Last Thursday a group of former classmates held a reunion at Café 349 in Shawville on the occasion of their 80th birthdays.

The women, who all attended school together starting in Mrs. Dale’s Grade 2 class at the Victoria Avenue school in the early 1950s, have all gone their separate ways over the years. Some are still in Shawville, while others are spread across the Ottawa Valley.

One member of the group, Anna Hamilton, now lives in Swift Current, Sask., but she was coming to town for a wedding, making it a great excuse for the ladies to get together.

So, they decided to have a reunion of sorts, and, since they are all the same age, celebrate their 80th birthdays while they were at it.

Darleen Murray-Murphy, who still lives in Shawville, said they had a lovely time catching up with old friends.

“Everyone sat around and had to give their biography and tell their tale,” she said.

“We just picked up and talked about what we did and how many children we have, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

She said she’s still in touch with some of the local girls on a regular basis, but some that have moved further away she hasn’t spoken to in a long time.

“I haven’t seen a couple of the girls in 60 years,” she said. “It was very, very nice.”

Kathryn Horner Perry said they were having so much fun, they lost track of time and didn’t realize the café was closing. “It was 2:00 p.m.. We had no idea.”

She said the staff had to gently kick the group out because it was past the closing hour.

Murray-Murphy said one of the friends who now lives in Kentucky wasn’t able to make it because she is caring for her husband. But they passed a phone around the table, and each woman spent a few moments video-chatting with her.

“It was a very nice thing,” she said.