In January 2026, more than 150 Sargood Collegians and friends gathered to celebrate 65 years of Sargood House. The guests were treated to a tour of the newly refurbished and expanded Sargood House. Among the guests were past housemasters Pat Plant (1963-1977), Paul Wilson (1994-2000), Carl Neethling (2012-2015), Ryan McCarthy (2016-2018) and Guy Johnstone (2019-2023). We were honoured to welcome long-serving Sargood Matron Bev McCarthy (1973-2018). Past Headmaster Steve Cole (1992-2001) also enjoyed catching up with many of the Collegians from his era. In the Chapel, the guests heard from the Collegians Inc. President Ryan McCarthy and past Sargood Collegian and housemaster Guy Johnstone. Read his musings on boarding life below:

It is special to see so many founding members of Sargood, alongside current and past staff members. It feels like the mother of all house meetings.

My name is Guy Johnstone. Sargood member 1990-1994, and Housemaster 2019-2023.

My first year was 1990; for some, it was earlier; for others, later. However, I imagine many first experiences were similar—a story as old as time. My journey started in an oversized blazer and a pair of new Treks. With the obligatory awkward last photo with parents, we began our time in Sargood.

Graham Campbell was the Housemaster and ran a tight ship; expectations were high. Upon starting, there was a plethora of new things to behold: Saturday morning school (3rd period science with Pat Plant), morning runs, morning swims, communal showers, and Sunday morning chapels.

A whole new world opened up to me with words like bait, lampost, short sheet, exeat, heaven, hell, School D, House D, and prep becoming part of the vernacular.

The names of Morris and Plant echoed in the halls of times past, and the photos from previous years gazed from the walls as custodians. Key memories of my time as a third former include how big and scary the seniors were, competing for the house, and morning inspections where, if you didn’t get things right, your bed was stripped in front of you.

I remember sitting on the couch waiting to use the phone, only to have someone’s girlfriend call and ask to talk to them before you could get there!

Friendships were made. Visiting friends on weekends off, and the joy of going to Chartwell on Friday to use your pocket money to buy a $1 potato fritter from the fish and chip shop. Or, maybe having the privilege of choosing the junior video for Saturday night. It was a great year of making connections and becoming part of Sargood life.

Fourth form came, and of course, the Tihoi experience. Now, I’m not going to bore you with stories of Tihoi; I’m sure there are enough stories within this room to fill many a novel, as families and friends can attest to, so I’ll leave those stories for you.

Fifth form marked the start of entering the senior part of the house. This year was the start of School Certificate, compulsory study in the morning, and sitting in your locker pretending to study as Mr Campbell came around with a pot of tea.

I also remember hiding under the pool table, wagging physics one day. Matron Bev came up the stairs. She bent down and peered underneath the table; I had nowhere to go except back to class, of course.

I’m not sure if it’s a fond memory or an awkward one, but ballroom dancing lessons started with Dio that year.

Sixth form was a chance to have your own space out in the sixth form studies. Fun times with friends, though the academic focus wasn’t as strong as it maybe should have been. Special memories of House Music accompanying Logan Payne and the whole school singing, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. I think we may have come last, but we had a lot of fun doing it.

Seventh form was a time to really stamp our mark on Sargood, to lead and show the future, with a new housemaster at the helm: Mr Paul Wilson.

We had our own studies; I’m sure many will remember the prefab cabins. Ours had no key; the only way to get in was by using a knife that we stashed on the top of the door frame. Mr Wilson would come and knock on the door and shake the door handle: “Off to chapel, boys.”

We would lie flat and silent on our beds. You could almost hear Mr Wilson rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he walked away. I’m just glad those days didn’t have the electronic rolls we have today and the checkups that go with them!

Once again, House Music came around. This year was a Jeremy Wells special – The Village People’s YMCA, with disco moves to accompany. Once again, Sargood showed that House Music is not necessarily about musicality, but about the fun.

House rugby was also special: mate against mate, and the pride in the red jersey.

Time to leave school to “spread wings,” as they say. Had I made the most of my time at St Paul’s? Honestly, academically, probably not. School life beyond the classroom was probably where I did some of my better work.

After leaving St Paul’s, I observed Sargood from afar. 30 years later, I returned as a Housemaster.

Things had changed; I couldn’t even find the front door to the house – it was a bit jarring, to be honest. But after a while, upon looking a little deeper, there were touchstones all around the school.

The bones are still there, but the Chapel, Pavilion, Music Centre, Quad, Dining Room, Library, and, indeed, Sargood House all look different. However, underneath, they were the same buildings they had once been, just larger and better fit for purpose.

Names like McCarthy, Needing, and Te Whaiti now echoed through the halls; a lot had changed in those 30 years. New house competitions like Haka and Arts Day; gone was the Road Relay. Signing in and out was no longer a book outside the Housemaster’s office; it was all an app, locks, and alarms on doors.

However, two things started to ease my mind. Firstly, Paul Wilson was here. And then, watching athletic standards in the first week. The same passion to represent Sargood was there: the seniors leading, and the juniors following, hoping to live up to the expectations of the elders.

Some things change, and yes, if you look for the differences, they are plentiful. But some things remain strong.

The following things still sit at the heart of Sargood life:

Turning up on the first day in an oversized blazer for a final photo with parents. Looking at the size of the seniors.

The house wrapped around the “U”—the heart of the house. Whether sunbathing when you should be studying, playing U-cricket, or haka practice. It has seen many iterations over the years, but still sits at the center.

A big thanks to Justin Downing, who had the honour of being one of the first third formers to have a house detention every week of his first year. Thank you for your tireless efforts as our unofficial groundsman.

Boys starting out as strangers and ending up mates, heading off to each other’s farms at the weekend for hunting and riding motorbikes. Sargood is known as the tightest of all the houses; friendships that last.

Seniors having pride to lead the house, wanting to make it their year, but also complaining that the juniors now are “way cheekier” than they were and “would have never gotten away with that.”

Matron is a special part of the house: We have been blessed with some amazing matrons over the years, a comforting ear when necessary, a firm boot when required, everything in between, and everything above and beyond. All the staff are proud of the boys under their care.

Most of all, it is the spirit of Sargood. The pride to wear the red singlet and give your best to represent. Sargood boys know who they are, from the humble beginnings of the tent to the world-class facility it is today. The spirit of Sargood has remained steadfast.