Former Parramatta High School students are hoping to reconnect with other graduates, ahead of a 50-year reunion set to be held next month.
On Saturday, November 9, Parramatta High School’s class of ’74 are being encouraged to attend the milestone reunion.
Heather Colcott (née Burns), who graduated from Parramatta High School in 1969, said the reunion is a great chance for the former students to come together and reminisce about a more innocent time.
“It’s just looking back in time on all that you’ve achieved, just looking back to a more innocent time in your life. There was just such optimism,” she said.
“A lot of people have had tragedies but it doesn’t quite matter what you’ve been through – for that afternoon you’re just thrown back into time. That’s the aim.”
She said many would not have seen each other since school.
“It will be lovely just to reconnect to those fun, crazy times. Because it was the 70’s,” she said.
Open to anyone who left the school from 1969 to 1974, Colcott said it’s never been harder to track down the former students to let them know about the reunion.
She’s hoping the Parramatta community will be able to help share the message.
“It’s much harder this time around, which is really weird, we’ve got less connectivity. The first reunion we had parent’s numbers and the local papers,” Colcott added.
“For this one, a lot of the guys from that era aren’t on social media, a lot of the girls have changed their names or don’t go by names, they just have nicknames for social media.
We’re just relying on one person at a time to contact another person.
“The last one we had a really good turnout and so far we’ve probably got about half of those within our contacts. So, this last month we’re really trying to increase it by about another 20 if we can.”
Reflecting on her time at Parramatta High School, Colcott said she has nothing but good memories.
“[There was] lots of fun and lots of laughing and it was a good school, a good education,” she added.
“The school itself has got a bit of a history, it was the first elective co-ed school in the state… so there’s an alumni there of a few famous people.
“You always had a sense that it was a good school to be at, and a lot of people still carry that with them.”
The 50-year reunion will be held at Club Parramatta from 1-6pm and will cost $50 per person.
To find out more information go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/1125478495387532/ or contact Heather Colcott on 0422 499734.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.