30th Anniversary Reunion Dinner of Class of 1996

It’s hard to believe that 30 years have passed since we graduated from St Julian’s as the Class of 1996. Thirty years sounds like a lifetime, and yet on July 10th 2026, when more than 40 of us came together from all over the world, it somehow felt as though very little time had passed at all.

There were, of course, those inevitable moments of “I can’t believe it’s been so long!” and the occasional “Wait… is that really you?” before the hugs, the laughter and the catching up began. Some faces were instantly recognisable, while others took a moment, but once the names started coming back, so did the memories.

Some friendships have stayed close, others have naturally drifted, and many of us had not seen each other since leaving school. We have all lived very different lives since then, but being together again felt surprisingly familiar. We had something that belonged only to us: growing up at St Julian’s.

Having some of our teachers there made the evening even more special. They were such an important part of our school years, and seeing them again brought back another side of life at St Julian’s, a time when they knew us not as the adults we have become, but as the students we once were.

Of course, not everyone could make it, and those who weren’t there were missed. The Class of 1996 includes everyone who shared those school days, not just those who could make it back for that evening.

There was also one person who was very much in our thoughts. David Lopes will always be part of the Class of 1996 and the memories we share from those days.

And, of course, there was the inevitable rendition of It’s a Long Road to Freedom.

For anyone who went to St Julian’s, it needs no introduction. It is one of those songs that belongs to the school, known by generations of students. Its words about the long road, the people we walk alongside and the miles flying by suddenly felt very appropriate.

For a few minutes, everything else disappeared. There we were again, singing our hearts out to the song we had grown up with, all those voices together in one room. The distance, the different lives we had built and the years since leaving school seemed to fly by. The words were still there, and so were we.

Let’s not leave it another 30 years.

Written by Ana Antunes & Colin Pereira | Ambassadors of Class of 1996

Please see a gallery of photos below.