Jim wants to see old friends reunited to mark half a century
Former pupils of a flagship Paisley school are set to reunite in a bid to mark five decades since they walked through the doors.
Castlehead High welcomed the first intake in August 1971 - 50 years ago this year.
Education chiefs will mark the official opening of the then stateof-the-art Camphill facility on the anniversary of the official March 1972 unveiling.
But former pupil members of the Castlehead High School, Paisley Ex-Pupils Facebook page have decided to host their own gettogether for all former students through the years – and they hope to raise cash for the campus in the process.
One-time Bishopton man Jim Robertson, who became one of the initial batch of students, told the Express: “The pupils to this new school came from all the districts of Paisley and the surrounding areas.
“For me coming from Bishopton, then a small village, it was an adventure travelling to this brandnew school, meeting new people and making new friends.
“I think the transition from primary to secondary education was made easier for us as there were only Year 1 pupils at the school.”
The initial intake were finally joined by other year groups as the school filled up.
But for Jim - who joined the Royal Navy, where he served for 16 years - and his school pals, they share fond memories of their time at Castlehead.
He said: “When I left school in 1976 I joined the Royal Navy to start an apprenticeship, spending a year in Plymouth then another in Fareham before I joined my first ship.
“I tried to keep in touch with school friends but in those days many of us did not have a house phone so it relied on seeing them during periods of leave.
“Over the years, and the fact I lived in Plymouth, I eventually lost touch with almost everyone from my school days.”
Jim, who returned to Scotland 15 years ago, later attended Paisley’s John Neilson School but hangs on to fond memories of his time at Castlehead.
He said: “Science and maths were my favourite subjects and one of my most vivid memories is when we were being given a demonstration in one of science lecture rooms on the properties of phosphorous and the fact it spontaneously combusts when exposed to air.
“The teacher had cut a small piece of phosphorous off from a larger stick and tried to return the stick to the container it was stored.
“The stick fell onto the desktop and started burning filling the room with smoke.
“The teacher then had to pick the stick up and return it to the container burning himself in the process.”
The former pupil, who now lives in Falkirk, says social media helped him get back in touch with many old pals, he added: “I joined the Castlehead High School, Paisley Ex - Pupils site earlier this year and it was great to reconnect and share stories from our time at Castlehead.
“The group has nearly 1,000 former pupils at present.
“The overall theme from most of those who attended Castlehead is that they enjoyed their time there.
“When it first opened the regime was quite regimented and rules were enforced and unruly behaviour was dealt with by punishments which are no longer accepted today.”
Now Jim, 61, is inviting former pupils, their partners and staff from throughout the decades to join him and others for a 50year celebration at Paisley’s St James’ Suite, James Street, on December 10, where doors open at 7pm.
A DJ and buffet will be provided and tickets, priced a £10 are available via Ticketsource at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ whats-on/paisley/the-st-jamessuite/castlehead-high-school50th-anniversary-reunion/202112-10/19:00/t-axjol