A GROUP of old primary school friends raised a toast to their year six teacher who got them through the 11 plus exams during the 1950s.

Ten former pupils from Western Primary School, in Winchester, got together at The Winchester Royal Hotel to celebrate 75 years since they joined the school.

The group has been meeting up at the hotel for a celebratory lunch once a year since 2012 and even organised weekly chats over Zoom to stay connected throughout the lockdowns. As the 10th anniversary of their reunions, this year's meeting on Sunday, October 9 was even more special.

Most of the primary school “chums” have moved away from Winchester, with some people coming as far as Falmouth for the annual get-together. Former student Ian Miller remains a 'Wintonian' through and through and continues to live in Oliver’s Battery.

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Ian, 80, said: “People say it’s quite unusual for a group to be keeping together this long. I don’t know whether that’s because they’re surprised we’re still alive! But we think it’s lovely to be able to meet each year.”

During the meal a toast was raised to Jack Paice, their teacher from 1953 to 1954, who guided the primary schoolers through the ‘11 Plus’ examination for selection to secondary education.

Ian continued: “Apart from teaching the ‘three Rs’, Mr Paice reminded us how to behave and how to help others. He gave us a sense of history even at our young ages.

“He was a good man and we were privileged to have him as our teacher. He stood up for what he believed in and what was right. It did not always help him in his career, but that was more than made up for by the reputation he earned for honesty, integrity and personality.

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“Our time at school started with Miss Muriel East in Reception class, then moving on to Mrs Barbara Lewis, Mrs Iris O’Grady and Miss Lucy Richards; these classes were held on the ground floor. We then progressed up the stone stairs, when we were around seven years of age, to classrooms on the first floor, where we were taught by Miss Dorothy Sait, Mr Jack Bartlett and finally Mr Jack Paice.

“We are all now either eighty or approaching eighty years of age, so it is somewhat remarkable that we are able to meet up annually still and reminisce fondly about our time at Western School.”

Western Primary School is now situated in Browning Drive but the reunion group attended the school from 1947 when it was in Elm Road and followed the motto ‘We Serve.'

The old friends already have a date in the diary for next year’s reunion.