ROSEWOOD State High School students ended 13 years of formal education last week with a party, despite supercell storms cancelling their parade.
While some things didn’t go to plan, the most important thing did and that was an epic last hurrah for newly graduated teens.
One plan dashed was the meeting at school and cavalcade through the town centre.
About 26 Year 12s and their chosen cars had plans to congregate in the school car park.
Just a handful showed up, many concerned what the forecast hail could do to the cars.
Police cancelled the town centre parade citing storms and knock on safety concerns.
Hamish Donnelly and Ruadhri Glenn met in prep and have been good mates ever since.
“He was pushed into a pole and I helped him up,” Ruadhri said of that first encounter.
“We’ve been friends for about 13 years.”
The formal was held in Ipswich, some of the graduates drove to Riverlink Shopping Centre to wait out the worst of the storm.
“When the storm died down a bit, we went on to the venue,” Ruadhri said.
Safely inside the venue, graduates were served chicken or beef dinners, followed by cheesecake and brownies for dessert.
While the school leavers feasted and partied, the night sky delivered lashings of rain and thunderclaps.
It was the last time they’d be in the same room together apart from their graduation day.
Perhaps after that it’ll be in the context of a school reunion, but there’s plenty of growing up and experiences to have before that time comes.
