Page Updated:
January 21, 2007

Alumni Weekend 2006

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August 11^th - 13^th

Alumni Weekend began over the afternoon and evening on Friday as people arrived, dropped by the registration area, and set-up their camp sites. They were greeted with a warm fire at the registration area, and a place to chat and catch up with others. Some headed to bed after the trip to HSR, but some sat up around the fire until the wee hours of the morning.

With no activities scheduled for Saturday morning, we got to sleep in.  Although, only the heaviest sleepers can sleep through Saturday morning commotion going on at the barge docks, with the previous week’s troops heading home.  In the late morning, we headed down to Smokey Hollow for lunch.  Over hot dogs and cream soda, we took in the recent renovations to the campfire site. The Annual General Meeting followed lunch, and the executive was pleased to have some members stick around for the meeting. Afterwards, we had free time until dinner, to take a walk, a canoe, a kayak, or for some, a nap.

The kitchen staff, including our very own Jeff Lake (76-77, 06), with Alumni helpers put on a great spread for dinner. We feasted on steak, corn on the cob, a fresh salad, and (cooked!) baked potatoes.

The Staff Bursary was awarded to Dean Janowski (02-05) during dinner announcements.

After dinner, the Alumni Weekend organizing team got to work remaking the Hub in the Hub & Cub Pub – the highlight of Alumni Weekend. Alumni and staff were treated to imported pub fare and a variety of cocktails. An Open Mic area was set up. Both staff and Alumni entertained us the night through. With full bellies, we headed back to our camp sites, and a group continued the festivities around the camp fire.

Sunday morning, we were able to sleep in without the noise of troops coming and going. We gathered for brunch at the newly renovated Snack Shack area. Once again, we were treated to a wonderful meal of egg-on-a-muffin, peameal bacon, fruit trays, and plentiful coffee and juice. The cricket team headed to practice after brunch, to get ready for the big game.

Alumni and staff gathered at the Mill Site in the afternoon for the annual cricket match, which the Alumni handily won (see article below.). Then it was back to the Hub for High Tea and the cricket trophy presentation. Unfortunately, that was when most of the Alumni had to say good-bye to each other and HSR, and head home.

Attendees included:
Katrina Angel (89-90), Tim Collier (96-99), Heather Eggleton (99 -02), Murray Fenner (64), Gord Fleming (84-88) and Sara Nunes, Nathan Frey (99-02), Heather Gillies (88-89), Joe (90-91) and Shirley Godwin, Katherin Green (89), Rob Kelly (01-04), Grant (88) and Terri Lafontaine, Tara (90) and Declan McNally, John McVeigh (98-02), Graham Molenhuis (00-04), Dan "Peaches" Piccininni (00-03), Ben Schneider (02-04), John Stephens (82-84,99-02), Dave Webster  (96-00), David Wharrie (00-03)

Joining us for the Cricket match: Dave (02-05) and Nelly Ashworth, James Donald (05), David Frankovich (01-03), Sandy Stenhouse (81-84), Dale Warburton (80-83)

How’s That!—Alumni Team wins 2006 Match
By Gord Fleming (84—88)

Watch a video of the 2006 Annual Cricket Match (.wmv) filmed and edited by our videographer Dean Janowski (02-05).

HALIBURTON - The 24th Annual Staff vs. Alumni Cricket match was a hotly anticipated event, as clearly demonstrated by the HSR Staff team, which somehow managed to keep their whites looking their whitest for almost two months. They were a well-organized squad, with two full teams of players ready to take the field. The Alumni team on the other hand was again hastily cobbled together from a ragtag bunch that turned up to eat some eggs the morning of the game, and a few mystery guests who arrived just prior to the coin toss.

There was much at stake after last year's one-run Alumni loss, which also saw the end of the career of veteran bowler Mark Burns who sustained a severe knee injury while executing about the coolest fake-out ever to secure an out in the late stages of the game. Another blow to the Alumni squad was the no-show of star Silly Mid Off Dave "the iron man" Taylor, whose consecutive match record ends at 23. Pending review by the league commissioner, he is expected to be heavily fined.

Several off-season call ups filled the void, part of the new youth movement that the Alumni management has identified as its new direction. "Like that creepy beaver skull at the Trapper's Cabin, we were getting a little long in the tooth there" said captain Gord Fleming. "We needed some young arms and strong bats to make up for the injuries, stiffness, ear hair and alarming weight gain that can slow a veteran lineup down".

The new approach paid off in another exciting match. Bowlers on both sides sometimes delivered balls within the batsmen's reach, and the batsmen responded by periodically hitting them. Every now and then, runs were scored while search parties were dispatched to the forest to retrieve hit balls. Following a fast-paced first inning, two 20 minute halves were given to each side to generate as much offence as possible. Some was, and the Alumni triumphed over the staff by four runs.

"We knew that all we had to do was score a little more and have the Staff team score a little less to give us a good chance of winning", Fleming astutely observed. "It was close though. I think we're finally starting to see some parity. That's important in a two-team league".

Next year's tilt will have the added dimension of being the 25th match - a strong incentive for any team to claim victory. Fans and casual observers alike will want to plan a trip to the Mill Site next August to see this historic event first hand. World Cricket supremacy will be on the line!