Bishop Anstey High School UK alumnae celebrate school centenary

After waiting 21 months, a group of Bishop Anstey High School (BAHS) alumnae in the UK finally got the chance to celebrate the school's centenary.

BAHS was founded on January 13, 1921 and celebrated that 100th milestone in Trinidad. However, the Hilarians in the UK, who came together as a WhatsApp group during lockdown, had to keep postponing their event because of the various covid restrictions in place.

Finally, on October 15, they met in Notting Hill, London, for lunch at Cotton’s Caribbean restaurant to celebrate, a media release said.

The 15 present ranged from a 1964 senior school entrant to a 1994 entrant, some of whom had been in the junior school before that. Some had never met before, but what do you get when you put 15 Hilarians together? An amazing spirit of camaraderie, friendship, fun, constant chatter, singing of the school hymn and other songs and a great deal of noise, the release said.

Some brought memorabilia – such as the sewing apron they made in the very first term, the old school tie and badges, and Hilarian magazines. Some travelled from far and wide – Sheffield, Kent, Cambridge, Oxford, Sussex, Reading, and several parts of London – to be together and join in the fun.

A cake was decorated with the centenary logo, the school's name and its motto
, Non Sine Pulvere Palma.

The group is hoping to repeat the event next year and wants to include those who were unable to attend this event.