Former classmates of a Poplar primary school met again for the first time in more than 40 years on Friday, at a special reunion.
The event was for ex-pupils and teachers of Stebon Preimary School, Wallwood Road, who attended between 1950-1980, and featured an appearance by the mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman.
Organisers Stan Kaye, 60, and Linda Looker, 55, tracked down former classmates and teachers through Facebook from as far as Australia and Dubai, with 39 turning up on the night.
Former headmistress Audrey Sutton, 90, who has previously been featured on TV-show This is Your Life, saw some of her ex-pupils for the first time since teaching and Mr Kaye was delighted to see her.
“The night went fantastically, much better than anyone could have ever expected,” he said. “We’re already organising the next one.
“I simply can’t express how wonderful it was to see Miss Sutton again. It was a truly emotional evening for everyone.”
Mr Kaye, formerly of St Pauls Way, has also orchestrated a poppy-planting campaign which has gained worldwide publicity, aimed at generating more support for Remembrance Day among younger people.
After a tour of the school by current staff members, the group took part in a special poppy-planting ceremony in the grounds, before moving on to the Widows Son pub on Devons Road.
Among the former students in attendance was stand-up comedian Lee Hurst, a former panellist on BBC sports-comedy programme They Think It’s All Over.
Joint-organiser Mrs Looker got in contact with former staff members after tracking down ex-teacher Barbara von Grundherr through social media, and was over the moon that she could be there.
“It was brilliant to talk with her again,” she said. “She hasn’t changed a bit, I recognised her again the moment I entered the room.”
More information about future reunions can be found on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/stebonprimaryschool/ while details about the poppy-planting campaign can be found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/rememberingworldwarone.
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