The school bell tolls again in cyberspace

CHRIS DANIELS takes an online walk down the old corridors through reunion sites.

Ahhhh, those old school days. The gentle thwack of leather on willow, those rousing renditions of the school song, the deputy principal with the inferiority complex, the plaintive squeal of some poor kid being hung up on a coat hook by his undies ...

"The best years of my life," say some.

"I'm glad I got out of that damn place," say others.

Now you can go back, thanks to a host of reunion websites, and talk to just those people you liked.

Perhaps you will converse with that girl or boy you fancied from afar, or maybe face the bully who scared the bejesus out of you.

But be warned: the online world of reunions is not entirely pain-free. On the schoolreunions.co.nz site, I came across a friend of one of my brothers, who happened to be doing his post-doctorate research into evolutionary science at a university in Copenhagen.

How flash.

But then another former student was still working at Burger King.

One woman told the internet community she was a member of the Mensa society at my old school.

A look at New Zealand's school reunion websites shows bigger is better. If you went to a large school, you have a much better chance of finding plenty to laugh and scream about.

A friend who attended a school about 10 times the size of my old haunt - Chanel College in Masterton, co-ed forms one to seven, total roll about 400 - was loving her online stroll down the smelly old school corridor until she cried: "Oooooh yuck! Miller Gorilla," pointing at screen in disgust. Other schoolfriends who had reputations that would make you blush now post details of their ideal family lives.

One of the men behind the schoolreunions site is Donald Christie, director of the firm Catalyst IT.

An Englishman by birth, Christie says he was inspired by the huge success of the British site, friendsreunited.co.uk.

The service shot straight into the top 20 of British websites, and has attracted nearly 3.5 million registrations.

"I was on a trip to the UK in the middle of last year and a number of people mentioned the site to me," says Christie.

"I signed up and was quite blown away when I found some of my acquaintances on it.

"The chap I used to muck around with in biology class turned out to be a professor of biochemistry at some reputable university in London. That was quite a shock to me.

"I was talking about it to my fellow directors and we thought, 'Well, let's try and get something like that'."

Catalyst approached the operators of the British site to ask if it could be franchised.

They said they did not have the time, so Christie and the others went ahead with their own version.

He says the site has taken off well, considering that similar sites were launched about the same time.

"There's been a bit of dilution. That's fine - it's all good fun as long as no one takes it too seriously."

Schoolreunions lets old boys' and old girls' clubs and alumni associations use the site to contact former students, telling them about impending school events and reunions.

Sian Silyn Roberts, development officer at Auckland Grammar, has embraced this way of contacting former students.

She is in charge of maintaining the school's database of old boys, and inviting them to a plethora of reunions and golf tournaments.

Roberts says it is not easy keeping track of all the local contact and school reunion websites that have been started in the past few months.

Schoolreunions is "one of the better ones", she says, and findakiwi.co.nz has the biggest number of members.

"It's good to know where our guys have ended up. I have posted a few notices for reunions and things on the site."

Auckland Grammar has recently started a comprehensive programme of "rolling reunions" - every five and 10 years, with about 10 reunions held each year.

Roberts says the websites can be used to email people now living overseas, and younger people are more likely to respond to emails.

These same people also move more frequently, so email is often the best way to get in touch with them.

Contacting people who left the school in the last 10 years is not easy, she says. Every new method that may help to track people down is much appreciated.

Donald Christie's main rival in the whole world of reunion websites is Jose Fowler, chief executive of e-formations, the company that runs the findakiwi and friendsreunited.co.nz websites.

Registration is free but a charge is levied once you start emailing those old school chums.

Fowler hopes that his latest innovation, Crush On You, will blow the competition out of the water.

The service revives old schoolboy/girl infatuations.

Crush On You will not be a dodgy online dating service, nor a potential hunting ground for stalkers, says Fowler.

He explains that anyone registered on the sites will be able to put a love heart next to a person they had a crush on at school.

If that person posts a reciprocal heart, the two will be connected with each other.

A schools page will list the number of crushes registered - you can finally find out if that nostalgic memory of yourself as a primary-school Casanova is true.

"The only thing we're actually doing is initiating contact," says Fowler.

"You can contact them but they don't have to reply.

"The first time we relay the email on your behalf," he says.

"We start the communication process going. We don't get involved after that."

Fowler says the service, without any advertising, has attracted more than 43,000 people wanting to register.

Which shows that an awful lot of New Zealanders are keen to take another walk down the old school corridor.

Anyone at all ... except Richard

An unfair selection of some participants on New Zealand reunion sites. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent.

"Is there anyone out there apart from Richard? No offence, Richard, but I would love to catch up with some of the guys I remember - Sara, Lisa, Carolyn , Kathleen and others. Thinking about coming to the reunion, let me know as I am undecided."

* * *

"Hi, looking for anyone who does remember me. I went to Rosebank Primary, Henderson Primary, Rangeview Intermediate and Rutherford High. I have already made contact with a long-lost friend, so keep in touch."

* * *

"Hi, maybe there could be some interesting people out there from Matamata College???"

* * *

"No, I didn't die of a drug overdose, I am currently employed as a sales rep in Palmerston North. You never would have guessed, aye!"

* * *

"If anyone remembers me, just write me a line or three. I'm a little long way from home and living in Sweden, so if there is ANYONE out there who can let me know what's going back in ole NZ."

* * *

"Ten years ago I was engaged to a lovely girl, who I treated very badly. I cheated on her and even got another girl pregnant. Not surprisingly, she called off our engagement. Browsing your site, I came across an old mutual friend. I got in touch with her and asked if she would write to my ex and ask if she minded me getting in touch after all this time. My friend wrote to her - she now lives in the UK. My ex-fiancee agreed that I could get in contact with her and we now write regularly. We are both now happily married to other people and have children of our own. I just wanted to say thank you, because without your site, I may never have had the chance to make amends."

* * *

"Hi there. I attended Rutherford High School many a year ago and was wondering if anyone else went to the high?"

Find a Kiwi - $7.50 charge to contact others.

Friends Reunited - $7.50 charge.

Old Friends - free

School Reunions - all free, though may start charging in the future.

Lost School Friends - $12 .

Kiwis Reunited - free.