YES MAN HAD WALKED ON THE MOON - WE ALL LISTENED TO THE LANDING AT SCHOOL OVER THE INTERCOM SYSTEM VIA A RADIO TRANSMISSION NO TV TO SEE THIS EVENT HAPPENING TODAY WE ARE ABLE TO TRAVEL IN SPACE - THE FORTUNATE MAN IS MARK SHUTTLEWORTH

GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE

MRS WOODS, STAFF, GUESTS, PUPILS AND RIEBEEK OLD GIRLS IT IS AN HONOUR TO BE INVITED TO SPEAK TO THIS GATHERING OF LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOL

A SPECIAL WELCOME TO ALL THE GIRLS WHO ARE HERE TODAY WHETHER YOU ARE OUT OF SCHOOL FOR 1 YEAR, 5 YRS OR 50YRS – RIEBEEK COLLEGE WILL ALWAYS HOLD A SPECIAL CORNER IN OUR HEARTS

MY NAME IS LYNNE AND I AM PROUDLY FROM THE CLASS OF 1974 Slide of matric dance talk

LETS GO BACK TO 1974 - 40 YRS AGO I WAS PRIVILEGED TO STAND ON THIS STAGE IN FRONT OFTHE GRADE 11 AND 12 PUPILS, TEACHERS, PARENTS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND ADDRESS THEM. THIS WAS THE MATRIC FARWELL DANCE. MY SPEECH THAT NIGHT WAS LIKE THIS WORDS WORDSA WORDS DO NOT WORRY WITH ALL THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY OF TODAY YOU ARE WATCHING MY SPEECH MEMORY STICK WITH IMAGES TO MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING - WHAT GREAT MEMORIES WERE CREATED. WE ALL HAD TO WEAR LONG WHITE DRESSES WITH SLITS THT ONLY WENT TO THE KNEE AND WE WALKED A RED CARPET TO BE PRESENTED TO THE MAYOR OF UITENHAGE. PHOTO OF MATRIC DANCE THIS WAS NEAR THE END OF OUR SCHOOL YEARS TOGETHER.

PHOTO OF LAST DAY AT SCHOOL

WE SPENT THE NIGHT TOGETHER AND TRAVELLED TO SCHOOL ON THE MILK TRUCK

WE WOULD SOON BE WRITING OUR FINAL EXAMINATIONS AND SOME HAD ALREADY DECIDED ON THEIR FUTURE CAREERS

LET ME SHOW HOW THE CLASS OF 74 BEGAN

PHOTO OF CLASS IN COLLEGE HILL

A FEW MEMORIES OF THE CLASS PHOTO OF CONCERT

WE GREAT TIMES AT SCHOOL PHOTO, SWIMMING GALA, WATCHING HOCKEY MATCH ON A TOUR TO KAFFARIAN GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

CHEER LEADERS FOR ELIZABETH HOUSE AT THE SWIMMING GALA, A TENNIS TEAM

THE CLASS OF 74 IN 1971 WE HAD CHANGED QUITE A BIT BY NOW THE HAIR STYLES WERE DIFFERENT AND WE HAD LOST THE BOYS - do not worry we get them back later

PHOTO OF TWINS WE WERE PRIVILEDGED TO HAVE 3 SETS OF TWINS IN OUR CLASS. ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT ALL FINISH UP TOGETHER IN 1974 The Vermaak’s became famous tennis players after leaving Riebeek at the end of std 7 Lesley and Louis are here today to celebrate with us

WE WERE INVOLVED IN MANY ACTIVITIES DRAMA – WE WENT AS A GROUP TO THE OPERA HOUSE TO SEE SHAKESPEAR’S PLAYS AS THESE WERE OUR SETWORK BOOKS. THIS WAS ALWAYS AN EXCITING OUTING. SPORT LINKY BOSHOFF REPRESENTED SA AT WIMBLEDON IN 1974 AND BEVERLEY ECKLEY REPRESENTED OUR EASTERN PROVINCE AT HOCKEY. ACADEMIC MANY OF US WROTE AN EXAMINATION CALLED “DIE TAALBOND” AN INDEPENDENT LANGUAGE EXAM AND ALSO THE MATHS OLYMPIAD AND WE WERE ALL SUCCESSFUL. WE WENT TO THE SCIENCE FESTIVAL IN GRAHAMSTOWN WHICH WAS MUCH FUN BUT ALSO A LOT OF LEARNING AND SHARING. HELEN MARTIN , JENNY MEYER AND MYSELF MADE IT ONTO THE BROCHURE OF THE FESTIVAL WE ALSO DID CHARTY DRIVES - ONE YEAR WE KNITTED SQUARES AND MADE UP BLANKETS - I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW MANY WE DID IN TOTAL BUT REMEMBER THAT THE GRADE 9 CLASS MADE 11 BY THEMSELVES

SOME OF THE PUPILS IN THE PHOTO FROM COLLEGE HILL ARE STILL IN THE PHOTO 12 YEARS LATER

PHOTO OF CLASS OF 74

WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN 1974 -

WE DID NOT HAVE CELL PHONES, CD, DVD, COMPUTER, I PAD, TABLETS, 3D MOVIES

BUT WE DID HAVE THE DRIVE IN, MUSIC CASSETTES, CINEMA,

AND THIS IS THE YEAR YOUR SWIMMING POOL WAS STARTED AND WE NEVER GOT TO SWIM IN IT POOL

WHERE DID WE GO TO FOR DELICOUS FOOD PHOTO OF WIMPY WE ONLY HAD THE WIMPY TO GO TO FOR OUR CHOCOLATE SUNDAE

NOW WE HAVE SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM DEBONAIRS, MUGG & BEAN, STEARS TO NAME A FEW

PHOTO BEETLE CAR OF YEAR 1974 please remember her as you will see what happens

AFTER WE HAD WRITTEN OUR FINAL EXAM WE HAD TO MAKE A CHOICE FOR OUR CAREER -OUR CHOICES WERE A BIT LIMITED PHOTO NURSE DOCTOR YOU COULD BECOME A NURSE, TEACHER, BANK CLERK AND NOT MUCH ELSE. THE BOYS GENERALLY BECOME THE DOCTORS AND THE GIRLS THE NURSES. AFTER GRADUATION WE COULD BEGIN OUR CAREERS. WE WOULD THEN GO ON TO CHOOSE OUR HUSBANDS

I THINK THE BIGGEST CAREER THAT A WOMAN HAS IS TO MANAGE THE FAMILY- YOU HAVE TO EDUCATE THE CHILDREN, MANAGE THE HOUSEHOLD , GO TO WORK EACH DAY, AND KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY AND ORGANISED PHOTO LINKY AND SOME OF THEM WERE MUIR BOYS PHOTO MUIR CLASS OUR BROTHER SCHOOL

OUR CHILDREN GREW UP AND WENT TO SCHOOL - SOME ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO ATTEND RIEBEEK COLLEGE IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THEIR MOMS – WHAT A PRIVILEGE.

TO-DAY THE GRADE 12 PUPILS HAVE A HUGE SELECTION TO CHOOSE FROM PHOTO OF CAREERS

PHOTO SPORTSWOMAN, RADIOGRAPHER, PHARMACIST

THESE ARE BUT A FEW - YOU COULD GO TO UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE, TECHNIKON AND STUDY LIKE MAD AND YOU WOULD GRADUATE PHOTO GRADUATION WHEN YOU ARE CHOOSING YOUR CAREER DO NOT THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO BE A DOCTOR OR SCIENTIST TO BE SUCCESSFUL - THINK OF YOUR OWN TALENTS AND INTERESTS AND CHOOSE ALONG THAT PATH AND YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR LIFE. THERE IS AN AMAZING FUTURE WAITING FOR EACH MATRIC PUPIL

WHEN YOU ARE AT SCHOOL YOU DO NOT REALISE HOW EACH AND EVERY PERSON YOU MEET WITH HAS AN EFFECT ON YOUR LIFE. WHETHER IT BE ON THE SPORT FIELD, CLASSROOM, LIBRARY OR IN THE CORRIDOR.

YOUR TEACHERS AND CLASSMATES ALL CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE. AT 40 YEARS WE NOW HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE BUT NOT YET TOTALLY QUALIFIED AS THERE IS STILL A LOT OF LEARNING TO DO AS LIFE IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING. WE ARE CHALLENGED EVERYDAY TO GROW AND LEARN NEW IDEAS LETS TAKE THE CELL PHONE

PHOTO OF CELL PHONE OLD AND NEW LOOK AT HOW THE CELL PHONE HAS CHANGED

EVEN OUR USE OF WORDS HAS CHANGED I HAVE HAD TO LEARN WORDS LIKE

SMS MSG LIKE LOL ROTFL WHATSAP TWITTER AND THE NEWEST IS SELFIE

I AM A RADIOGRAPHER AND THIS IS MY SELFIE PHOTO OF SELFIE

REMEMBER THE BEETLE BACK THEN SEE HOW IT HAS EVOLVED PHOTO OF CAR BEETLE IT IS NO LONGER THE MODEL OF THE YEAR

NOW THE MODEL OF THE YEAR IS A HUMMER OR A MASERATI OR THE BIGGEST 4X4 YOU CAN FIND ENOUGH OF MEMORIES LETS GET TO THE TEACHERS

TEACHERS PHOTO 1972

TO THE TEACHERS OF 1974 Mesdames Hutton, Chapman, Rump, Swart, Watts, Brockett, , Springer, Crane, Black, Woods, Kotze, Newman, OLIVIER AND EHLERS I THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE CLASS FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR US AND GIVING US AN EXCELLENT GROUNDING FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE IN OUR CAREERS AND OUR FAMILIES.

MRS WOODS YOUR SUPPORT AND TRAINING FOR THE HOCKEY TEAMS WAS FANTASTIC

MRS WATTS I HOPE I HAVE MADE YOU PROUD TODAY

I MUST , HOWEVER, SAY SORRY TO MRS SWART I STILL CANT BAKE SCONES

PHOTO OF CLASS OF 1974 NOW

TO THE CLASS OF 74 I THANK EACH AND EVERYONE FOR JUST WHO YOU WERE AND CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL YOUR SUCCESSES AND FRIENDSHIP TO EACH OTHER. FACEBOOK HAS MADE IT EXTREMELY EASY AND EXCITING TO CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS. WE HAVE ALL INFLUENCED OR TOUCHED SOMEONE IN OUR 40 YEARS AFTER SCHOOL, ALTHOUGH YOU DONT REALISE IT AT THE TIME, YOU HAVE SUPPORTED EACH OTHER AT SCHOOL – WE FACED CHALLENGES TOGETHER AND THIS WAS PART OF GROOMING US AND FORMING OUR CHARACTERS.

I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE EVERY PERSON HERE TO DAY WHETHER YOU ARE GRADE 4, 12 OR 40 YRS OLD TO ACCEPT EVERY OPPORTUNITY, OR CHALLENGE YOU ARE GIVEN, GIVE YOUR BEST AND LEARN AND GROW FROM IT. WHETHER YOU HELP A FRIEND , OR YOU ARE GOING TO SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST DAY OF A NEW YEAR, BE POSITIVE, BE KIND, BE ENCOURAGING TO ALL AND YOU WILL HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE OF SOMEONE’S LIFE. A SMILE IS THE MOST AMAZING FEATURE IN YOUR WHOLE BODY AND USES A NUMBER OF MUSCLES AND NERVES TO CREATE IT BUT CAN CAUSE THE BIGGEST WARMEST FEELING IN ANOTHER PERSON

TO THE GRADE 12 CLASS OF TODAY GOOD LUCK FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, CHOOSE YOUR CAREERS WISELY, FACE THE CHALLENGES AND STEP FORWARD INTO AN AMAZING FUTURE - THERE IS LOTS TO EXPLORE

THANK YOU ALL AND MAY THE YEAR AHEAD TO OUR NEXT REUNION BE A BLESSED ONE

June 03, 2014