By Jalelah Abu Baker

WITH affectionate familiarity, the men exchanged Chinese New Year greetings with a warm pat on the back as they arrived at the Huat Kee Teochew Restaurant on Amoy Street.

For 63 years, the lunch has been an annual affair for this particular class from St Anthony's Boys' School. This once-motley group of adolescents are now mostly silver-haired men, well into their 70s.

Mr Teo Choon Lim is the one responsible for yesterday's reunion. He has been coordinating the boys' get-together for about 20 years.

The ex-architect goes by the nickname 'Bottle Washer' because he handles all the work the others do not want to do. Other names thrown across the three tables reserved for the boys include 'Trumpet', 'Small Black' and 'GB' (Gas Bank).

Mr Teo recites two important rules of the 'club' whose membership cannot expand any further: first, you must have partial deafness and second, a balding head, to which roars of laughter erupt from the tables.

While the number of 'members' has diminished over the years, the spirit of those who continue to attend the reunion is heart-warming. Out of the original class of 40, half of them made it to yesterday's luncheon.

And despite their years, the friends still know how to have fun.

'For these two hours, we are boys. Whether you were an architect, engineer, it's all irrelevant,' said Mr Teo.

True to their nature, the old friends sang along to The Crocodile Song, Elephant Dance and Auld Lang Syne, surprising the other patrons with an impromptu conga line dance around the restaurant.

Mr Teo jokingly says he is going to 'fire' himself from the job this year, drawing a disappointed 'What will we do without you?' from his mates.

When asked who would continue the tradition when he did eventually step down, he said with conviction: 'It will go on until there are no more bottles standing on the wall.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 10, 2009.