It’s been a long time since grade 11 and 12, for me over fifty years! I had a small group of friends in high school, and the memories that come to mind most often are of the photography club (yes, we still had a traditional darkroom and developed our own film and photos), a lot of shop classes, and a few of us who started a ‘band’. You probably recall that 1972 treated the world to the birth of ABBA and Alabama. Lesser known was a meeker garage/basement band in Victoria, BC that mimicked folk music of the day; Catch the Wind, How Many Roads, Rocky Racoon – you know, all the crowd favorites, and called themselves Backus. Destined to attain status just shy of sub-spectacular, even though we had a gig or two mostly in our own basements, the band sadly broke up just prior to being discovered. Group members Vince, Melanie, Frank and Rick simply went on about their lives free from the burdens of fame, fortune and the paparazzi. Several years after high school Frank and his family of five moved to Brisbane, so I hadn’t seen him for well over 35 years. On our journey down Australia’s eastern seaboard, anticipation of a reunion gained momentum. On a warm and sunny Sunday in April, we navigated our way just south of Brisbane to spend the day with Frank and his partner Gillian. What a great afternoon, spent testing each others’ memories and having a laugh. Maybe also a bit of a damp eye or two as we shared some of life’s more serious events that had transpired along the way, an afternoon that passed too quickly but ended with the hope of another meeting sometime soon.
Frank and Rick, one of whom still looks like he did in high school!
Life is short. Laugh when you feel like it. Cry when you’re sad. Sing like you’re already famous. Enjoy your friends.
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