Oh what a grand outing! Oh, what reunion! Oh, for the good old days!

It all began when members of the St Catherine High School class of 1979 descended on Florida two weekends ago for the celebration and reunion that was hot, hot, hot! It started out with Friday night's meet and greet at Carl's Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As the past students poured in, there were many stares and lapses and then moments of "ahoa, it's you."

Stares turned to smiles and laughter as recognition finally set in. Some had not seen each other for more than 30 years. The faces of childhood memory have now matured into adults, leaving behind the boys and girls of so long ago. But there was no escaping the joy of the occasion as cameras captured the moments and it was pure nostalgia!

With finger-licking chicken and festivals, compliments of Carl's Restaurant, the 'students' all went to jam at Memory Lane's nightclub, and jammed they did! There were dance moves from 1974 to the present! People did the ska, rocksteady, butterfly and bogle! They danced in groups and some rent-a-tile style! Everyone was doing his/her thing!

There were some with bad backs and new shoes, some even did the cripple man dance! It was like people let go and broke free as they rode the 'riddim'! Chester Montague cut a pose and was just the coolest thing on the dance floor! Then there was Garfield Forbes who retained his dance king title and would not give it up! Angela Holgate and Moya Hamilton cut loose with their skanking styles and all around it was just fun!

For Saturday's night main event, 150 guests were confirmed to attend, but in true Jamaican style some 220 showed up. Dress code said semi-formal attire but everyone dressed to the nines, and then some. The boys had grown into gentlemen and the girls into fine women. Black and red dresses were the more popular choices for the women while the men chose suits.

Audrey Aird (Ms Sophisticate) wore her red dress like a glove and she danced like Ginger Rogers all night! Who knew she was so much fun? Paul Williams (the trouble-maker) was still at it after all these years. But now he is funnier than ever and really a true gentleman under all the comedy. He was attentive to the women all night, fetching drinks and making sure all thirsts were quenched. The best dressed man of the night was Chester Montague.

excitement

The event that was supposed to start at 6:30 p.m. did not get under way until 9:30 p.m. but no one noticed, everyone was so excited to be there. It finally got under way with opening remarks and a fine rendition of the school song.

The featured speaker, the 91-year-old Sister Mary Paschal, took the stage to thunderous applause and standing ovation. There was not a dry eye in the banquet hall as she spoke warmly and tenderly of her pride and joy upon seeing the students she called boys and girls become men and women. She was witty and ended her speech on a sober note, with a plea for the past students to stay "honest and true, and not to fall prey to bribery and corruption."

Dears, after all the awards and accolades Sister Paschal was led to the dance floor and that's when the party actually started! She simply danced many to shame with her moves, until she decided to make way for her former students so she could relax. And from there on, there was no holding back, as everyone partied into the wee hours of the morning. It was, for some, almost therapeutic! But what a party!

Among the many spotted were Sharon Samuels, Eric Stewart, Angela Holgate, Paul Williams, Collen Rose-Campbell, Donnott Castle, Faith Campbell, Roy Brown, Moya Hamilton, Christine Bryan Beaumont, the charming Rosemarie Lee- Dawkins, Monica Harvey-Palmer, Mark Smith; Faith Donegal, Arnete McKenzie, Jackie Tenn, Andrea Howell Phillips, Kenneth Cyrus, Sanjah Stewart, Corleen Edwards-Thame, Yvonne Henry, Sandra Bernard, Nigel Kennedy, Colleen Rose-DaCosta, Loxley Smith, Donna Brown, Elaine Malcolm-Traverso, Georgina Wynter, Michael Hamilton, plus several scores more!

Kudos to Monica Harvey-Palmer, Courtney Hay and the rest of the Florida team who made it a night to remember. There was succulent curried goat, escoveitched fish and jerk chicken, plus gift bags for all the members present from the class of 1979.

Already, plans are afoot for the next staging.

Additional information from Cherise Francis, Florida resident.