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Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, August 1, 2007 11 Old friends (and strangers) reunite at Homecoming Continued from pg. 1 Neither of us knew this until now." At one point Leslie's father was the manager at the Roxy theatre where Vandervoort used to pick up chores in exchange to view films. "A movie cost a quarter then. But we were rather poverty stricken so that was a luxury we couldn't afford," said Vandervoort. "A few of us would go up there and he would let us sit on the floor and watch for free, so long as we swept up afterwards." "I had no idea until now. My father never gave me a free show and I still had to sweep up," joked Leslie. "I had no idea that we rented to them either. We just met right now." Leslie and Vandervoort have one more thing in common. After leaving Georgetown they both got married and moved with their wives to Orilla. The new friends have exchanged information and will be meeting up again once they are home. "I thought there would be no one from my class. But look what I meet up with instead," said Leslie. Jumping up and down in each other's arms like the school girls they once were, Gail Young and Marilyn Peavoy were also amoung the many reunited. With Peavoy traveling from Peterborough and Young all the way from northern British Columbia, neither were expecting to run into each other. Once best friends at Harrison Elementary School, the two have been keeping in touch through e-mail and phone calls, but haven't seen each other in almost five years. "This is great," said Young. "This is what this is all about." After nearly 40 years, Diane Tost (Suchan) and Cheryl Lane (Armitage) ran into each other on the dance floor Saturday night. "We were best friends in high school. I haven't seen her since," said Lane. "This is absolutely wonderful." As the old friends chattered about where they are now and how many grandchildren they have, their husbands, Joel Tost and Ron Lane, stood off to the side. They had their own memories to reminisce about. "We're boulevard buddies," said Lane. "We were always getting into trouble together." The two men grew up as neighbours from a very young age on Normandy Boulevard. They remained friends throughout high school and eventually moved their separate ways, the Lanes to Essex and the Tosts to Wiarton. They haven't seen each other since their high school reunion about 20 years ago. "We're like two great reunion stories wrapped in one," said Cheryl Lane. "We actually went to Essex to find them about six years ago, but we had no luck," said Diane Tost. "We had an old address for them." All four knew each other in high school and with proper addresses now exchanged, they plan to keep in touch. The weekend was filled with hugs and smiles all around. "It's a marvelous success," said David Smallwood, co-chair of the Homecoming committee. "Barry Hamilton has been a longtime resident and he just can't seem to get the smile off his face. That's the kind of thing that makes this such a success." Hamilton, now residing in Acton, may not have gone far since his days at Georgetown High School but this weekend truly felt like coming home to him. "This is unbelievable," said Hamilton. Irene (Nan) Wheeler (nee Tost), 97, (right) graduated in 1924,. She is the great, great granddaughter of George Kennedy, founder of Georgetown. Her sisters Rita and Myrtle also attended the school with her. Wheeler was joined by Catherine Dillon as they checked out old yearbooks at Georgetown District High School Saturday. Photo by Sandra Traversy "I am 62 years old and this is the best time I've had in 62 years. I've seen so many people I haven't seen since high school." For Hamilton, `coming home' was quite literal. "I couldn't get a ticket to the brunch on Saturday at the high school," said Hamilton. See ORGANIZERS, pg. 12 Neil Cotton of Neil Cotton and Hawk's Nest got the crowd going at Saturday's dance and social held at Mold-Masters SportsPlex. Photo by Ron Stiel Jim Finnie, left, who graduated in 1972, came from Orlando, Florida to join his brother Rob, who lives in Acton to sign the blackboard and share memories in the '70's room. Photo by Sandra Traversy FRED'S TOWING Your hometown towing company since 1958! 905-877-4471 SERVICE WITH A SMILE! Insist on Fred' s 24/7 Thanks for coming home Georgetown! If you require assistance for an accident, breakdown, lockout or any other towing service make sure you ask for Fred's Towing by name. Your Favourite 9 years in a row! Best Service in: · Light/Medium/Heavy Towing · Flat Beds · Lock-outs · Accepted by most authorized auto clubs