towns and the central schools in villages around Orange.

In mid-1959 Orange High School opened on the current Woodward Street site, adding the students from Orange Rural School and becoming one of the largest High Schools in New South Wales. Mr Leo D. O'Sullivan had replaced Mr D R Blakemore at the start of 1959, and he had the job of creating an ethos for the new school while not losing sight of the history and traditions of the two schools.

The "What I've Done Since 1961" biographies that follow were compiled by Peter Smee for the reunion held at Orange on 13/14 October 2001 to celebrate and remember the 40 years that had passed since our Leaving Certificate. There are gaps, for various reasons, and by placing this information here it is hoped we can fill those gaps over the months (years?) ahead. Please contact Bruce Fairhall (Email address at the foot of this page) if you can assist.

Along that five year journey to the 1961 Leaving Certificate, students came and left our classes. We acknowledge those friends who shared the happy, sad and serious moments with us at that great public school, even though they didn't make it to the 1961 Leaving Certificate at Orange High School with us.
As our Contemporaries, we have included them on a special page.

Thanks to Jess Burke and Peter Smee, we have some photographic memories of our reunion. Bruce has finally managed to finish the publication, but be warned: due to the huge content it will take a while to load!

John Bailey

In a varied career since leaving University, I was a teacher in New Guinea for 3 years, a public servant in Sydney and Melbourne for 18 years and a barrister in Melbourne for 12 years. In the year 2000 I moved to Mullumbimby, near Byron Bay, to become a writer. My book, The White Divers of Broome, published by Pan Macmillan in 2001, was short-listed for the Age Book of the Year, the Courier-Mail Literary Award, and the Victorian Premier's prize. It won the NSW Premier's Award for Community and Regional History, the Western Australian Premier's prize for non-fiction, and the Historical Diving Society in England designated it the Book of the Year. Rights to make a film based on The White Divers of Broome have been sold. An audio of the book has been recorded for the print-handicapped.

I came across the story of The Lost German Slave Girl (Pan Macmillan 2003) while doing research in an America University in 2001. I spent the following two years in research on the book, making several journeys to Louisiana and one to Germany retracing the steps Sally Miller claimed to have made on her journey to America. The Lost German Slave Girl was short-listed for the NSW Premier's Prize, the NSW History Prize and the Australian Crime Writers Award. It was published in the U. S. by Atlantic Monthly, who took my wife Anne and I on a publicity tour to the US where I spoke at the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans and the Mississippi Conference of the Books in Oxford Mississippi. An audio of the book has been recorded for the print-handicapped.

Mr Stuart's Track, the biography of John McDouall Stuart was released by Pan Macmillan in Australia in August 2006, and I was a consultant, on and off screen, for the program on John McDouall Stuart in the 2007 ABC series Constructing Australia.

I was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian Government for services to literature in 2003.

I have a daughter and a son and two grandchildren. I am active in the Greens Party in Byron Bay. More information on me may be seen at www.jbailey.info

Angela Birdsall (Szeto)

Following my years at OHS with you fellow OHS's I left Orange in 1962 for Sydney Uni to do an Arts degree majoring in Psychology (rats & stats!). I met my husband John, an engineering student from HK, whilst in my second year at Uni. The following year we were married, and our first child was born (almost literally) in the middle of my third year psych exams. In 1967, studies complete, we moved to Hong Kong to live. What a culture shock! It was a year of communist riots, curfews every night, water only turned on for four hours every fourth day, and nobody in Mongkok where we lived who seemed to speak English. At the end of that year, after my second child (Ling) was born, I made my first English-speaking friend, whilst I continued to struggle with my Cantonese (I'm still struggling with it to this day!). Our third child, Mark, was born in 1972.

During my years in HK I had the privilege of learning to live in a totally different culture, with an accepting, supportive (and large!) Chinese family, of making many trips to China starting from 1969, of learning new skills such as computer programming and music. I worked for several years in the in-laws family business (ship repairing), and also, with friends, designed and made children's clothing.

In 1983 we moved back to Sydney, and, after a short course to learn the ins and outs of the Australian taxation system, I began a two year full-time MBA at the AGSM (UNSW). I continued running a property and securities investment company, and in 1986, after graduation, started a one person marketing consultancy. Later, to improve skills I needed, I completed a post-graduate diploma in applied finance and investment. I now work from a home office, still looking after property (many renovations later!) and other investments, and have also gone back into the HK business as Chairman of Afai Ships, which has a joint venture shipyard in China building high speed catamaran passenger and car ferries.

I travel to Hong Kong often for business, giving me the opportunity to spend time with my older son, Antony, who lives in HK and is the proud Dad of Xavier, who, like his Dad at age 23/4, has just started the rigours of the HK educational system. Antony, after stints as hotel auditor, stunt actor, martial arts student (Beijing Institute of Sport), finance and marketing director, is now developing a children's TV series. Our daughter, Ling (Catherine), graduated from UTS with a Computing Science degree, and after another life in fashion design and travelling, is now IT Applications Manager at Qantas and engaged to be married to a great bloke. Our youngest, Mark, is in his final year of a music degree in jazz studies, and plays bass. You can catch his jazz trio at their regular gig at the Quay Grand Hotel Wednesday evenings or at other select venues around town (such as our house when we have a party!!).

Geoff Board

Returned to Orange High School in 1961 and repeated the Leaving Certificate.

University of New England, Armidale NSW BAgEc.

Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Canberra, ACT

Monash University, Melbourne VIC MBA

The Treasury, Canberra ACT

1977 - 1987 Melbourne

Since 1987 have lived in Sydney. Currently working at the Reserve Bank as an Assistant Governor.

Married to Pru, with two daughters, Charlotte and Amelia

Editor's comment: The above was copied from the Class of 1960 album produced for their 40th anniversary in 2000. I can do no better than quote the editorial comment made then:
"Who but our good friend, Geoff Board, could modestly condense forty years of outstanding academic and professional achievement into a few short lines? This is an achievement in itself - precis writing at its best!!

Ruby Carter (Eaves)

After completing my course at Bathurst teachers' College in 1963, I married David Eaves, a pharmacist and former Dubbo Astley Cup athlete. (I strayed to the enemy camp!) We were married on 3rd January 1964 and lived at Lithgow for 12 months before moving to Portland NSW.

I taught at Lithgow Primary School for a couple of years, then to Wallerawang Primary School where I stayed until our first son, Daryl, was born. He is now a financial analyst for Santos in Brisbane, married and has two children himself. Our second child, a daughter Lynelle, was also born in Portland. She completed a business degree in Brisbane and is married with one son.

In 1969 we moved to Bathurst to live and opened another pharmacy there, opposite Grace Brothers, and I resumes teaching in a private school.

Our problem was that I was from orange, David was from Dubbo and we lived in Bathurst - so who do we barrack for in Astley Cup?

Our third child, Belinda, was born in Bathurst. After she was born I joined the relief staff in Bathurst. Belinda commenced a commerce degree then married and had three little girls, but is now back studying psychology.

We made a big decision to move to Queensland in 1986. We felt that it was time for a change. When I return to Bathurst to visit relatives, I can't help but feel that we left one of the most beautiful areas in the world (Orange included).

However, since being in Brisbane, I have had the time to really become involved in the art world. Watercolours have become my passion and I paint subjects from the outback to the sea, Brisbane and its buildings, to florals. I belong to the Watercolour Society of Queensland and have also done quite a bit of teaching of watercolours there. My work is sold in galleries with many paintings sold overseas. In the last five years we have been involved in the building of a medical centre at Thornlands, on Moreton Bay, and are now enjoying our six grandchildren. Being a grandparent is something I can thoroughly recommend - only yesterday our eldest grandson rang full of excitement "Grandma I've lost my first tooth!"

My life has been full and very rich.

Joy Christie (Connor)

I completed Arts and teacher training after school and began teaching high school in the wilds of Wyong and then the wilderness of Seven Hills.

Married John Connor in 1966 and we went to New Guinea as volunteers with Australian Volunteers thru Community Aid Abroad. We worked there teaching in the Gulf district, one days walk from Kerema, then in the Fly river area on an island in the middle of a swamp for 12 months. We had our first child Tim, while in New Guinea and returned to Australia in 1971 to have Rachel then Patrick 1973 and Ben 1976. During this breeding time my husband trained to become a minister and we ended up in the inner city which was a bit wild and woolly in the late seventies. Where else would a garbage bag sitting on your front veranda for a fortnight, contain a swearing feral person and all their worldly goods?

I began teaching again for a break, and also got involved in lobbying for social justice issues like housing for low income people, land rights, conservation and refugees mainly as part of church based organizations. In 1990 I began working in Woolloomoolo as a community worker with locals and homeless people and began studying for a Masters of Community Management. Some of my research for this degree was completed on community developments in the Philippines and I later worked as a consultant, accessing overseas aid projects in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Between 1996 and 1999 I worked in the community housing sector developing housing partnership projects between the government and different church groups. Since January 2000, I have been working on residential /caravan park tenancy issues throughout NSW and as a researcher at Sydney University Housing Research Centre. We have moved to the Blue Mountains where John is beginning to lead meditation retreats and provide counselling and spiritual direction. I madly garden when I am not travelling.

Tim (a lawyer) co-ordinates Nikewatch, Rachel is a Social worker, Patrick is teaching and Ben is a part time musician and a full time student.

Our first grandchild is due in December!

UPDATE 21 June 2004: Hello everyone! Thanks Bruce for giving us a chance to touch base. Aside from the inevitable wrinkles and aches and pains what's been happening to everyone? I have got 2 new grandchildren since we last met and am appallingly addicted. I am also still commuting from Leura to Sydney for work. How about the rest of you?

Jim Clement

On leaving OHS, I had a couple of jobs before joining the National Bank, working for them for four years, in Orange, Forbes, Sydney, Tocumwal (where? you ask) and Canberra.

Being the youngest in our year, I was possibly the only one required to register for National Service - the first intake. I received an "indefinite deferment", that is my birthdate didn't come out of the barrel. However, by that time I was ready for a two-year holiday from the bank and volunteered for National Service, being called up in April 1966.

After eighteen months as a Nasho, I transferred to the Regular Army and completed 22 years. After successfully completing a Chinese language course in 1970 - all those who heard my painful efforts at French with Nina Schlensky will find that hard to believe - I was transferred to Intelligence Corps in 1971. Believe me, I have heard every variation on the comment of Army Intelligence being a contradiction in terms! I was in Vietnam 68-69, Hong Kong 73-75, and seconded to the US Army 80-82. I was commissioned in 1976 and resigned my appointment in 1988.

After leaving the Army, I started a mowing business and built it up to contracting to Federal, State & Local Government, as well as larger commercial and industrial organisations. In July of this year, I was successful in winning, for the third time, my major contract with the City of Knox and the business, with its contracts, vehicles and equipment was sold and I retired (again)!

In 1967, I married Sandra Houston (ex-PLC, Orange) who is currently the Admissions Office Manager at the local hospital, and who is also looking forward to retirement. We have two sons both of whom are married, Shaun (born December 1971), an outdoor education instructor who likes to work anywhere in the world, and Hugh (born July 1973), a surveyor currently working on pipelines anywhere in Australia.

Our retirement plans centre on our five-acre block at Sarsfield in East Gippsland, twelve kilometres from Bairnsdale, on which we have planted 400 hazelnut trees. We have now completed the house there and it has become our home. Anyone who comes that way is very welcome to call in, the address is 105 High St, Sarsfield, the phone number is (03) 5156 8149.

We are negotiating the purchase of a cabin cruiser - for time on the Gippsland Lakes and our next project will be renovating a slide-on camper (for American "pick ups") which Shaun purchased In Canada, had shipped back and now doesn't want. As it is taking up space at Sarsfield, we believe that we may as well make use of it.

Gai Coomber (Bradford)

After attaining my Leaving Certificate in 1961 I began nursing training at Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Camperdown, completing my training in January 1966.

I nursed at Cudal and Molong District Hospitals before marrying Peter Eggleston of Cumnock in 1967. Our son Tony was born in 1968 and our daughter Brooke in 1971.

In 1977 we sold the property at Cumnock and moved to Sydney's Northern Beaches. In 1983, after just completing the construction of our dream home, Peter was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and died in September 1984.

In 1988 I married Colin Bradford. He was a high school teacher with four teenage children so we became known as the "Brady Bunch" with all six children living with us for a period of time.

We now have two granddaughters in Brisbane and two grandsons at Point Clare on the Central Coast. Grandparenting is a great joy!

In 1996 Colin left teaching to study at the United Theological College and has been a Uniting Church minister in Young since early 1999. We are both enjoying the new life style immensely.

Alan Copeland

I joined The United Insurance Company in Orange in November, 1961 and remained in that Industry until retrenched in 1992. Worked in Orange, Bathurst, Maitland, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Chatswood and Wagga Wagga during that time.

Married Kay Dunn from Molong in 1968. We have two sons, Roger (32) who works for ANZ and is about to be relocated to Melbourne. Craig (28) works for Challenge Bank in Perth. Five grandchildren -two boys and three girls, whose ages range from eight to six months.

Started driving Taxis in Wagga Wagga in 1992 and enjoyed it so much, I bought a set of Taxi Plates in 1996 and I'm still operating TC-3406 today.

Frank Cullen

A short run-down of the last 40 years:

I married Lorraine in 1968 and we have a son, Luke who is now 28 and married -not yet a father despite some urging to get on with it!

I am now retired at the tender age of 56 after spending the majority of my working life with AXA - formerly National Mutual.

I lived in Sydney until 1987 when I transferred to Melbourne and I suspect I'll spend the rest of my days down here.

I've had some business success, the last role before retirement being Chief Operating Officer Australia and New Zealand, which means I managed the business in both countries.

I now spend my time working a couple of days each week with a local voluntary organisation called Wavecare which provides a counselling service to the local community, and trying to play golf and keep out of my wife's hair, whilst managing the finances.

I haven't got a scanner so can't send a photo - suffice to say I'm still "thin", now almost totally bald and what hair I have left is an attractive shade of grey.

Peter Dumbrell

A Potted history

I moved to Orange from Sydney in January 1957 and attended Orange High School from 1957 to 1961. Went to University of Sydney for a couple of years and met Jeannette at university. I finally returned to Sydney in 1966 after working at Channel 8 for several years.

Jeannette and I were married in 1967 and eventually settled down in Killara. We have two wonderful kids, a boy (Anthony) and a girl (Victoria).

Finished my Electrical Engineering degree. Completed a post graduate diploma in Computer Science. After living in Killara for 28 years we finally moved to a unit in St Leonards in February 2000.

Anthony is married with 2 boys, Daniel and Joshua. The boys are the best grandchildren you have ever seen. Said by an unbiased grandparent. Anthony is working as a minister in Blacktown. Victoria is single and is working as a nurse at Chatswood.

Currently I am working for Computer Sciences Corporation in the defence simulation industry.

Jeannette is still working as a Pharmacist. I am a member of Northbridge Golf Club and Magnum Social Golf Club and play golf when I can. Jeannette and I subscribe to the Sydney Theatre Company and go to the theatre about once per month.

Bruce Fairhall

My future directions at the end of 1961 were not clear, as I believed I would not achieve the Teachers' College scholarship I wanted. So I applied for a job as a Trainee Technician at the soon to open CBN-8. Then a few weeks later I had just a week to choose between the two, as I was successful in both applications. As a result I headed off to Bathurst Teachers' College, doing a two year Primary/Small Schools course.

From Bathurst I travelled home each weekend and vacation to work as a photographer (money!) for La Doré Studios and the Central Western Daily. That helped fund a few luxuries, buy me a new camera and provide a deposit for a car at the end of 1963 to head out into the big world.

During a practice teaching period at Springhill Public School I met my future wife: Heather Betts. Heather is an infants teacher, and her first appointment was to Blacktown Public School.

My first appointment was to Gubbata Public School - in the heart of mallee sheep and wheat country a little south of Lake Cargelligo. There I taught 38 students in Kinder to Year 6 and three students on secondary correspondence, for two years. A very quick indenture into the wide world, living on a farm and relating to adults.

At the start of 1966, I was transferred (no choice) to Tamworth, as a District Relief teacher, covering the New England. Heather and I were married in August, and we purchased a home in Tamworth. However, our life was unsettled nine months later when I was transferred to rehabilitate Bald Blair Public School, near Guyra. We sold the home (at a loss) and moved to Guyra, where Heather taught at the Central School.

I was fortunate to gain a two year secondment as Deputy Principal at Woodlands ANZ Services School in Singapore for the start of 1973. The lifestyle, extra allowances, and a chance to travel were great opportunities for a young family. We spent every vacation somewhere else, visiting Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Bali. We also saw a lot of "off the tourist track" Singapore in between!

Back in Australia at the start of 1975, I was Assistant Principal at Glen Innes Public School. Church life at Glen Innes, in the Methodist, then Uniting Church, became a large part of our family, and that has continued to direct much of what we do. I joined APEX, greatly enjoyed the fellowship and service in that organisation and was presented with Life Membership in 1965. Heather returned to casual teaching, and daughter three, Yvette, was born in 1979, just before we moved to Blayney for my first Principal's job. My dad had died in March 1979, so this was also a chance to be closer to my mother and help her through some difficult years.

From Blayney we moved to North Richmond for the 1990 school year, as I took up the Principal's role at Kurrajong Public School and Heather was appointed to Glossodia Public School. My mother died in 2000, thus severing that final family link with Orange.

Along the way, Penny had graduated with First Class Honours as a Materials Engineer, working at BHP Wollongong. She married, and then retired to raise a family: now three girls and a boy, as well as a husband to care for!

Kylie followed dad to New England University, graduating as a Strategic Planner. She currently works as a Planning Project Manager at Picton Shire Council and also lives in Wollongong.

Yvette is a photo technician, having achieved State Trainee of the Year in 1999 for her course at the National Photo Training College. She has married, has two lovely daughters and lives in Richmond - close to cheap babysitting!.

We are enjoying these "middle" years, working for our Church, researching family history (world-wide Fairhalls) and trying to relax a little! We even have a home page on the Internet at
http://www.fairhall.id.au/index.htm

And the future: We retired in 2005, and will be remaining in Richmond for some time yet - near friends, Yvette and only 80 minutes from Penny and Kylie in Wollongong. Caravanning is a great leisure pursuit, and we aim to do more. We are glad our young family days were spent in the country, and our girls were certainly not disadvantaged by the excellent public education they received in those towns.

Marilyn "Jess" Hocking (Burke)

THE LAST TEN YEARS:

At the time of the last reunion, I'd migrated from NSW to Townsville to Brisbane, I'd gone from teaching to librarianship, I was working for Queensland University of Technology (QUT), I'd recently been widowed and I was attempting to take stock of the world.

Now, ten years later, I'm still on my own, still in Brisbane, still a librarian working for QUT but many other things have happened in the meantime.

Workwise, I can now say I've spent time on all four campuses of QUT. Currently, I'm Acting Branch Library Manager at Kelvin Grove where I've been for the last few years. The QUT Library is viewed as a single organisation operating across four locations so I spend much of my time in meetings and travel and rarely handle a book. University libraries now are extremely technology based so I do spend half my life dealing in electronic information as well as having learnt about strategic planning, balanced scorecard, activity-based costing and a host of other concepts that I never even vaguely dreamed about when I went to Library School. So it goes.

In the mid-nineties I went through a "Professional" phase during which I rose to become State President of the University, College & Research Libraries Section of the Australian Library & Information Association. I went on to establish a State-wide Mentoring Program for the Association. Then Mum began to fail more rapidly, needing more support and when I emerged from that phase, (she died in 1999) it was time to go on to other things.

Photography is a long-standing interest going back to the camera my father gave me to take to Heron Island after first year high school. A few years ago, I joined a camera club and have now reached the point where I work to finance a hobby for which I don't have enough time because I work. So it goes.

I also work to finance two collie dogs (proper Lassie dogs, one sable, one blue merle) and an enduring passion for travel. The big trips have been Sri Lanka, Europe and Turkey, and China but the one with the most impact was a short ten days in Borneo in May this year. It was a private trip to Sabah, organised by my Camera Club. We visited the orang-utangs at Sepilok, the turtles at Seligan Island, the proboscis monkeys and elephants in the wild at Sukan, but the core experience for me was climbing Mt Kinabalu, the highest peak in SE Asia, all 4095.2 metres of it. That was right up with the best things I've ever done! And the follow up? The Inca Trail maybe? And Huang Shan when I revisit China, which I must do to justify the classes in Mandarin that I've been taking all this year ...

And that's my Last Ten Years ... The Next Ten? I'll work till I'm sixty then try to find out how good I really am as a photographer, tackle all the other arty crafty things I've never had time to pursue and travel all I can afford.

Klaus Hueneke

I was born under the constellation of Leo, with Virgo rising, at the end of a long and trying labour in Rolfshagen, a tiny village near Hannover, Germany and cruised across to Australia on a very big ship in 1955. After being fried and then frozen in a Nissen hut at the Orange hostel, I lived in a simple fibro cottage on a hillside called Glenroi Heights for six years. For much of the time at Orange High I was confused, out of my depth, embarrassed and listless.

I've been jack of many trades and, until about fifteen years ago, master of none. I've tried my hand at teaching manual arts, photojournalism, environmental planning, being a meticulous academic, ski instructing, running adult education courses, not forgetting being a caring father and partner. Places of abode have included Newcastle, Yanco, Dapto, Wellington, Sydney, Canberra, and for one eternal, unforgettable month, an ashram in India.

One of my passions is the Australian Alps. I have photographed them, interviewed numerous old-timers who were born around them, skied and walked them from one end to the other, and by degrees managed to turn them into something from which I could make a living.

The big break through came in 1982 when ANU Press published " Huts of the High Country". Now in its sixth printing, it has sold 14,000 copies. A great start for a writer. Having seen what publishing was all about, I set up Tabletop Press in 1984. Initially I published my own books, eg " Kosciusko - where the Ice-Trees Burn" and "People of the Australian High Country", but having developed expertise in this field I was soon called upon to help others. They included Alan Andrews with "Kosciusko-The Mountain in History", Matthew Higgins with "Skis on the Brindabellas " and Gwen Wilson with "Murray of Yarralumla". I've collaborated with Mark O'Connor, the Olympic poet, on a volume of poetry and photos called "Tilting at Snowgums" and re-printed some old classics.

Having printed these books, they needed to be sold, so with loaded campervan I took to the road and covered numerous bookshops in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and sundry watering places in between. I then discovered that I could be a specialist wholesaler of books about the Australian Alps and proceeded to buy books in from other publishers.

In 1996 I decided that I would suspend writing about the life and adventures of others and write about my own. This turned out to be much more demanding than I thought especially if I was to honest, humble and sincere about it. The result was "One Step at a Time", which, I am pleased to say, some former fellow students ordered. I am now writing books on the south coast, the Victorian Alps and one called "Never Enough" (?!). In between writing books I've produced lots of feature articles and photo essays for magazines and newspapers.

I am an honorary member of various clubs and in my sleek muscular days obtained some Life Saving Awards including the Award of Merit and the Distinction. The interest in life saving followed my clumsy rescue of two people from the Georges River in 1958. At university I completed an Arts degree with honours, and a Master of Science in plant ecology. I belong to an exclusive club of people who did not complete their Ph.D. University taught me many things but not how to make a living. Life taught me that.

I have had a number of dramatic dalliances and three meaningful, even more dramatic, long term relationships with women (in tandem, and not like some Mormons, all at once!), and am now married to Patricia, a herbal medicine practitioner. I have over the years, helped to bring up six children, two of whom are my own. I now have two grandsons, Jarrah and Angus. Their non-German names would suggest that our European past is fading.

I love Australia and being an Australian, and, having sung stirring words in a choir, think that our national anthem should be "I am Australian ". Politically I am all at sea with leanings to the right and left. More than anything else I am a human being trying to make sense of life, death and all things in between. I've had fleeting glimpses of the Holy Grail but not yet grasped its full splendour. Amen.

Editor's comment: Klaus observed in a covering note that some of the above was serious and other parts tongue in cheek. I haven't had the opportunity to check with him which is which!

Pam Johnson (Stephen)

TV came to Orange when CBN Channel 8 went to air on 17th March, 1962! After leaving school in 1961 I worked at Channel 8 for 5 years. We actually spliced the commercials into the films! We had a lot to learn to get ready for the big day! Tony continued to work for his father and uncle A C Stephen & Sons, helping to construct many subdivisions plus the drive-ins in Orange and Bathurst. We were married in 1965 and had 3 daughters, Kym, Kylie and Kristin.

At the end of 1974 Tony and I and girls left Orange on a working trip around Australia, we did this for over 2 years - living and working in places like Eden, Perth, Manjimup, near Port Headland (where I used to spend time with Barbara Browne), Kununurra and Geraldton, eventually settling in Mt Gambier, SA where we lived for 8 years. The girls did some correspondence plus attended schools in some of those towns. Tony did a Wood Technology Course and worked at Softwood Holdings and I returned to TAFE and did secretarial/business course (before computers) and worked in relieving office positions at the Mt Gambier Hospital. For the last four years in Mt Gambier Tony and I managed the Queen Elizabeth Caravan Park near the Blue Lake - which was a great experience. While in Mt Gambier Tony did some cave diving and I spent a lot of time at swimming carnivals with the girls.

We moved to Alstonville on 5 acres in 1985. Kylie's horse came too and we had a donkey. We have done various things since moving here - including the Lifeline Counselling Course and I worked in the Lifeline Office. We had a bougainvillea wholesale nursery for 7 years and Tony worked for Country Bake bread for some time. In 1997 I did the Assistant in Nursing Course and have been working part time at Maranoa Village Hostel since then. Earlier this year we moved into town and are very happy being "townies". We are part of the Uniting Church family here involved in home groups and hospital visiting etc. I love line dancing and go to an exercise class, truing to keep fit!

Kym and Terry live in Brisbane and have 2 little girls. Kylie and Craig now live in Tamworth and have just had their first baby in August, a son. Kristin is still in Alstonville and doing various courses at TAFE. We have 3 grandchildren at this time that we love to keep in touch with, so between Brisbane and Tamworth and everything else we keep busy and happy.

Richard Johnson (27.4.1944 - 23.12.1995)

Richard grew up in Orange and received all of his education through to 5th year at OHS. He was undecided about his future career and as he was quite young he repeated 5th year in 1961. Following the Leaving Certificate he accepted a traineeship. with Lysaghts in Wollongong. In 1963 he switched his course to study medicine. In 1966 he gained a B.Sc.(Med) and completed the course in 1969. He married another medical student in 1969 and they had a daughter and a son.

Richard worked as a resident Medical Officer in Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospitals, and in that period qualified as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. He then worked in Malaysia for three years, lecturing in Paediatrics at the University Hospital of Kuala Lumpur, returning to private practice in Penrith NSW where he worked as a Consultant Paediatrician at Nepean Hospital for seventeen years.

His untimely death in December 1995, after a brief illness caused by a rare unidentified virus, was an immeasurable loss to his family, his profession and a wide circle of friends.

David Johnston

A brief summary of events since 1961.

* Worked for CBA (Commonwealth Bank) for 38 years in various NSW country area

* Married to Jeanette Helen Johnston

* Father of 3 boys, Peter, Stephen & Darren, all of whom are married

* Now working for Rural Lands Protection Board in Goulburn

* Have a small property 13 km north of Goulburn were we are raising commercial Angus cattle.

Kerry Linegar

1970 -1998 served as a funeral director from Lithgow.

Funeral Directing can be an absorbing , time-consuming, energy and emotion sapping, sacrificial, psychological, soul satisfying ministry of community service.

Death is the great leveller - always inopportune - in any guise, irrespective of age, gender and class distinction, whether relative or foe. Evoking varied reactions, all necessitating kind, courteous, tactful, helpful and pleasing solutions.

Miniscule in number, and often a member of a family business, an unusually high number of people emerged from Orange in the 1960's to become funeral directors, Including Norm Penhall, Deirdre Brooking, Robyn Bargwanna & David Brown, together with Astley-Mulvey Cup contemporaries Norman and Mark Larcombe (Dubbo).

Others involved over the years included Barry Cantrill, Robyn Baker, Barry Tate, Peter Keegan and Ross Hyland.

Editor's comment: Kerry and I used to play tennis together. He had a mean swinging left-handed serve, but that didn't mean that I was going to let him get away with a biography that initially consisted of just the first line of the above. I mean, 9 words to cover 40 years!!

Ruth Musgrove (Smee)

Following the Leaving Certificate (1961) I took the very brave step of leaving home and moving to Sydney where I commenced work with the AMP Society. I was very unhappy for the first few months as I was very much a country girl and overwhelmed by the big city. I finally found my feet and continued to work for AMP for the next 24 years! Looking back, it was a great time. Being such a large organization, I was able to work in many different areas and meet some great people and made many friends. In 1970 I took 12 months leave without pay and travelled and worked in England. In 1973 long service leave enabled me to travel again, this time through Europe, Scandinavia and South Africa. By 1982 I was happily settled into a life of independence when along came that chap called Peter Smee!

We were married in 1983 and three years later we had a daughter, Fiona. Being a mum for the first time at the age of 41 was quite a challenge. Fiona is in Year 9 at Willoughby Girls High with no idea, at this stage, of her future direction.

I work 4 days a week for a Financial Planner in the city. I have been with him for about 11 years and really enjoy the world of finance.

On my "day off" I play golf. I was never much good at sport at school, but I have really "clicked" with golf. Peter and I play comp every week and we have had some great golfing trips.

Another great love is my garden but I am not able to spend as much time in it as I would like. I wish there were 8 or 9 days in the week!

Retirement, for me, is still a few years off. We want to see Fiona settled in a career and then we hope to move somewhere north where we can be near the coast. I will have a garden, Peter wants to fish and I dare say we will find time for the odd game of golf!

Patrick "Paddy" O'Brien

Career Highlights: After leaving Orange High, I did a Science degree at UNSW working in various part time jobs including taxi driving, laboratory assistant and computer operator with IBM. After graduation, I taught physics with what was then the Department of technical Education, now TAFE, at Ultimo.

I decided that medicine might be a more interesting and rewarding profession and went back to UNSW for a few more years. Became an intern, and later senior resident medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, and then went into general practice in one of the southern Sydney suburbs for the next twelve years. Decided that I didn't want to be in general practice for the rest of my working life, so I sold the practice and went to work in the IT section of the NSW Department of health.

During that time I took the opportunity to do a Graduate Diploma in IT at UTS and later on did an MBA at UTS as well. It was about that time that I made another career change, this time as Chief Underwriter for a large Sydney based life insurance company, where I stayed for the next three years. During that time I also became a Fellow of the Australian Insurance Institute through Deakin University, and then moved into my current position, (just over three years ago), with a re-insurance company based in Sydney.

I have several roles, but the main ones are being involved in the medical training of life underwriters, and the implementation of expert underwriting systems for the Asia Pacific region.

Family Highlights: Met and married Gail when I was RMO at RPAH. We have two boys, Matthew, now 22 and David 19. I also have a daughter Kate, now 25, from my previous marriage. No grandchildren as yet.

Pastimes: Try to keep fit with swimming, tennis and walking. Enjoy gliding at Camden. Go horse riding, snow boarding and sailing whenever I get the chance.

Recent Highlight: On a recent business trip to Hong Kong, took a flight to Beijing and walked on the Great Wall of China. Then got caught in a typhoon while trying to get back to Australia.

Editor's comment: With pastimes like those listed, I wonder who is doing Pat's reinsurance!

Joan Pink (Sutcliffe)

Can't believe how old I am and how long it is since we were at school!!!

Since then I have worked as an anaesthetist, spent nine years in London and came to live in Sydney about 20 years ago with husband Gordon, son Alexander and daughter Rosamund. I went back to University tentatively last year and am having fun studying Latin again and working part-time.

This is not a very exciting biography and I can't see why it has taken me 40 years to do so little.

We haven't been in Orange since 1991 so will be looking forward to seeing all the cherry orchards transformed into vineyards as well as friends a little more mature than last time.

Yvonne "Toot" Ridley (Keegan)

I'm a bit lucky really, - I was included in the recent 1960 Orange High School Reunion as I repeated 3rd year to link up with this great year. I might add, repeating didn't help me much. I was only interested in sport, travelling to Perth for netball just before the leaving in 1961. No excuses for my results - I often wondered why Mum and Dad wouldn't let me have another crack at the leaving in "62!

I then spent a year doing a Day Secretarial Course, which I hated. I was the oldest in the class and still getting reprimanded for disruption. Looking back I think I would have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder these days.

Surprisingly enough, by the end of the year I was going OK and landed a job as the Secretary to the Manager of the CBC (now the National) Bank for five years, then became a Teller and stayed there for eight years.

In 1967 I married Peter (the boy from De La Salle who I used to push off the fence in 2nd year), we took a while to get going but started breeding - 1971 Mitch, 1972 Jason, early 1974 Sam, 1976 Ben, then yes, a girl Emily 1979 - but who was trying! They all played Astley Cup for OHS.

I have stuck with netball since leaving school, being nearly every position on the committee and only gave the administration part away in 1998. I'm still coaching though. Saturdays are always busy. Pete does Pistol Shooting on Saturdays so that keeps him occupied as well.

I was blessed to be able to have my Mum and Dad with us to the ripe old ages of 84 and 86 and because we lived so close I was able to nurse them at home till the end, so our kids were lucky to have shared their lives with them.

I have taught swimming for many years for school and the Orange Ex-Services Club, then started doing teachers aid work with kids with disabilities and work at Anson Street School with these special kids and love it.

I'm on the committee to try and get an Indoor Aquatic Centre for Orange - boy it is a challenge. As if we don't need a facility such as this in Orange! One day I hope.

Pete works for Amcor and can't wait to retire and live up the coast - even if only in the winter. He has just finished restoring a Kombi in which we hope to travel around Australia one day.

Mitch has been researching diabetes at the Joslin Diabetes Centre at Harvard in Boston for the past two years but has just taken up a position as Study Director in a US Company called Toxikon and loves it. He has finished his PHD and Thesis and is awaiting the OK from the University.

Jason is partner in an earth moving business in Orange and was married to Penny Kellett (an ex OHS student) on 1st September 2001. It was beautiful.

Sam is a bricklayer and was in Sydney up until he went overseas twelve months ago. He's still in Scotland working on their Parliament House. He worked his way around Australia before that.

Ben is Manager of the Visitors Centre in Orange but has still got the travel bug after spending 10 months overseas in 2000.

Em is in her last year at Charles Sturt Uni doing Primary Teaching and is at present doing 10 weeks prac in Tamworth. She really loves it.

I still love Orange the Best - not that I know anywhere else really!!!

Patricia Salter (Taylor)
and Graeme "Tub" Taylor

If nothing else we can claim to be one of the few couples that have had a continuous relationship since 1951!!!! Please examine the photographic evidence available at the reunion.!!!!!

Upon leaving OHS Trish accepted a scholarship from Sydney Teachers College and embarked on a noble career in education, teaching in Narromine, Molong, Parkes, Tumut, Campbell (ACT) Narromine (again), Dubbo, Bathurst and Kelso. Today Trish is teaching at Kelso High School.

Meanwhile, Graeme pursued a career of selfless public service in local government at Orange, Parkes, Tumut, Dubbo and Evans (Bathurst). Graeme is currently General Manager at Evans Shire Council based at Kelso.

We married in 1967 at Orange (where else??) and at first settled in Parkes. The first child-a most difficult son named Anthony-who now works for IBM- arrived, followed by a somewhat more agreeable son, (David) who now works overseas as a tennis coach. A daughter, Megan , completed the picture and is employed at Optus (or is that SingTel???). We are proud grandparents following the arrival of Annabelle Claire Taylor on 11 May 2001, a daughter for the aforementioned Anthony.

Karen Shaw (Hindmarsh)

How time flies, with Orange High School's 40th reunion upon us. Thinking back over the last 40 years has made me realise what a happy and fortunate life I have experienced in that time.

Banking became my career and I spent six years in the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney in Cowra, Gilgandra, WaggaWagga and Coolamon. After a year spent overseas I came home to marry Peter and we made our home on his family's property "Back Creek", Tenterfield. Apart from a couple of early years in Mendooran, we lived there until 1998, working hard and enjoying the ups and downs of "life on the land". We were most fortunate to have two delightful boys, James now 29 and Ben now 25.

Peter and I worked together on the land until the children went away to school and I felt that I needed to be involved in something new for a change. With his blessing I became a Councillor on the Tenterfield Shire Council and found a new lease of life. I became involved in Catchment Management and Natural Resource Planning and as the years went on I became more and more involved.

After Peter recovered from a bout of cancer we decided to sell "Back Creek" and semi retire to a smaller place. We have now been living at "Hazelwood", Glen Innes for the past three years and love the change of scenery and beautiful country. Peter is thoroughly enjoying the work of rehabilitating our 750 acres to its former glory and looking after our Hereford cattle. Major extensions to the house are now in progress, not before time, which I am very excited about. I have given up Council and now Chair the Border Rivers Catchment Management Board and the Border Rivers Unregulated and Groundwater Committee plus other numerous Committees. This is a most interesting part time job and I am finding it very stimulating. In between I try to fit in tennis and golf and helping Peter.

James is now married to Suzanne and is a Bank Manager in Tamworth and Ben lives in Toowoomba and is a Research and Media Officer for the National Party member of Parliament in the Seat of Cunningham Qld. It is an added bonus to have them living within easy access of Glen Innes.

Peter Smee

Not easy to cover 40 years with a few words, so I won't really attempt it. Instead I will try and provide a few comments on various stages of my life since the 1961 Leaving Certificate.

In late February 1962 I set off for Sydney University and joined older brothers David and Michael at St. Pauls residential college to commence a Science degree. Enjoyed university life and the freedom that came with it very much. Yes, enjoyed the sport, social life and all those things that can seduce a young person from the country, so much, that by the end of my second year, I had badly under-estimated the examiners and over-estimated my capabilities. Repeated the year with no different result and returned to Orange to work out Plan C. (Hadn't even considered a Plan B).

Drifted into the finance industry, ie joined a bank - the Rural - and settled down in Orange for a few years. This was the beginning of a socially correct career in providing financial services to an ungrateful community who in time, came to view bankers, deservedly in a lot of respects, with an extremely jaundiced eye. Played rugby union with Harlequins, a start up club from the ashes of the old Wests club and was selected to represent Central West in 1967-8. Became involved with Orange Dramatic Society, Orange Choral Society and Bloomfield Theatrical Society - doing some 6 shows in three years. Won money at card nights from the Harlequins boys who didn't realise that I had learned how to play poker in a tough school at college.

Through the shared musical interests, met and married in 1969 an Orange girl, Maureen Edwards, who possessed the makings of a marvellous coloratura soprano voice. We had both moved to Sydney and had a son Benjamin in 1976. We all went to the UK for four months in 1979 for Maureen to further her singing studies. The relationship had been deteriorating, and in 1981 we separated and later divorced.

Luckily at that point in my banking career I had chanced upon something that was time consuming and very interesting. A world-wide, bank owned computerised message system called S.W.I.F.T. was being introduced by Australian banks, and I "won" the job of implementation project manager for what had now become the State Bank of NSW. SWIFT doesn't stand for Society for Wangling International free travel, but I still managed to get overseas on numerous occasions, particularly during my term as chairman of the Australian SWIFT User Group from 1987-94.

Not many people have the opportunity of a second chance in life, but I was lucky enough to be granted this early in my involvement with SWIFT. I was feeling a bit blue and tired of eating alone and made a phone call to an old acquaintance from OHS on the off-chance that she might like dinner. On the third attempt over two weeks, the phone was finally answered by Ruth (Musgrove).That call recently resulted in us celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary while we were in Noosa. (My 2nd break in 38 months!).

As willing collateral damage of the Commonwealth Bank/Colonial "merger", I accepted a redundancy offer at the end of March 2001 after 36 years and 8 days as a banker with the same organization but which had a number of name changes.

These latter years have been the happiest and fullest of my life, though Ruth and I both contemplate whether at the age of 56, being the parents of a delightful 14 year old girl, Fiona, was the most career-enhancing move we ever made.

Ruth introduced me to golf, (she has the lower handicap, still!!) and I continue with some singing. Still love bushwalking and fishing, which I tend to do more of with Ben who is now 25 and doing very well in computer network security after doing a BA at Sydney University, majoring in Near East archaeology!!!!

Although semi-retired, having been doing a bit of consultancy work and must look for some more before Ruth finds more jobs around the house for me to do.

Alan Thomas

Since leaving Orange High School in 1962 I attended Sydney Teachers College, Australian National University and University of Canberra, gaining a B.A., M.Ed. and Dip, P.E.

I taught in Sydney 1966 - 1968 and Canberra 1969 - 1990, being appointed Principal of Canberra High School 1984 - 1990.

In 1990 I entered into the NSW Department of Education and Training Administration being appointed a Director of Schools 1990 - 1995 and a District Superintendent 1995 - 2001. I am currently the District Superintendent for Shellharbour.

I have three children - Belinda, Mark and Kirsty. Belinda is a Public Relations Consultant, Mark a Mechanical Engineer and Kirsty a Teacher in Brisbane.

I am married to Rosslyn, a Psychologist, and we live in Kiama.

Mail Address: PO Box 61, KIAMA NSW 2533
Phone: 02 4233 1873
Contact Alan

John Watts

I am disappointed that I won't be able to attend the 40th reunion of the "Class of 61" due to prior commitment to a family function also to be held over that weekend.

The following is a brief history of my life since leaving Orange High School.

I started my working life with the PMG at Strathfield, but soon took up a position with the Department of Main Roads in Parkes. A highlight of my first year at Parkes was being a team member of the Parkes under 18 side and winning the Group II Premiership. A year later I was best man for Jack Treweek, who married Judy Quinlan both from the Class of 1960.

A spent a short time at Broken Hill and then returned to Orange to help establish a Works Office for the DMR. At about this time I won the only lottery I will probably ever win and got called up in the first intake of National Service, which I was able to defer for six months. My Army days were mainly spent at the Transportation Centre at Chowder Bay and a trip to Vietnam didn't eventuate. I was part time trainer/company clerk and discharged in 1968.

During my Army career I ventured overseas to Manly where I met my future wife, Alison, who was from Albury. We married in St Matthews Church on the Corso at Manly.

We made the move to Tamworth in 1972 and started a family in 1973. We have lived here since and survived over 30 years of marriage.

We have two children, Justin 28 who trained as an engineer but now is National IT Manager for a personnel company and Alissa 25 who is a Policewoman at Hurstville and living at Brighton le Sands.

My mother, who is 93, lived in Orange until last year. She now lives in a unit in Tottenham where my sister Pat (class of 60) has lived for many years.

Next February I will clock up 40 years with the RTA/DMT. Both Alison and I are avid travellers and last year we purchased a new caravan and have been practicing retirement by taking some time off in the last couple of years and exploring our wonderful country.

UPDATE 20 August 2004: Would like to let you all know that Alison and I have moved from Tamworth to a small place on the NSW mid north coast called Stuarts Point. We moved in September last year and after a few months of serious renovating we set off for a holiday to Darwin and Broome and we have just returned.
Nice to know that some of you have also opted for a change.
I retired from the RTA end of July last year and then had to find somewhere to move to. It has always been our plan to retire to the coast somewhere and this place is ideal for us as it has both a river and a beach for us to fish. We have bought a little Suzuki that we can travel along the beach in and most of the time we have it to ourselves.
We are about to become grandparents for the first time early September, which is why we have returned home in anticipation. We already know it is a boy and they are planning on naming him James. There is no surprise nowadays.
We also issue the invitation if anyone is up this way please call in.
Our address is: 21 Nineteenth Avenue, Stuarts Point NSW 2441

Joan Wheeler (Dean)

On leaving OHS in 1961 I spent some years doing clerical work at PDS Orange, United Insurance Orange and Sunbeam Campsie.

In 1966 I married the love of my life, Barry and together we have travelled through many happy and interesting years. Barry was an officer in the Regular Army - postings included Vietnam (him there, me in Orange) Wodonga, Marrangaroo, Denman, Melbourne then back to Orange where we have been since 1973. At first in business with my Dad.

When he retired we began our own business "The Orange Sandman" - it grew beyond belief but when it was ruling us it was time to move on. Now, with eldest son Tim and his wife Louise, we have a small earthmoving business. Tim and Barry do the hard work and Louise and I look after the bookwork. Hopefully retirement is not too far down the track and I am sure it will not be hard to fill in our days.

There are three Dean children - Tim (32) married to Louise with three children, Jack 8, Veronica 7, and William 3. We all live on a small property at Clergate (2 houses) which is also the depot for "the Earthworks".

Second son Scott (30) and also married to a Louise with twin daughters Claudia and Scarlett 2 and a half moths. Scott is a Graphic Designer and they live at Erskineville.

Daughter Joanne (26) is married to Wayne Wilson with Thomas 3 and Jemma 8 months. Joanne was in the hospitality field and they live in Brisbane.

Over the past ten years I have also been Casual Court Office in Orange where I have been involved in duties in Criminal and district Court, Supreme Court and Residential Tenancy Tribunals - all very interesting!

I do not have the overseas travel bug and have always been quite content at home, doing my own thing - sounds boring to some but I love it. We do have a holiday van at Berrara on the South Coast which we don't get to visit often enough but just watch us in retirement!

Hopefully there are many, many more years to come -maybe even a fifty years reunion! Many thanks to Peter, Ruth, Tub and Trish for their great effort in organising this reunion - I look forward to once again "catching up" with many old friends.