Old friends, familiar faces and plenty of memories - that's what greeted hundreds of past students as they returned to Forbes for Red Bend Catholic College's annual reunion weekend.
Flipping through yearbooks, touring the College grounds, and sharing new and old stories, the gathering brought together alumni from across the decades.
For the Class of 1975, this year marked their 50-year reunion and Peter Fisher was delighted to have a group of about 24 get together for the milestone.
Spending six years as a boarder, off the family farm at Yarrabandai, Fisher captained cricket and rugby league teams and had plenty of stories to tell over a big weekend of reconnecting with former classmates.
With classes celebrating 10, 20, 25, 30 and 40-year reunions as well, there were plenty of connections to be made.
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Brother John Hourgan came all the way from Cairns, and school teacher Bernie Ryan also joined the reunion.
"Everybody's happy to see everybody and catch up - some of the stories that come out, it's unbelievable," Mr Fisher said.
The Class of '75 were among the last to graduate from the Marist Brothers College, which then combined with Our Lady of Mercy College in Forbes to become the coeducational Red Bend Catholic College.
Touring the College on Saturday, Mr Fisher couldn't help but be impressed by the transformation that's taken place on site and the opportunities offered to today's students.
"Ten years ago I thought, 'how good's this'," he said of their 40th reunion - and it's only improved since.
"It's a magnificent place out there now."
It's not just the facilities, it's the opportunities ranging from agriculture to apprenticeships now all on offer through those high school years.
Some things haven't changed: the College birthed its share of outstanding footballers out of that era - although the guernseys are a bit different now.
"We had the old saddle guernseys back in the day - a light blue saddle with dark background, with a lace-up front on it, the old style," Mr Fisher remembered.
He was playing college rugby league through the years it transitioned from weight-based to age-based, and the teams used to travel surrounding areas a lot to play.
"The Forbes invitational was a huge event," he said.
They also had the College band, and would travel to Singleton for cadets.
Mr Fisher still had the Marist Brothers trophy he won as open age athletics champion, which he brought back on the reunion weekend.
Another highlight was the musical production Godspell, which was open to the community over several nights.
"It was a fantastic event, Godspell," Mr Fisher said.
The alumni loved touring the College, seeing how it's changed and developed, sharing stories of their time there and hearing plans for the future.
The Class of 1975 went on to dinner at Club Forbes, but also spent some time at the Sport and Recreation Club and Vandenberg Hotel, sharing good memories and what they've been up to in more recent years.
"It's well worth doing and it's well worth catching up," Mr Fisher said.
Red Bend is encouraging its alumni to keep in touch with the College. Find the link through the Red Bend Catholic College facebook page or go online to http://bit.ly/46AaCyx
