Written by Chris Walker:
Two former teachers and one former student from Pakati Secondary school met up very recently here in the UK – and we spent a lovely weekend reminiscing & story-telling about our experiences back in 1991, 92 & 93. It has been a real bonus to have the support from both for Friends of Pakati.
Over a recent weekend, the Author travelled to Bristol from his home in Bradford, a journey which took around 6 hours. At the same time, Lorraine Mapuranga travelled from her work in the South East of England to the same place – the home of Debbie Chadbon in Bristol.
Between 1990 & 1992 Lorraine was taught by both Debbie & myself at Pakati Secondary school, but the last time we all met would have been 1992. I visited the school briefly then, took some photos, and talked to Debbie about how she & her VSO colleague Jayne Beattie were getting on there.
We visited the harbour, walked around the city centre, and ate in a local cafe, all before heading off to see an engineering masterpiece by Isambard Kingdom Brunel – the Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon. The gorge created by the river over time is very impressive, and the bridge is a hugely popular tourist attraction for the city of Bristol.
The main focus of the weekend however, was all things Pakati-related. In 1992 Debbie had helped Lorraine, and they had become friends. Debbie visited her at her home several times, and this is covered in a number of previous posts featuring both of them.
This blog has, over time, used many of my own personal photos & slides when telling my stories, or adding to others tales. I now find that Debbie has a good number of her own photos, some of which I have already used. This weekend past has allowed me to take photos of her photos so I can use them in future blogs. Below are some pictures from our get-together.
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