‘Sisters’ enjoy decades of love
FOR nearly 60 years a group of women who dubbed themselves “the Sisters of Teesdale Avenue” have maintained their friendship and they recently got to have a bonus reunion at North State School.
Group member Narelle Giles said the girls became fast friends in early childhood while living in Teesdale Ave in Newtown before attending North State School together and going on to attend Toowoomba State High School’s Mt Lofty campus together.
Every year around October they travel from their respective homes ranging from Melbourne up to Brisbane to meet in Toowoomba and enjoy more time together.
This year they moved their annual reunion to September to coincide with the Toowoomba North State School 150th anniversary celebrations.
Mrs Giles said the group enjoyed a wonderful weekend of reminiscing and taking part in anniversary activities including the opening of a time capsule buried in 1969, an official dinner, a school open day and a celebratory Mass.
A few members were unable to make it due to family commitments, but remaining members made the most of the fun.
“I hadn’t been back to the school since I left but it was like it was yesterday,” Mrs Giles said.
“It was a wonderful day.”
Among highlights for the group was catching up with teachers and past students including one who gave Mrs Giles a back-breaking hug after recognising her from the days they travelled on the school bus together.
The group of six women includes Mrs Giles and her older sister Le-anne Cunningham as well as Julie Bakker, Mrs Giles’ sister-in-law Debbie Giles and another set of sisters, Christine Kowitz and Sharon Warner.