Reunion friends say G'day

Old friends from a Wednesbury school reminisced about the good old days at a special reunion – with one ex-pupil getting A for effort by travelling all the way from Australia for the occasion.

The nostalgic get-together for ex-pupils, which was held at Wednesbury Conservative Club, was for students who left Wood Green High School more than three decades ago.

More than 200 people took a trip down memory lane as they giggled over old photographs and caught up with former classmates.

Ex-student Karen Hubble even came thousands of miles from Australia.

Mrs Hubble, (nee Melia) left Wednesbury more than 30 years ago to join family already living down under.

She had not returned to Britain for four years until last night's reunion.

The party proved the perfect opportunity for the 52-year-old, who lives near Adelaide, to catch up with her old buddies, which she described as "absolutely wonderful". She added: "I moved away when I was 18. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time wanted to move to Australia and I already had two sisters there.

"I have happy memories of Wood Green, it was just great," she added.

The event was organised by former pupil Lynne Whitehouse, who left the school in 1972.

But two years ago she returned to take up a post as a librarian.

She said: "The school was a really friendly place, just a lovely place to be," she said. "It's been a brilliant night."