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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 29, 2016 | 36 Reunion is about seeing the faces of old friends continued from p.33 Testani said it's important to have school reunions because it "reconnects us to our past, which is our youth." He wants to reunite with his old friends and former classmates because they represent a time in his life when he had no troubles. "It's not because I'm living in the past. For me, it's genuine affection that I have for my old friends. I would love to meet with them again and say, `Hey, what have you been up to?'" said Testani. "A lot of people are worried about coming because they're concerned about being judged on their successes in life. That's not what this is about at all. I genuinely want to see people reunite." When Testani attended Perdue, he always tried to be "everything to everybody," he said, as he went out of his way to meet the other students. Cliques had no affect on the Oakville resident, who enjoyed drama and was involved on numerous sports teams. It's the people "I didn't care what group you belonged to. I wanted everybody to know who I was. It wasn't just going to school and coming home. I was part of the whole make-up of the school. The make-up isn't the building, it's the people," said Testani, who played football at Perdue for ve years. "I loved playing the sports, I loved being involved in all the clubs I could. It was fantastic for me." For Gesuale, his time at Perdue was mainly music-focused, he said, as that's when he rst joined ClassicRockLIVE, which was called A lot of people are worried about coming because they're concerned about being judged on their successes in life. That's not what this is about. I genuinely want to see people reunite. Perdue alumnus "We want to have everybody that's ever gone to Perdue there. This goes back to when it rst opened," said Gesuale. After the closure of Gordon E. Perdue High School, the building became St. Thomas Aquinas and was rebuilt at the 124 Dorval Dr. address. Grade 13 hall had couches and picnic tables The one thing about Perdue that Gesuale and Testani remember fondly is the thenGrade 13 hall, which contained couches and picnic tables and was located on the second oor by the cafeteria. "Now that it's gone, you miss it even more. That's a key reason for us to get together... to recapture some of the memories. We've all gone in our own separate directions, but when you get together, it's almost like time hasn't passed," said Gesuale. The Perdue high school reunion will take place on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Boston Manor, 4460 Fairview St., Burlington. It will begin at 8 p.m. and ClassicRockLIVE's performance starts at 9:30 p.m. Admission for the general public is $10 and $5 for Perdue graduates who RSVP to their invitations in advance. For more information, visit http://www. bostonmanor.ca/event/perdue-high-schoolreunion-classicrocklive-band/ or https://www. facebook.com/events/140936506357318/ Lui Testani "It feels good to know it's all taken care of." Over 70% of people polled* admit it... they don't know the details of their partner's funeral and cemetery wishes. How about you? Thinking ahead makes sense, so discover your options. Discuss it with your loved ones. Pre-planning is easy with the Family Registry Estate Planner from Arbor Memorial. Tylene back then. "A lot of people will remember the band Tylene because it really was a native band to the school. Before I joined, it used to play school dances. You don't see that much anymore, where live bands play at schools," said Gesuale. "I had so many friends there. I had a really cohesive group that warranted me coming down from where I used to live in the Falgarwood area." Interest in reunion Earlier this year, a group of Perdue alumni from the graduating class of 1966 were looking for a venue to host a 50th reunion. Gesuale happily extended the invitation to them to attend the Oct. 8 reunion. Call today to order your FREE Planning Kit 905-257-1100 glenoaks.ca Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery by Arbor Memorial hosted by 3164 Ninth Line (403 & Dundas St.) Mississauga/Oakville, ON Arbor Memorial Inc. * Arbor Memorial Inc. survey of 1,033 Canadians conducted by Environics Research Group Ltd. in August 2015 Considering private school? Compression soCks are simply a good idea. Speak with education experts, learn about affording tuition, and meet with top schools Toronto: Oct 15 Halton-Peel: Oct 16 · Designed to provide support to the veins in your legs · Encourage blood flow · Improve PERFORMANCE · Aid in RECOVERY YOU'RE INVITED RSVP AT OURKIDS.NET/EXPO FOR 50% OFF VOUCHER sponsors Oakville Burlington 380 Dundas St. E. 3350 Fairview St. T: 905.257.4335 T: 905.637.4335