Doug Heale may live on Vancouver Island now, but he spent his youth in Copper Cliff.
He looks back fondly on his days at Copper Cliff High School (CCHS) in the 1970s. Heale graduated in 1973, and the school closed seven years later, in 1980, after more than 40 years of operation.
The school building itself is still in use, as it has been occupied by Copper Cliff Public School — a JK to Grade 8 school — since the high school closed.
CCHS only had about 300 students in Heale's day, most of them from Copper Cliff, although a few were from the now-defunct community of Creighton and some other parts of the Walden area.
This created a close-knit environment. “Everybody knew everybody,” Heale said. “We all kind of looked out for each other.”
Because 2020 marks 40 years since CCHS closed, former alumni figured it was time to hold another reunion, and have set about doing just that, tracking down hundreds of former students and staff members.
The CCHS 40th anniversary reunion takes place July 17 and 18 at the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff.
Events on the schedule include a golf tournament and a meet-and-greet with photos and memorabilia (by the way, if you're interested in seeing CCHS photos, be sure to join the event's Facebook page).
Bands have also been booked for Friday and Saturday evening events.
Asked why the event is being held at the arena and not the school, Heale said it's for logistical reasons — it would have been costly to rent tents to hold the event outside at the school's field.
A previous CCHS reunion held in 1990 attracted about 2,500 people, but Heale figures with the passage of time, this summer's event will likely be attended by about 500 people.
Most CCHS alumni are now in their 50s to 70s, he said.
“This will probably be the last chance at attending a high school reunion, and rekindling some of those old friendships, and finding out what what everybody has been doing over the last 40 or 50 or 60 years,” Heale said.
He said he'll be making the trip all the way from Vancouver Island to attend the reunion. One person even plans to come all the way from Europe. “I wouldn't miss it for the world,” Heale said.
CCHS produced a few well-known alumni.
That includes NHL players Jerry Toppazzini (who died in 2012) and Jim Pappin, the late NHL referee Dave Newell (who died in 2018), and former CFL players Ken Shaw and Gene Ceppetelli (who also died in 2018).
Award-winning author and journalist Ann Dowsett Johnston is also a CCHS alumnus, as is Nancy-Jane Newburn, who was Miss Teen Canada, and Gordon Apolloni, an Olympic boxing coach who runs Top Glove Boxing on Lorne Street.
Apolloni said he attended CCHS from 1976 to 1980. “I was the last graduating class,” he said.
The school's closure was “disheartening,” Apolloni said. “There were so many traditions that were started, and they continued, and all of a sudden they were shut down.”
He said the school was “one big family,” adding one of his favourite CCHS memories was when he was named the “king” of the school's winter carnival.
“I can't wait to rekindle old relationships and meet old friends and touch base,” Apolloni said.
If you'd like to register to attend the reunion, you can do so through the CCHS reunion website, email Heale at [email protected], or phone Diane Flynn Hebert at 705-470-2577.
