They call themselves the 59ers and fancy themselves the grooviest cats in town. They're members of St George's High School class of 1959 and they reunited earlier this year to catch up on old times and, in the midst of all the merriment, made substantial donations to their alma mater.

Their hair may be greyer and waistlines more expansive, but when the bunch came together it was like nothing at all had changed.

At the end of May, they met up for a three-day whirlwind reunion that saw them going to church together, dropping legs at an oldies party, and even sitting down for an intellectual discussion with the prime minister. Some flew in from Europe and even more from North America. It was like 1959 all over again.

"Just being back here and seeing these guys makes me feel like a youngster again!" said Anthony Wong, just after a church service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston.

"It has brought back memories of things I haven't thought about in years."

Old times

Now, remembering old times seemed to have been the unofficial theme for the reunion.

Dennis Charley, known by his classmates at the time as a mean footballer with natural-born skill not again seen in high school football, recalled fun times.

"I think I would be most remembered for my time playing the game, but the truth is, whether on or off the field, I enjoyed every moment of my time at George's," he said.

Other members of Charley's class, like Robert Vernon, were more willing to speak about his football prowess.

"He was great, man. Simply fantastic. As a schoolboy, watching him play was always something to look forward to. What he did on the field has not been repeated," said Richard Chang.

"In those days, going to a football game was an experience. That's where we would do a lot of our socialising. It was very exciting."

But fun and games hardly begin to define the St George's College class of 1959. Most Jamaicans are familiar with the names Ronald Thwaites and Trevor Munroe. Thwaites is an attorney, an ordained deacon and member of parliament, while Munroe is a political scientist, trade unionist and former senator. Both are members of the class of '59, but the fascinating thing is that they both received the prestigious and highly coveted Rhodes Scholarship, earning them an opportunity to pursue studies in England.

Great pride

That's no small feat and it still brings great pride to the members of the class of '59. They are quite likely to bring it up in any conversation about school days and boast that it's an indication of the quality of students enrolled at the school at that time.

But these old boys aren't content with just reflecting on things of the past, they are intent on helping the school continue its tradition of moulding productive, successful men. At a meeting with the prime minister held at the Courtleigh Hotel during the reunion, the Florida chapter of the past students' association made a donation of $5 million to the school. That's a tidy sum, which is sure to go a long way towards ensuring that 50 years from now there will be another reunion of past students equally proud to call themselves St George's old boys.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding (centre) accepts a cheque for $5 million from Philip Wong (right), president of the St George's College Old Boys Association of Florida. The prime minister accepted the cheque on behalf of the school. The money will go towards refurbishing the school and to the institution's scholarship programmes. The presentation was held at the Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston, on Saturday, May 30, to mark the 50th reunion of the class of '59. Also in photo (from left) are Patrick Terrelonge, principal, Margaret Campbell of St George's College, and Ronnie Thwaites. - Contributed

Archbishop of Kingston Laurence Burke leads a special mass at the Holy Trinity Cathedral to celebrate the 50th reunion of the St George's College class of 1959. The service was held on May 29. - File

Ronnie Thwaites

Professor Trevor Munroe

Trevor Summers