A FORMER Standlake Primary School pupil is appealing for help to reunite as many old boys and girls as possible.

Peter Cantwell, who now lives in Lytchett Matravers in Dorset, wants to organise an event in the village in the summer following the discovery of a photograph taken in 1960.

The picture has already inspired a small reunion of 10 Standlake Primary School old boys in October.

Now they aim to put on a larger get-together this year, and hope Oxford Mail readers will be able to help put them in touch with more former pupils.

Mr Cantwell, 62, a retired banker, said: “The photo was sent to me by one of my old school friends. I didn’t even know of its existence.

“When I was looking at it the toughest part was putting a name to a lot of the faces that I didn’t recognise.

“I got in touch with people who are still living in Standlake that I’m still in contact with.

“I found some other old friends on Facebook and Friends Reunited.”

Mr Cantwell got together with Michael Parry, Keith Barnes, Graham Parry, Gerald Godden, David Savin, Peter Krueger, Michael Barrett, Neil Harris and Martin Eagles for a meal at the Rose Revived pub near the village.

They took a new photograph on the night – and are hoping to get as many of the 65 pupils in the 1960 picture as possible to pose for a new shot.

Mr Cantwell added: “I took down a number of people who I did still have contact with.

“Some of them I hadn’t seen since primary school days.

“We just talked about old times and life in the village in the 1960s. But 1960 seems an age ago – a different era.

 

“I have got all their contact details, but the big challenge now is to try and hold a larger event.”

Mr Cantwell added: “We are really still in the search stage at the moment. It is like spreading a net. If we find somebody else they might know other people to invite.

“We’d like to get another reunion in the summer, hopefully in May or June. But we need to get things rolling to try to find more people by one means or another.”

  • Were you a pupil at Standlake Primary School in 1960? Do you recognise yourself in the photo? Call Mr Cantwell on 01202 632631 or email petercantwell2002@yahoo.co.uk