Reunion # 13, now forevermore known as Reunion-19, is over and all we’re left with is the afterglow. The cloud of COVID19 hung over us throughout the reunion, but the sun shone through, literally and figuratively, every day we were there. Just as the sun was about to set during our evening cruise in Cape Town Harbor, it peeked out between the clouds and the horizon giving us a stunning sunset as we danced to the old tunes on the boat.
September 8 – 12, 2022 in Vancouver, Canada
With the determination of salmon swimming upstream to spawn, our FOB group will reunite for the fourteenth time, hosted by Susan York in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Perhaps with COVID19 still rampant as of this announcement, the salmon analogy is not the best, seeing that they spawn and then die. Nonetheless, we have been patient, having already delayed this reunion once, and let’s face it, we’re not getting any younger. Our reunion team will plan the event with the understanding that COVID19 may still cause us to change dates and venues, and the final decision will be made sometime this spring.
Assuming that we will be able to gather, this reunion promises to be the best one yet. The 2020 reunion in South Africa hosted by Sharon and attended by over 40 alumni and friends just as the pandemic started, reminds us that we are a special group with many bonds that tie us together 40 to 50 years after we attended that little school in Bluche-sur-Sierre. We will sing and dance, we will go on our ‘promenade obligatoire’, enjoy a dinner/soiree, have a picnic, visit local vineyards and much more. We will remember old friends and renew friendships. We will rejoice having survived the pandemic. We will appreciate how far we’ve come and we’ll celebrate like never before.
Please save the dates — September 8 – 12, 2022 and please make an effort to come to this reunion. We are planning to stay at the wonderful 4-star Sheraton Wall Center Hotel in downtown Vancouver, less than 1 km from all the major attractions.
Like in past reunions, some of us will want to stay longer in Vancouver (September is a great month to sightsee in and around the city). Some may also want to travel around in the area after the reunion (Whistler/Blackcomb Resort, Alaska, Seattle, Banff). If you want to spend additional time in the area after the reunion, please talk it up among your friends and let us know.
No need for you to reserve your room at the Sheraton Hotel yet. We will firm up the hotel details within the next few weeks, after which we will send out an email to reserve directly with the hotel under our special rates. This venue will serve as our official reunion headquarters, where we will host the reception and soiree. If you prefer to stay at another hotel, please let us know, but kindly make those arrangements yourself.
So, three things you need to do now:
- Send an email to reunion@friendsofbluche.com and let us know if you are planning to come or not and if so, how many in your party and if you plan to stay at the hotel or elsewhere.
- Send information to fellow alumni who may not see this so that we can have the largest gathering of LR/PF alumni in Vancouver.
- Make sure you have paid your dues so that we can continue to operate as an alumni organization.
We look forward to celebrating with you in Vancouver, until then, please stay safe and enjoy!
Sincerely, The reunion Committee
Susan York, Sharon Taylor Baumann, Mikael Bengtson, Tom Ventser, Katy Jackson Cantor, Pradeep Kapadia, Thierry Coche and Alfie Eu
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Vancouver Reunion Attendees as of April 28, 2022
The alumni below plan to go to the reunion. Together with family members there is a total of 64 people that will come to Vancouver in September. Will you be number 65?
Alexandra Couvaras
Alice Allen
Annie & Mikael Bengtson
David Ensner
David Rennick
Debra & Rick Duke
Derek Schaab
Donna Runge
Douglas Parker
Ed Trevisi
Jacqueline Setareh
James Stiles
Jim Kay
Karen Dennis-Kelly
Kathy Kay Golding
Katy Cantor
Laura Mills Akhavan
Laurie Ehrich
Laurie, Gayle, Joanne & Carolyn Pinkos
Lori Fisher
Lynn martin
Mark Ensner
Martha Fouts
Melanie Friesen
Nancy Moore
Paul & Marie Wirth
Pauline Rømer
Paulo Barbosa
Pradeep Kapadia
Rod Tatham
Ronald Zisman
Susan Povenmire
Susan Sturgis
Susan York
Thierry Coche
Tom Ventser
Ursula Schlaepfer
Vicki Carstens