Extract from the Reunion Booklet
About three years ago, Jo-Anne Rendle started an ANZ Brats group on the Yahoo website. Since then, many Brats have found that site (and the current MSN site when the Yahoo one was deleted) and have shared their memories and experiences of Singapore. Hopefully, membership of the group will continue to grow and Jo's dream of reuniting all brats will eventuate.
Last year, Gill Pennock decided to host a small dinner for any ANZ Miltiary Brats of Singapore who lived in the Canberra area. Little did she know how much interest would be created. When she posted a small message on the Message Boards of our website, people from everywhere responded enthusiastically.
Brats attended not only from the Canberra area but also Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville and even New Zealand. About forty people attended!
Old friendships were renewed and new ones formed. And what a great time was had by all.
Gill did such a wonderful job in organising this event that the call went out for future reunions...the sooner the better. Brisbane was to be the venue.
There are many Brats living in the Brisbane area who would have loved to have joined us in Canberra, but, for various reasons, were unable to make it. So, on the night we arrived back from Canberra, we had a small get together at Southbank. On arrival, we were surprised to see market stalls like those we rememered from the amah's markets in Singapore. Upon enquiring, we found it was Buddha's birthday! What an appropriate weekend for our reunion! So the date was set for the Brisbane reunion.
The search for 'missing' Brats continued. Quite a few more were found from all eras...the search for others continues.
I would like to Welcome everyone to sunny Brisbane, especially Mrs Hughes and Mr & Mrs Sherlock. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy themselves here as much as we did in Canberra. We set quite a precendent there!!!
May old friends become reacquainted and new friendships bloom
I would like to thank everyone who as helped me over the past twelve months - you all know who you are.
