The Tal Handaq 60's Reunion was held at the Government House Officers Mess, Farnborough, on 23 October 1999. The photos are below. Click on an image to view an enlarged picture.

For the full set of 34 photographs on a CD ROM please email me at keith.dickerson@btinternet.com

A full report by Kay Carberry:

It wasn't quite Saturday night at the Pit, though the music and light show were the same. Some 60 ex Tal Handaq-ers (including a few spouses) turned up to the Tal Handaq 60's reunion bash on 23 October. In the elegant Government House Officers' Mess, Farnborough, they found unlimited supplies of Farsons Cisk and Malta wine, a room full of memorabilia, a 60s disco complete with DJs, a quiet lounge for reminiscing - and, most importantly, lots of old school friends, some last seen 30 years ago.

If you'd forgotten what the old school looked like, there were blown up pictures on display boards (thanks Dominik)- together with shots of crowds of teenagers, variously in school uniform and civvies (was everyone really that thin?). There were copies of the Times of Malta, printouts of the history of the school from the website, an autographed school shirt, school ties, blow-ups of those priceless adverts for local businesses printed in the school magazine - and the odd psychedelic poster.

Some people turned up in school ties and prefect badges; many brought photos and school magazines. A few crept in shyly, and looked relieved when they discovered everyone else was as old as they were. Others, annoyingly, turned up looking barely older than when you had sat next to them in French in 1968.

There was a lively buzz, even before the bar opened. Must have been the tea and biscuits provided by the mess in the afternoon for the early arrivals. Once the Farsons and Chateau Malta came on stream it all got suddenly louder. The mess served up superb food (thanks a million John and Wendy Baber) in a dining room previously patronised by no less than Queen Victoria.

Meanwhile our two DJs, Ron 'n' Tone, were being cool, fab, groovy etc. behind their decks, preparing to present us all with a certificate of attendance - designed to embarrass us as much as school prize day. We had to wait 'till the midnight hour before the dance floor was full, thanks to the 'girls' who started a mass movement by putting their handbags in the middle of the floor and dancing round them.

The last stragglers sloped off to bed around 3 am in the near-by hotel where many of us stayed (except for some bad boys who telephoned two of the (sleeping) girls at 3.15 am hoping for more action in the hotel bar - don't they realise it's not all barbecues on Golden Bay any more?). Many of us met up at breakfast the next morning and there was a lot of address exchanging and promises to keep in touch

The event was an enormous success - everyone seemed to be having a good time. All that united us was that were the 60's generation who spent important years of our lives at an extraordinary school on a Mediterranean island. This meant something, even 30 years later. Thanks to everyone for coming. Special thanks to Ron and Tony for doing all the hard work - with a bit (but not enough) help from their friends.

Thanks to The Committee

Ron Leeman

Tony Hampson

Kay Carberry

Maureen Carberry

John Nicholas

Dominik Wujastyk

Part of the contingent at the 2001 Reunion near Bristol:

You are visitor number to this site since 1 January 2003