Students and teachers reunite after decades

Two teachers who worked in Bermuda four decades ago have been reunited with a string of former pupils and ex-colleagues.

Julia Hall and Tonia Anderson returned to the island last week for the first time since they left in 1973.

But before arriving they contacted the Bermuda Sun to see if we could help them make contact with former colleagues and students from Prospect Secondary School for Girls and Warwick Secondary School.

We were inundated with messages and phone calls, and this week Ms Hall and Ms Anderson spend time reminiscing with islanders they thought they would never meet again.

Ms Hall, who lives in England, said: “It has been simply fantastic.

“I don’t think either of us ever dreamed that we would have been able to make contact and see so many people from our time in Bermuda in the 1970s.

“To be able to look at old photos and share old memories has been absolutely amazing.

“Our trip here has surpassed all our expectations.

“We have also been able to make contact via email and on the phone with other former pupils, but it was hard to get to see everyone and some of them live abroad now.”

Ms Hall, who worked at Prospect Secondary School for Girls, met up with former pupil Janerva Smith earlier this week, and also spent time with ex-student Pat Hall and former colleague Georgine Hill.

She contacted Ms Hall after hearing that she had written a book called “Fond Recollections of Prospect Secondary School for Girls.”

Julia Hall added: “It was lovely to talk about the old days and the way Bermuda has changed since we were here.

“To hear how all the other students have done has been really interesting too.

“Bermuda is certainly a different place these days – there’s a lot more traffic and even a rush hour now.

“But it is still beautiful.”

Ms Anderson taught at Warwick Secondary School and shared a flat with Ms Hall when they lived in Bermuda.

She was able to make contact with her old deputy head, Roderick Pearman, who in turn got in touch with a handful of old pupils.

Ms Anderson said: “It’s been very nostalgic to hear about how everyone we knew in Bermuda has done.

“And to see how well some of the pupils that we taught have done makes you feel a little bit proud too. I never imagined we would meet and speak to as many people as we have.

“Everyone has been so kind to us and even the people at the gas stations have called us  ‘baby dolls’.

“It’s been a while since someone called me baby doll!”

The two teachers left Bermuda today bound for the UK.