| Jonathan Fernandez |
AFTER months of meticulous planning, they flew in from three different continents – and now this family of 14, which had not congregated for 13 years, is having a ball in Brunei Darussalam.
It took a bit of charm by the Lush couple, Christopher and Ingrid, to persuade the Grand Reiche Family – the group’s self-styled moniker – to make the trip, but they are convinced it was worth the effort.
Ingrid, whose parents’ surname is Reiche, said she and her husband had been teaching at Jerudong International School (JIS) over the last couple of years.
She added that her relatives, aged between 16 and 79, had been enjoying everything Brunei had to offer since arriving from England, New Zealand and South Africa last week.
The highlight of the excursion was when the entourage – assisted by several expatriates residing in Brunei – took on the national U-21 hockey team in a friendly match on Wednesday.
They may have lost – albeit by an impressive 3-2 scoreline – but Briton Christopher said everyone was a winner by the end of the final whistle.
“It was good fun. We had even sat down and strategised the night before. It was our first ever match together … so we needed at least some coordination,” he quipped.
Christopher and Ingrid Lush (STANDING RIGHT) posing with the rest of the Grand Reiche Family – and several of the expatriates – before the hockey match last Wednesday. – EMMA LUMSDEN
Ingrid said sports had always been at the core of the family’s interests.
“I played hockey my whole life,” added Ingrid, originally from South Africa but a British citizen since getting married.
“I grew up playing this sport with my brother and sister. So, naturally, our children also picked it up,” said Ingrid, whose son Andrew studied at JIS before joining his brother Thomas in pursuing tertiary education in England.
The clan has a game of cricket lined up before they depart for a short vacation in Vietnam on Tuesday, but Christopher said it was not all about sports during the trip.
“The family is enjoying every bit of the Borneo experience so far,” he said, adding that Temburong was “most enjoyable”.
“We took part in many activities such as tubing in the river … and the view from atop the canopy was a sight to behold – it was breathtaking.”
Christopher said the family had also been humbled by the warmth of the locals, who had been more than welcoming.
The “warmth” of the weather however, he joked, could be pretty unforgiving.
“The scorching sun took the wind of out our sails during the hockey match.
“The oldest and youngest ones on the pitch felt it the most,” he jested. “Hopefully, the weather will be kinder to us during the cricket match.”
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