Many of the 54 students came by bus, while others walked along unpaved, unlit streets to attend Rutland Secondary School back in the 1950s.
The Class of 1957 has only 30 grads left, but 65 years later despite the dwindling numbers these former Rutland students still meet up every five years for a reunion.
Spearheaded by Jill Siebert (Willsdon), she organizes the class to get together at various locations around the city and grads come from everywhere from Winfield to North Vancouver to attend the event. This year the reunion was held at Tower Ranch and almost all 30 former students showed up, most with their spouses in tow.
Renee Rufli and his wife attend every reunion Siebert puts together, despite Rufli not actually having graduated with the 1957 class.
“I left in 1954 to join the British Submarine Service,” said Rufli, who is also known as Big Red.
Siebert and her friend Joyce King used to take the bus from Winfield every day into Kelowna to attend Rutland Secondary School, which is now Rutland Middle School.
Joyce was known for her quick typing skills which won her secretary of the year once and helped her move on to take a position with the Central Okanagan School District later in life. While Siebert was known for her fast feet on the track, an athlete who competed in the high jump and the relay race.
Jim Ratcliffe went on to be a Catholic priest, ordained 57 years ago. He helped to build the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Parish in 1962.
“I lived in Winfield and I came by bus to school. I very much liked school, I was interested in science, math and music. I was even a member of the school band and once won most improved to play the clarinet,” he said.
Al and his brother Dave Horning were well known to the Rutland area at the time, both leaving school to work at the Simpson Sawmill. Al would go on to be MLA in 2005 for Kelowna-Lake Country, while Dave would become a platoon captain at the Kelowna Fire Department.
Bill Wostradowski was and remains good friends with the Horning brothers.
“I am from Rutland born and raised and my wife and I just moved from our home of 50 years,” said Wostradowski. “Back in the day there wasn’t much we didn’t enjoy, we all played soccer and would have dances at the Rutland Hall.”
Travelling for every reunion from North Vancouver, Bruce Person became a Vancouver Supreme Court judge alongside his wife.
Everyone remembers Person for having a hot rod which had no floor and being the son of the owner of the John Deer store, which hosted John Deer days.
“I have three other brothers, one in the RCMP, one in the Navy and one who became a highway bridge builder,” explained Person. “I learned to fly at the Rutland airport after my brother bought a plane for $450 in the U.S. and that thing always stalled in the air.”
Another well-known Okanagan family name also attended Rutland Senior, Bernie Gatzke whose son owns Gatzke Orchard in Lake Country, said his father came to the area in 1927.
“Track meets were the best and Friday night dances,” he said. “It’s great to see everyone, I still live here but I don’t see everyone very much anymore.”
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