Due to the publication dates of our newsletter, the first quarter of 2026 will almost be over by the time you read this in March.
New Year’s Eve is traditionally synonymous with resolutions; resolutions that are usually long forgotten by early March. What will not be forgotten by our three hundred & fifty guests is the wonderful time they had as they joined us to welcome the year 2026.
Saint Stanislaus College (Guyana) Alumni Society promised an unforgettable New Year’s Eve party, and from all accounts, we delivered an unforgettable party.
Our evening began with a one-hour cocktail “meet & greet” in the grand lobby of the luxurious Scarborough Convention Centre at 6:30 pm. Guests were treated to non-alcoholic cocktails and delectable hors d’oeuvres while greeting old friends and colleagues, some of whom hadn’t seen each other for years. At 7:30 pm guests entered the opulent ballroom of the convention centre to begin a four-course supper, including their choice of four delicious entrees, complete with complimentary wine. Champagne at midnight and a late-night table at 12:30 am with both sweet and savoury choices rounded out the evening’s gastronomic adventure.
Entertainment for this year was supplied by not one, but two bands plus a DJ, and guests showed their appreciation by dancing into the wee hours of 2026. At midnight, the new year was welcomed by eight of the Society’s regular benefactors firing confetti canons from the stage into the crowd of three hundred and fifty revellers decked out in their tiaras and top hats and armed with their noisemakers.
Our New Year’s Eve gala has evolved over six years, beginning in 2018 (we skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic), from what began as a dream, into a very successful franchise, a franchise we are incredibly proud of. It has become the “place to be” on New Year’s Eve in Toronto. Our event was sold out this year at the beginning of November, and we had a waiting list of eighty-five hopeful but ultimately disappointed folks; a testament to the popularity of the Gala.
The words of the traditional New Year’s Eve song “Auld Lang Syne” asks the question in the first line – “Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?” The answer is a resounding NO! Auld Lang Syne (times long past), and specifically New Year’s Eve is a time for reflection, thankful for old friendships that have withstood the test of time. It is a time for hope, of looking to a brighter future, a new beginning, while “taking a cup of kindness,” a drink, for not only all that the good Lord has given us, but all who are dear to us. It is a time for optimism, a toast to the future and to the year ahead, while remaining thankful for old friendships that will never die.
Our Society remains thankful to you, our members, for your support throughout the years, support that allows us to provide for the students of our beloved Alma Mater. Without you, nothing that we do would be possible.
Happy New Year to all,
Paul Abdool
