I had the privilege last month of reconnecting with the past by attending my 25th high school reunion.

It's a rite of passage that I was anticipating with great expectation and in the end I wasn't disappointed in the least.

The committee spearheading the occasion was fantastic. A lot of time and hard work went into the planning including an amazing website that was used to broadcast notices and updates relating to the get-together. The evening itself and the family picnic the following day was a moment in time that I will cherish fondly.

The medium provided a forum giving the class a chance to reconnect prior to the reunion and find out who was planning on attending and for those that couldn't join in, they could fill everyone in on what they were doing.

It's tough in today's fast-paced world to ask busy people (and we all profess to be busy!) to give up so much free-time and help organize an event like this.

Just making contacts without any idea how far away classmates may have ventured, can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Committee members; Colleen Egan, Doug Scaife, Allison Husband, Alida Love, Dean Howard, Jim Grant, Rob Hesp and Adrienne Samuk (nee Bothwell) spent the better part of a year planning and tracking down people from the class.

At the beginning of the night there were many who were un-sure of who was who because, literally it had been twenty-five years since everyone had seen each other and age had prevailed, although without trying to sound conceited, I thought we (as a group) had aged well.

As the night progressed though, our true characters shown through and the effects of twenty-five years melted away rekindling lost friendships.

I heard one former classmate remark that although we may have changed physically our true selves were still evident - that senses of humour were still intact.

It's strange to consider that so much time has passed since we were fresh-faced high school students with hopes and dreams facing our future. Graduation for students completing high school that year was certainly a highlight and in the backdrop other world events were shaping our lives.

Here is a short list of events that occurred in 1980:

 Joe Clark, leader of the Progressive Conservatives was Prime Minister and held the post until March 1980. Pierre Elliott Trudeau resumed the Liberal leadership in March (having already served from 1968 to 1979) and continued to hold the office until 1984.

 there were both summer and winter Olympic Games; winter XIII in Lake Placid and summer XXII in Moscow. The summer games were boycotted by 65 countries, including Canada, because of the Soviet Union's decision to invade Afghanistan and refusal to leave.

 Mount St Helen's, a volcano in Washington State, erupted causing 57 deaths.

 CNN network, the first 24-hour news network went on the air

 John Lennon was assassinated, 7 Dec, 1980.

Tripping down memory lane is fun and during the reunion we were asked to don our thinking caps while we played a trivia game about the '80's that helped encapsulate our high school experience

I know it is not possible to turn back the hands of time and return to our former teenaged selves, but for that moment it was wonderful to be reunited with a group of friends who shaped the adult I have become and to remind myself that high school is a milestone in life that I cherish.

For all of those who made it to the reunion, it was great seeing you and being able to catch up. For those who were unable to attend, your presence was missed.

I wouldn't have missed this opportunity and I highly recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to attend a high school reunion, to go because it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

It really was a night to remember.