Well done to you! I got my A&C in 1966 and have not flown a glider since. But I am tempted.
I am sure the glider that you flew 52 years ago did not have the L/D to give 45:1, and the improvement in glider technology must blow you away. Think on this while we fly our 1967 Cherokees to get to our first solo in 2019.
I have nothing but admiration and respect for the present designers and builders of the high end gliders. They work at the "Bleeding edge" of technology and produce machines that almost defy physics.
I watched a Jonker with its auxiliary jet do a display a few months ago in South Africa. It was a combination of aerial ballet and the limits of technology. It was magnificent.