Special reunion at Swaffham school

It has been 50 years since they were last at school together but at the weekend a group of ex-pupils and teachers from a Swaffham school went back to class for a very special reunion.

It has been 50 years since they were last at school together but at the weekend a group of ex-pupils and teachers from a Swaffham school went back to class for a very special reunion.

Thirty-three members of Swaffham Secondary Modern's 4A class of 1959/60 attended Saturday's event at Swaffham Conservative Club and form master Gordon Mason was also there to greet his old class.

'I arrived in 1958 and you people were my first class and you did me proud. You were a marvellous class to teach,' he told his former pupils, adding that he had lots of happy memories of the school, especially of the many school trips.

The reunion was the idea of former pupil Laurence Wright who organised the event with fellow classmate Derek Edwards.

Mr Edwards said: 'It was an unbelievable day full of reminiscing and catching up.

'Many of us had not seen each other for 50 years and it was amazing how we still recognised so many of our classmates and former teachers.

'We learnt so much from our teachers so to see them again was wonderful - all of them had such a profound effect on the way we formed our lives and what we went on to achieve.'

One of the other teachers at the reunion was Joy Mottershead (nee Stockdale) who said that Swaffham Secondary Modern had opened in May 1955 and that the pupils in class 4A had helped to form traditions that still carry on today at the school which is now known as Hammonds High School.

Other former teachers at the event were Helen Dye (religious knowledge), Tom Golden (music), Ellen Jenness (deputy head and needlework), Joan Skipper (art) and Jill Williamson (nee Brogden, domestic science).