The summer of 1967 was certainly a very special occasion for the 86 young members of the Ponoka Composite High School graduating class.
During that Centennial Year they would be proudly celebrating the completion of twelve tough but fun years of achieving an education with so many super classmates and new friends, but they would also be the first grad class of the new and ultra-modern Ponoka Composite High School at the north-west end of town.
As is the case every year, many of those students would leave their favourite home town to pursue further education and careers, while others returned to the Ponoka district to work at the family’s farms and businesses, or to seek out other exciting areas of employment and exciting new challenges. Whereever they may have chosen to settle down, get married, establish their homes, raised their families, and proudly become grandparents over the past five decades, so many of those former classmates have stayed in touch and will always look forward to ‘coming home’, especially for class reunions.
50th class reunion is set October 7, 2017
Following in the footsteps of a very successful 45th reunion on October 12, 1967 at the Stagecoach Saloon in Ponoka the Class of 1967 P.C.H.S. grad committee are now excited and busy as they prepare for their gala and milestone 50th Reunion on October 7, 2017 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #65 auditorium.
Committee Chairman Doug Hart and members Dawn (McKenzie) Parent, Brenda (Davenport) Wedin, Shirley (Ronnie) Jones, Marie (Scott) McWade, Bonnie (Avison) Waldern, Pat (Massing) Christie, Gord Liddle, Gerry Hoar, and Dan Koleyak are now busy making plans and contacts, and extend a warm invitation to all former class-mates, teachers, wives and husbands, and guests to attend this very casual but special occasion. This Class of 1967 50th Reunion is being held on the Thanksgiving weekend, which will also be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to visit with class-mates as well as enjoying quality time with family and friends from in and around our great community.
Following afternoon registration at the Legion reunion guests will be treated to tours of the Centennial Centre, the Calnash Ag Event Centre, and the completely renovated Ponoka Secondary Campus. There will also be traditional horse drawn wagon rides, followed by a gala evening banquet, entertainment, open microphone, the sharing of souvenirs-mementos and lasting memories, a delightful participation session of ‘lies-laughs and legacy’, as well a whole lot of photo opps and keen camaraderie. During the evening the PCHS Class of 1967 will also pause to pay tribute to those former classmates who have passed away, including Ross Gates, Abby Gamble, Errol McMillan, Barbara Martin, Christina Lind, Keith Hoffman, Paul Deleeuw, Judy Ablett, Marie Cline, Dennis Hendrickson, Gwen Parker, Ron Robinson, Lester Schwed, Meyers, Simon, Colleen McCoy, Ron Schimpf, and Alfred Lynch. On Sunday morning the former class-mates, guests, and friends will gather again at the Legion for a farewell pancake breakfast.
The 1967 Grad Committee is currently looking for contact information for the following class-mates, so if you could help out in this regard would you please get in touch with the committee. They would love to get reunion invites to: Sandra Dawson, Bill Rutherford, Elaine Wolfe, Marlene Kuntz, Doug Paul, Jim Brigham, Bob Boman, Betty McFarlane, Faith Penner, Robert St. Germain, Judy Anderson, Judy Hogarth, Roland Dirks, Lee Morrison, Marea Davies, and Allan Spence
Those wishing to get more information on the PHS Class of 1967 50th Reunion are welcome to get in touch with Doug Hart (403-783-5116), Brenda Wedin (403-783-3211), Shirley Jones (403-783-2447) or you can get all the news on their face-book page: Ponoka Composite High School Class of 1967. There is no doubt that all grad classes will have many photo albums and treasures of their early school years in Ponoka, and although it may have been a very long time ago since those noisy sock hops, ink wells, bobby sox, sassy cheer squads, co-ed shop and home-ec classes, Dutch treat Fridays at the Capital Theatre, messy lockers, Broncs and Aces teams, too much home-work, favourite teachers, and so much more, all of which will always be best remembered, exaggerated, and chuckled about at class reunions, so don’t you dare miss yours.