Canadian Junior College, Lausanne, Switzerland – CJC ‘74 REUNION
Remarks from Headmaster, Peter Simmons
‘Hello everyone. I’d like so much to say how good it is to see you all again, but sadly that is not possible. But I send warmest greetings to you. Firstly, to the students : I hope that the great promise you showed in that year at CJC has been fulfilled and that you have enjoyed, and are still enjoying, a fruitful personal and professional life.
Greetings next to my former colleagues whose friendship and professional skills I valued greatly. May your future be long and happy.
Finally to other guests, spouses and partners, whose presence here shows the courage they have needed to put up with you for more than the 9 months which was the span of my responsibility.
Before proceeding further may I express my deep thanks – which I am sure you will echo – to Elspeth, Nancy, Lindsay, Debbie, Tim, Harry, Tony, Doug, Cathy and all the unnamed others who have helped in untold ways with this reunion. The CJC diaspora is far-flung and not easily accessible. They have done well. I am particularly grateful to Lindsay for keeping me so well informed and to Cathy for agreeing to deliver these remarks on my behalf. Lindsay and Cathy are unique in your year in that, in my most frequent one-to-one encounters with them, they were in bed. I will say no more.
40 years ago. Who were you then? Let me share a few personal snapshots :
* Apprehensive and timorous arrivers at the College dispersing in your taxis to meet your new families.
* Early cases of homesickness transforming miraculously during the year into a desire to stay longer.
* Panic among those whose grades on their first assignments were below expectations. To the cry “ But sir, I’ve never had a grade that low before.” the reply “Well look upon it as a new experience” was not comforting.
* The excitement before, during and after Weekend and 10-day trips, and the rush to meet the curfew time in Venice, Florence or Rome.
Let me share too some snapshots from the 100+ “Madames”, each of whom I visited at least once during the year :
* “But monsieur, they do not eat their vegetables!”
* “Monsieur, I do her laundry of course but she washes her little things and hangs them in strange places!”
* “Monsieur, he uses all our toilet paper as handkerchiefs….. and his bedroom Oh laa!”
Is any of that familiar to spouses and partners?
But despite those cries from the heart each interview ended along these lines : “Mais quand meme, monsieur, il/elle est tres gentil(le), tres choux.” So many of them, in their own way, were very attached to you.
40 Years on. Who are we now? Has time been kind to us? You will have much to share with each other as the evening passes. At this point, however, I will accede (with some reluctance) to Lindsay’s request and update you on my family and myself.
Patricia and I , now married for 54 years, have our 4 daughters (3 aged 50+), 2 granddaughters and 7 grandsons (aged 5 to 25) in education or work. From 74 -85 I was Deputy Rector of the Royal High School of Edinburgh which dates from 1128 and gave the term High School to the world. Then Rector of another Academy for 7 years and finally an Advisor in Education until retirement in 1999. As members of an international group we attended 3 conferences a year over a 12 year period in different European countries where I did simultaneous translation work. In the past 3 years Patricia has survived a heart valve replacement and double by-pass followed by a stroke. She has recovered superbly but with some mild cognitive, verbal and memory damage. I am a prostate cancer survivor. We are active, swim regularly, walk by the sea and do voluntary work notably in the local Food Bank. We are blessed with a good life.
2014 – Your reunion. As a veteran of reunions I have come to recognize several stages : Firstly, wild ecstatic recognitions and greetings : “Great to see you again! It’s been so long!” “You look just great!” “You haven’t changed a bit!”
Then, some reactions, usually shared with friends : “Oh my God, look at him/her!” “I nearly didn’t recognize him/her!” “Are you sure that’s so-and so?” “Someone surely has a weight problem.” “She really shouldn’t be wearing that.”
Then, sharing your stories. Where are you living? What do you do? Here, look at the kids.
Then, sharing various things you did during the year, the things you feel comfortable talking about, the things you really enjoyed, the days you would happily re-live.
Finally, as the excitement fades, you may reflect on what the year meant to you, what difference it made to you, and whether it reshaped your life or goals in any way.
May I finally share some of my thoughts with you. Getting your Grade 13 Diploma – important though it was, was the least of your achievements. Without realizing it, and at a very young age, you walked into a serious collision of cultures. Youngsters from a peaceful nation barely 100 years old found a way of sharing a home with people whose formation is rooted in 8 centuries of internal strife. Youngsters untouched by Europe’s self-destructive habits, shared a roof with people who have lived always at the cross-roads of Europe’s invading armies. Young Canadians, open, expansive, relaxed and from a country always at the top of the quality of life tables, shared their life with a people shaped by their history to be defensive, cautious, private and frugal. It could have been a recipe for disaster. That it was not is very much to your credit. You did very much better than merely survive the collision. You made it a growth experience. I salute you for responding to the challenge of the year and acquitting yourselves so well. In addition to your Grade 13 Diploma, you graduated summa cum laude as a good Ambassador. If the Lausanne experience helped to make you a more sensitive, empathetic, confident, courageous human being, more open to those who are different, it will have succeeded beyond expectations.
Enjoy this evening. Enjoy NOW and all the future NOWS that you may live with your families and friends in Canada. And may God go with you.’
Peter Simmons, October 18th, 2014
CJC 40th Anniversary ReUnion Bash 