We currently run 10 and 20 year reunions. In the beginning we ran them as separate events, but last year was the first time we combined them into one event and it actually worked really well, so we’re planning to stick with that format.

What we do is keep it pretty simple. We invite both cohorts back to the College for a late afternoon catch-up on campus. It’s very relaxed — just some complimentary drinks and nibbles to keep it to a manageable budget.

We have old photos playing in a slideshow in the background, which people always love, even if the collection isn’t perfect. Last year we also showed a short video of our school founders talking about where we started and how far we’ve come, and that was honestly such a highlight.

Our Principal does a short welcome (we keep it brief), and then the Principal and Heads of School take the two cohort groups on campus tours. This has been one of the most popular parts, especially because we’ve had quite a lot of building works since many of them left. They love seeing what’s changed, what’s stayed the same and there are always lots of photos taken.

By the time they come back from the tours, we’re packing up. We give them a small branded gift and then they head off to their own cohort dinners at local surf clubs (separate to each other). We organise the bookings so it feels coordinated, but they pay their own way. No function rooms or anything at this stage as the RSVP group size hasn’t warranted it – just booking tables.

Our numbers are okay-ish and definitely depend on the cohort, which I think is just the nature of reunions. But the atmosphere has always been really warm and positive, and from a workload point of view it’s something we can actually sustain. We’ve just accepted that you can’t make everyone happy, so it’s better to create one format that reflects your school’s culture, make it achievable, and stick with it. Over time, people seem to adjust to that.