The afternoon began with water polo. Our DSOBA President, Victor Tan (’80), led a group of young players to a friendly match. While the water polo teams were slugging it out at one side of the pool, the younger children showed off their aqua-basketball skills, shooting hoops from the water at the other side of the pool. They were challenged to a hoop-shooting contest, where the winners went away with prizes like water guns and inflatable ride-ons.
The Poolside Party was a great opportunity for old boys to catch up with each other and to meet new friends. Attendees represented classes ranging from the 50’s to the 90’s. It was truly amazing that even though we were from such a broad spectrum of classes, we all felt the same strong sense of belonging to the DBS family.
As always, food was an important item on the agenda for every Poolside Party. We would like to give special thanks to Alvin Li (’86) for generously sponsoring the food and to Albert Cheung (’83) for kindly arranging the catering this year. After an exciting water polo game and red-hot hoop shooting, everybody was hungry for a big feast. The grilled salmon salad, curry lobster balls, Swiss chicken wings and baked seafood rice did not disappoint.
Of course, we did not let our members and guests off the hook that easily. After recharging their batteries at the buffet table, the real work began: the swimming competition! Five races were held, according to age. Our youngest stars were only 5 years old; with their dads cheering by their side, they finished a 25-meter lap with flying colours. The older kids also participated enthusiastically in the event. It was really exciting to watch them swim with such speed and confidence—it must be the inherited DBS spirit! The last race was reserved for the old boys. Again we proved to be the “best of the best”, competing fiercely for this year’s “bragging rights”.
The party ended on high notes. We were honoured to have our Headmaster, Mr. Terence Chang (’65), present medals to the contestants and take pictures with all of us. Last but not least, we followed our poolside party tradition of eating watermelons, although by then everybody was too full to have a watermelon-eating competition! The party went on until dusk and we all went home with a nice tan, a content stomach and happy memories.
The Annual Poolside Party is a wonderful family event and a great old boy reunion in a casual setting. We all hope you can join us next year for more fun in the sun!
Anthony Siu (’83)
