Class of ’69 Cotton Reunion

A selection of Cotton House 1969 leavers travelled to the Czech Republic for a reunion at the home of Vasek (CO 1968-69) & Marcela Jelinek.

Guests included Ian Crowlesmith (CO 1964-69) and his wife Lyn, Rod Hawnt (CO 1965-69) and his wife Rosie were joined by Olof Olsson (CO 1968-69).

The visit, over the May Bank Holiday weekend, included walks in the woods, visits to historical sites and plentiful sampling of Czech Beer, Slivovitz (traditional Czech plum brandy) and food. It also included a memorable International Cotton House Leavers’ Ping Pong contest.

There was much talk of old times and reminiscences of other Cotton friends. Sitting together and listening to music from 1969 helped to recreate the atmosphere of those happy times and indeed it seemed only yesterday instead of 47 years ago, when Olle, Rod, Ian and Vasek listened together to the same music in Cotton House common room. There was also time to celebrate Lyn’s birthday with a special cake made for the occasion.

The final evening culminated in a joint effort that saw everyone’s collective barbecue know-how put to good use for some tasty and perfectly grilled steaks. The icing on the cake was Vasek’s crème brûlée, which arrived after a tense struggle in the kitchen, just before the final doubles table tennis game between England (Rod & Ian) and the rest of Europe (Olle & Vasek).

When the time came to part, it was agreed by everyone that the group should meet up again for a fifty-year reunion, this one to be held in New Zealand in 2019.

Václav Jelínek (CO 1968-69)