Students from the former Sunshine West High School (SWHS) are still finding a way to catch up with their classmates all these years later.
The Thistle Club group has been together for 15 years. It was formed in 2008 by a small group of past students and teachers from the 1960’s 70’s and early 80’s.
Vice president of the Thistle Club, Clive Pattie, said the group has reunited as a student body for fellowship and to ensure the wellbeing of former alumni by keeping in regular contact.
“Some members travel quite long distances, monthly from eastern suburbs, regional Victoria, together with irregular visits by some from interstate and even overseas,” he said.
“A few of our former teacher members are now in their 80s, one of them is 94 and our majority student members are in their 60s and 70s.”
“The club is a support network that is really incredible. We enjoy the frivolity of it and we reminisce. We feel like 20-year-olds in wrinkled, old bodies”
Most recently, the group came together to give away $50 vouchers that will be handed out to 1000 Sunshine College students in need.
Mr Pattie said SWHS was truly ‘multicultural’ in his time, and in the early years had many students from diverse nationalities migrating from all over Europe.
“The college now has newcomers from the Middle East, Africa, the Sub-Continent and Asia,” he said.
Hannah Hammoud
