Class of 1986 Marks 40 Years

Forty years after leaving Saint Kentigern, members of the Class of 1986 came together for a reunion that offered plenty of opportunities to catch up, share old stories and look back on their College years.

Bowls at St Heliers Bowling Club kicked off the day, giving classmates the chance to reconnect over some friendly competition and plenty of banter.

Back at Saint Kentigern, the group gathered in the Chapel, a place many knew well from their College years. For some, it was their first time back in many years; for others, it had remained part of later family and College occasions. The campus tour gave the group a chance to revisit familiar places, see some of the College’s newer developments, including the newly unveiled Year 12 and 13 building, and reflect on how much has changed since their time at Saint Kentigern.

Brendon Sutton, Head Boy in 1986, remembered a Saint Kentigern that still carried traces of its earlier rural setting, with parts of the campus still farmland. He also reflected on how their years at the College coincided with a period of significant transition, something perhaps easier to recognise with the benefit of 40 years’ perspective.

At dinner in Bruce House, former Headmaster and now Alumni Patron Nigel Toy reflected on those same years from a different perspective. Having returned to Saint Kentigern as Headmaster in 1983, he recalled a period of significant change for the College and spoke warmly about the talent he remembered within the group, as well as the satisfaction of seeing what members of the cohort went on to achieve. 

A special thanks to Brendon Sutton, Ben Davies and Hamish Reid and for the time and effort they put into bringing the group together.

And if the enthusiasm on the night was anything to go by, the Class of 1986 is already keen to find another reason to get together.