Reunion roundup

Reunions held in 2004: Class of 1994

3 - 5 December 2004

By Kerrin Begg

Naseema Barday-Karbanee, Kerrin Begg (De Haas), Irene Brokensha, Briget Borwick, Andrew Boulle, Michelle Carrihill, David Carter, Indhrin Chetty, Graeme Copley, Ruth Cornick, Thomas Crede, Mark Cvitanich, Geoff Fatti, Simone Forlee, Ian Forsyth, Simone Honikman, Tracy Janse van Rensburg, Chris Kenyon, Tanya Kinvig, Gary Kroukamp, Mike Levin, Shirley MacPherson, Wayne May, Jo-Ann McLoughlin, Ziad Meer, Andrew Morrish, Chris Outram, Larissa Panieri (Peter), Roze Phillips, Peter Polley, Belinda Prestage, None Ramonate, Gill Robertson, Ola Rzepecka (Basson), Nici Scheepers, Ryan Soldin, Lisa Todd, Yolande van der Heyde, Greg van Osch, Fraser Ward

(Click on the image to see a large version.)

For the 10 year reunion class, 1994 was a year of celebration with the birth of South Africa's new democracy, as well as a year of trepidation at the possibility of new impending legislation relating to community service and vocational training. We were young birds about to take our first flight from the nest of medical school into the world of practicing medicine. Many classmates literally "flew", traveling abroad, gaining experience, paying off student loans etc. Some have settled overseas permanently, but what is so encouraging is the trend of classmates to return to South Africa.

Ten years on, classmates are generally at the stage of life of being midst or post specializing, or established in general practice from a career point of view; and married, with or without young children from a social point of view. This meant that much of reunion had to be played by ear with last minute attendances and cancellations due to family commitments.

The 1994 Class reunion commenced with coffee and registration, followed by a tour of the new sections of Medical School, the UCT Private Academic Hospital and the Transplant Museum, finishing off with a finger lunch - all this with 2 newborns in tow! The Cocktail party on Friday evening kick-started the reminiscing with the opening address by Deputy Dean Gonda Perez, who outlined the progress within the Health Sciences Faculty in past 10 years (one of the significant changes being the name-change from "Medical Faculty" to "Health Sciences Faculty").

The reunion committee had decided to forgo the traditional academic section of the programme, since most of the class were either currently involved in fulltime registrar programmes, and those that weren't had young families to accommodate in addition to their demanding careers.

The highlight of the Reunion events was most definitely the gala dinner at Arabella Sheraton - once again with a few (more) newborns in tow. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with classmates and their spouses / partners. Classmates found it hilarious to look through copies of the 1994 Class yearbook and compare the sections "where will I be in 10 years time?" with where classmates actually are today. On a more somber note, tribute was paid to classmates who had passed away tragically since graduation. The "Backsberg Red" Class of '94 wine had aged particularly well and was thoroughly enjoyed by the connoisseurs and plebs alike.

The picnic lunch at Kirstenbosch Gardens was a fantastic event albeit a bit windy, with races across the lawns between dads and multitudes of young kids, and toddlers sampling all of the lunches on offer! A very relaxed laid back affair.

All in all the 1994 Class Reunion was a very special time with renewing of acquaintances and friendships, and was absolutely well worth it!