September 2026

A Memorable Class Reunion

In May the Class of ’76 celebrated our 50-year Anniversary with an event-filled weekend.  48 of us graduates attended, as well as several spouses, family members and friends.

It was the 6th such reunion we've organized for ourselves (the previous 5 being our 10 and 40-year anniversaries, turning 50 years old, then turning 60 and 65).  Each was wildly successful, drawing in former classmates from all over Canada and the U.S.   The 2026 edition included a neighbourhood walk-about and gatherings at several public and private locations.   It culminated in a retro dinner/dance at the St. Lambert Curling Club - "retro" referring to the music and the food, which we ordered from Miss Italia and Benny BBQ.  The evening ended with a group circle dance to, of course, Stairway to Heaven.

We ask ourselves why and how our reunions continue so successfully after all thes years.  No one really knows for sure.  Suffice it to say, when there's a will, the stars align and we make it happen.

The 76 Reunion Committee

Besides these reunions we use any excuse to get together, and we are determined to have as many alumni attend our special occasions as possible.  We have celebrated our 10th Year Anniversary, and our 40, 50, 60, and 65th birthdays together. We just held our best event to date on the May long weekend.

This year is our 50th year since we graduated from CCHS.  We just had to have a big celebration for that!  We started planning almost a year ago.  We had a 5 person committee that started planning in earnest last Fall.  We had virtual meetings for the planning, as well as Messenger group discussions.  It was a lot of work, but worth all of our efforts.  More than forty ‘76 grads came from far and wide to attend our 50th Anniversary Since We Graduated weekend of fun on May 15-17th, 2026. Six people travelled from Alberta, three from B.C., two from New Brunswick, one from Peachtree, Georgia, two from Myrtle Beach, and everyone else from Ontario, and Quebec. 

Friday night we gathered at the St. Lambert Golf Club (The Rock Pile) for drinks and some food. We then continued the party at Scotyz Bar on Taschereau. On Saturday morning about 15-20 graduates and some spouses met at CCHS to go on a nostalgic walk through St. Lambert, checking out some of our graduates’ homes and famous St. Lambert locations. Of course they also had to check out inside the school before the walk began.  Wonderful stories were shared along the way, about growing up in those neighbourhoods. The nostalgic walk ended with lunch in the village.  In 1976, Laura Prince hosted a pre-grad cocktail party. Fifty years later, Laura, who still lives in her family home, welcomed us all back in a recreation of that original party. The snacks were all ones that we enjoyed growing up.

We managed to get a class photo in her beautiful backyard before the rain came. On to the next event!  

Our most special event was dinner, live music,and dancing to a DJ at the St. Lambert Curling Club. Forty-eight ‘76ers and a few of their spouses enjoyed a wonderful evening of nostalgic food from Miss Italia and Benny Barbeque, a speech from our class Valedictorian, Brock Cummings, and live music from Gary White. We also cheered on the Montreal Canadiens during a playoff game and danced until midnight. A highlight of the night was a group dance to the famous last song at all dances: Stairway to Heaven.

Index cards placed on the dining tables asked for ideas as to why our group continues to attend reunions in such great numbers. One person referenced our first reunion in 1986 where a similar group dance ended the evening. The circle of dancers kept growing to include everyone. They said it felt like all the cliques dissolved in that moment and that a bond was formed that included everyone. Others cited the dedication of reunion organizers and one person attributed it to a “magical alignment of the planets.”  

In high school we all hung out in different groups, but because Chambly County was such a small high school, everyone knew everyone in their classes.  Those who hung out with students from the older grades, had to get to know their classmates better in grade 11.  Going to different classmates’ prom parties also brought everyone together to celebrate. Many of the ‘76 graduates went on to Champlain College where they gravitated to their Chambly County classmates. Champlain was another opportunity to get to know our ‘76 classmates even more.  Our ‘76 grads realized that their classmates were all wonderful people who they really liked spending time with. As we entered into our fifties we really started to treasure those long time relationships. Once we hit 60 years old, we had lost quite a number of classmates, and therefore decided that we better get together as often as we could.  Our ‘76 graduates are such wonderful people, and we really love to party together and catch up with each other.  We will continue to work hard to have many more reunions for the 1976 graduates.

We have some extra funds raised from the reunion that we are offering to the CCHS Alumni Association.   We would like to throw out a challenge to all of the graduating years from Chambly County High School, or Chambly Academy, to also make a donation to the Alumni Association from your graduating year.

The 2026 Reunion Committee
Karen Bennett, Kathy Ferguson, Carolyn Souaid, Cindy Barrett and Linda Netten

Hello Mike Barber

Good day Harvey, Thank you for all the news for August. Please put my message in the September edition for my friend Mike Barber.

Hello Mike Barber,

Wow, long time no hear. I remember vividly our conversations of golf when you were running Golf Holidays in St. Lambert back in the 1980's. I was heading up the Jamaica Tourist Board in those days, and one of my many golf stories in Jamaica was playing a suppliers golf tournament and carting a -11 in a Vegas at the Tryall Golf and Country Club, and playing along with Georges Marquis from your office. I must have re-counted that round of golf tens of times over the years.

I also wanted to congratulate you on obtaining your Guinness World Record for the most number of games played at age or better. I find it amazing that at your young age, 85 years young, that you are still playing so well. I was very fortunate to begin playing golf at the age of 10 at the St. Lambert Municipal golf course, and I spent many glorious summer days on the old course. I also played a few rounds with my father and brother (Bill and Steve) at the Montreal Golf and Country Club.

I was playing in fact this week at our par 3 nine hole course, just behind the Olympic Village, with two young golfers, and it took me back some 67 years when I was a junior.

I would love to read your story, The Remarkable Golf Life of Mike Barber, however when I went online, I could not find the book. If you could get back to me to let me know how to obtain a copy, it would be greatly appreciated. If and when you are back on the shore, I would be very pleased to play a round with you if you had the time, which would certainly take me back personally to a wonderful moment in my life.

Sincerely,
Stu Prest

Dear United States

We hear some of you would like Canada to stop sending wildfire smoke across the border. We have reviewed your complaint and immediately forwarded it to the Department of Wind, Clouds and Uncooperative Weather and the Department of National Forest Tidiness and Transborder Fresh Air, unfortunately, nobody at either agency answers the phone. Please see press release outlining the official F.U.C.K. O.F.F. Initiative at the end of this message.

For the record:

• Canada does not have a giant red button marked: “SEND SMOKE SOUTH”
• There is no Mountie standing in a control room studying a weather map and saying: “Chicago looks a little too comfortable today. Open the northern vents.”

Wildfires are disasters, not exports. The smoke is not wrapped in maple leaves. It does not arrive carrying a passport, a hockey stick and a coupon for poutine. It moves wherever the wind carries it, because the atmosphere has stubbornly refused to recognize the international border.

You have probably noticed (and intentionally ignored) that when fires rage in the United States, Canadians do not stand at the border with folded arms and a measuring tape. We send crews. We send water bomber aircraft. We send
equipment. We send people willing to walk into danger for neighbours they may never meet.

Not because the fire is American. Not because the smoke is Canadian. Because people are in trouble. That is how neighbours are supposed to act.

So perhaps the enemy is not the country north of you. Perhaps it is Climate Change (denied by your “government”) causing the heat, the drought, the lightning, the wind and the enormous wall of flame consuming everything in its path. We would gladly keep the smoke at home. We would also like winter to end in February, mosquitoes to respect personal space, and Canada geese to stop behaving like they own every parking lot on the continent.

Some things are simply beyond human control.

Until then, Canada will continue doing what it has always done:

• Helping when we can.
• Showing up when it matters.
• And quietly wondering how the nation that put people on the moon thinks we are steering the wind with a hockey stick.

Sincerely,
Canada

Your neighbour. Your ally. Your emergency contact. And, according to your Congress, the country responsible for your weather.

P.S. The geese deny everything. They said you can keep the green “worms”.

Some Aussie Slang

In Australian slang, a "drongo" is a mild insult used to describe a foolish, slow-witted, or incompetent person. It is typically directed at someone who acts stupidly, makes silly mistakes, or simply lacks common sense.  The term originated in the 1920s from an Australian racehorse named Drongo. Despite running in dozens of races, the horse was a perpetual loser who never managed to win.  

Why do aussies say "yeah, nah"? Australians say "yeah, nah" as a conversational buffer to soften a refusal or disagreement. The "yeah" acts as polite acknowledgment that you've heard the speaker, while the "nah" delivers the actual answer. In Aussie slang, the last word usually determines the ultimate meaning.

In Australian slang, a "wombat" is a mildly insulting term for a dull, slow, or foolish person. Derived from the native marsupial’s slow and plodding nature, it is generally used in teasing or casual conversation rather than as a harsh attack.

Alternatively, as an acronym, WOMBAT stands for "Waste Of Money, Brains, and Time" and is used to describe a pointless project or dead-end job.

"Bludger" is an Australian and New Zealand slang term for a lazy person, slacker, or someone who avoids work and relies on the efforts of others. The word is also famously known from the Harry Potter universe as a bewitched iron ball used in the game of Quidditch.

The phrase "shoot through like a Bondi tram" is an iconic piece of Australian slang. It means to leave in a great hurry or to depart at high speed.

"Deadshit" is a common Australian and New Zealand slang term used to describe a foolish, lazy, or utterly incompetent person. It can also refer to someone who is acting recklessly or has completely given up.

What is the origin of the phrase "London to a brick"? Brick was Australian slang for a £10 note (from its reddish colour), and so if, towards the end of a race, Howard claimed that the odds of a particular horse winning were London to a brick, he was saying that the horse was at extreme odds-on, with an indisputable chance.

"Fair suck of the sausage" is a classic, colourful Aussie slang exclamation demanding a fair go, a reasonable chance, or expressing a keen sense of injustice.

Rich Dubois

Sadly I have to share that Rich passed away June 9 after battling chronic kidney disease and heart failure for several years. We were married for 63 years and were blessed with 3 children who in turn gave us 9 grandchildren who loved their Poppa. The 4th generation is up to 5 with another due in October. 

He had a wonderful time growing up in St Lambert playing hockey and football and of course lots of pool at the pool hall above Taylor's. Most of his schooling was at Catholic institutions but finished at CCHS before joining Bell Canada and then Hydro Quebec before moving to the states in 1966.

We enjoyed many trips in various countries over the years with friends and family. We miss him terribly.

Beth (Stewart) Dubois

Leave it to the Aussies

THESE ARE "ACTUAL" QUOTES TAKEN FROM AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS.
 
1) "Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and has started to dig." 
2) "I would not allow this employee to breed."  
3) "This employee is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a definite won't be." 

4) "Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap." 

5) "When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet." 6) "He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle."
7) "This young lady has delusions of adequacy." 

8) "He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
9) "This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
10) "This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better."
11) "Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingee to hold it all together."
12) "A gross ignoramus...144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus."
13) "He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier." 

14) "I would like to go hunting with him sometime." 

15) "He's been working with glue too much." 

16) "He would argue with a signpost."
17) "He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."
18) "When his IQ reaches 50, he should sell." 

19) "If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other one."
20) "A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on." 

21) "A prime candidate for natural de-selection." 

22) "Donated his brain to science before he was through using it."
23) "Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train ain't coming."
24) "He's got two brains, one is lost and the other is out looking for it."
25) "If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week."
26) "If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."
27) "If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean." 

28) "It's hard to believe he beat off 1,000,000 other sperm."
29) "One neuron short of a synapse."
30) "Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."
31) "Takes him 2 hours to watch '60 minutes'."

CARP - Canadian Association of Retired People

Questions and Answers from CARP Forum
 
Q: Where can single men over the age of 70 find younger women who are interested in them?

A: Try a bookstore, under Fiction.



Q: What can a man do while his wife is going
through menopause?

A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you're done, you will have a place to live.



Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your
over-70 year-old husband?

A: Tell him you're pregnant.



Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the
elderly wrinkles?

A: Take off your glasses.



Q: Seriously! What can I do for these crow's feet and all those wrinkles on my face?

A: Go braless. It will usually pull them out.



Q: Why should 70-plus year-old people use valet parking?

A: Valets don't forget where they park your car



Q: Is it common for 70-plus year olds to have
problems with short term memory storage?

A: Storing memory is not a problem. Retrieving it is the problem.



Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?

A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.



Q: Where should 70-plus year olds look for eye
glasses?

A: On their foreheads.



Q: What is the most common remark made by 70-plus year
olds when they enter antique stores?

A: "Gosh, I remember these!" 

Susie Smith stood and walked to the podium. She said, “I have a praise. Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if they could help him.”

You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagined the pain that poor Tom must have experienced.

“Tom was unable to hold me or the children,” she went on, “and every move caused him terrible pain. We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Tom's scr©tum, wrap wire around it to hold it in place.”

Again, the men in the congregation, just like in this studio, cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Tom.

“Now,” she announced in a quivering voice, “Thank the Lord, Tom is out of the hospital, and the doctors say that, with time, his scrotum should recover completely.”

All the men sighed with unified relief. The Pastor rose intensively and asked if anyone else had something to say. A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium.

He said, “I'm Tom Smith.” The entire congregation held its breath. “I just want to tell my wife the word is sternum.”