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OTU Association National Reunion
April 25-28, 2013
Men of OTU! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Given our age, the OTU Association is planning on having one last National Reunion in 2013 for the men who undertook the Scheyville experience.
This is expected to be the last time that we can all gather together to share the camaraderie and experiences of Scheyville. The National Reunion will also provide the perfect opportunity to introduce your partners to the insanity that was our lives at Scheyville.
We have scheduled the National Reunion to follow ANZAC Day to allow people to attend the Sydney march and commemoration activities on the same trip.
The planned sequence of events surrounding the National Reunion follows.
So place the 25-28 April 2013 in your diary, contact your class mates and start planning to attend our last National Reunion.
- 1. Thurs 25 Apr - ANZAC Day march, lunch and afters
We will meet in Pitt Street at around 1000 hrs to march as a contingent of (we expect) around 100. Practice walking in time to music before then!
Lunch will be at the Masonic Club in Castlereagh St afterwards. After an ANZAC commemoration ceremony in the Club, the bar is opened all afternoon by the Club at no cost to participants. Practice is not required to prepare for this activity.
OTU Reunion Schedule
- 2. Fri 26 Apr - Class reunions (probably evening events)
Individual class get-togethers will be conducted in various locations around Sydney as planned by each class. Most are expected to arrange evening events to accommodate travellers who could not come to Sydney earlier. Your class coordinators (listed below) will advise you of class plans as these develop. Note that volunteers to fill the gaps shown in the table will be appreciated.
This will be the perfect opportunity for you to be amazed how old and wrinkled many of your colleagues have become relative to you! But somehow the personalities haven’t really changed! And the lies they can tell! Shocking!
- 3. Sat 27 Apr – Dinner
A night of fun and frivolity is planned for the Reunion Dinner on Saturday night. Ten years ago, we dined magnificently at Rose Hill Conference Centre, but this venue is not available for us in 2013.
This time, a 3-course dinner will be provided at Doltone House on Jones Bay Wharf, overlooking Sydney Harbour. You and your partners will be impressed by the venue, the views, the entertaining speakers and the sparkling company. We are planning for more than 500 diners.
- 4. Sun 28 Apr – Church Service, Windsor
Buses will pick you up from your city accommodation to carry you to St Matthew’s Church Windsor where the graduation services were held all those years ago. The service will be preceded by a march through part of Windsor, led by NSW Police Band, Horses and Outriders. You might even find your photograph in the local newspaper.
A sumptuous Morning Tea has been promised by the Parish Ladies Auxiliary.
Friends and family (even grandchildren) will be more than welcome to attend.
- 5. Sun 28 Apr – Visit to Scheyville
The buses will take you on to Scheyville National Park.
You will have plenty of opportunity to revisit what remains of the structure of OTU. You will be delighted to see how work has continued for the restoration of some buildings (e.g. the Officers Mess is fully restored.)
The Park will have displays showing their plans for ongoing developments and will have as much OTU stuff on display as they can manage. The Park’s Audio-based guided tour of OTU will also be available for those with failing memory!
Lunch will be provided through the Park’s in-house canteen/café operating out of part of the old Gym.
Again, friends and family will be most welcome.
The buses will then return you to appropriate CBD locations.
- 6. Miscellaneous
Footage will be taken to enable the production of a proper memento of the reunion. Bring your best smiles!
We will set up a site in early 2012 (linked to the Association’s site) for the management of bookings, etc for the various activities. Keep an eye out for the details!
Make your own travel arrangements as you see fit for you and yours.
Accommodation can be a vexed question. We have selected a central-Sydney location for the dinner because many members have indicated that their partners require access to shopping and like “touristy” activities.
In due course, we will provide you with a list of hotels and other accommodation in the central-Sydney area as a guide. You may also wish to look at Internet sites like “Wotif”, “Hotels Combined” or one of a number of similar sites to address your needs.
Requests for tents-half-shelter can also be submitted and will be managed accordingly.
Again, let’s emphasise that this is likely to be the last time that the Association can convene a National reunion of this scale. We are aged in our sixties now; imagine a reunion when we are in our seventies! Daunting!
To have a really great send off to the unique Scheyville experience, we need maximum attendance of all those young men and instructors who passed through Scheyville.
Get the dates into your plans now! Get locums planned or prepare someone to look after the farm! Warm your partner up to participate! Start saving now! In any event, let your class coordinator know of your plans to attend.
We’ll certainly provide you with more details as they are resolved.
Greg Todd on
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Advice on how to contact your class colleagues will be provided early in 2012.
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