As they talked, the idea grew, and the pair decided to contact all the students in their form three classes from Seymour High School in 1953.
One hundred students were listed in the school magazine and Coral and Joy managed to track down addresses for 90 of them.
Joy then spent hours at the electoral office in Wallis St, Seymour trying to find classmates from across the country.
After hours of preparation and phone calls, the first reunion was held in March 1981.
The event was so successful that Coral and Joy didn’t need any persuasion to arrange more reunions.
The reunions have been held in different venues through the years with two at Mitchelton Winery, two at Somerset Winery, two at the Seymour Senior Citizens Hall, one at Trawool Valley Resort, one at the Seymour Club and the most recent on March 10 at the Prince of Wales Hotel.
Joy said attendance at the first reunion in 1981 was 75, while 2019 attendance was 43.
‘‘There is always plenty of chatter as friends catch up with what has been happening in their lives,’’ she said.
‘‘We enjoyed singing the school song with great gusto and often sang it a second time. In the past we have taken a photo of ex-students plus a group photo.
‘‘Unfortunately, we were having too much chatter at the most recent reunion and completely forgot to take a photo.’’