Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.
| 5 Oct 2026 | |
| Written by Luke Mann | |
| Alumni News |
By Luke Mann (94)
The GPS Gold Challenge is one of those events that somehow gets better with age. Part sporting competition, part school reunion and part endurance test for ageing bodies, the 2026 edition brought over 600 old boys from across the GPS schools, with circa 300 competitors from each of the 1993 and 1994 year groups.
A huge credit must go to David McKay and Ronnie Ross, whose enthusiasm, organisation and persistence continue to make the event possible. Bringing together former students from every GPS school, including The Armidale School, is no small undertaking.
For Sydney High, it was one of our stronger performances.
We registered approximately 48 competitors, ultimately losing a handful to injuries, family commitments, and life's usual interruptions. While that might sound like a healthy number, schools such as Riverview and Joeys brought well over 100 competitors, while Scots and Newington fielded around 80 each. Grammar also edged us in participation.
In a competition where every point matters, numbers matter.
Despite that disadvantage, Sydney High came within touching distance of taking home the title.
Competition began on Friday with rowing, golf and rifle shooting.
The standout performance came in rowing, where the Sydney High eight battled through a tough qualifying heat to make the A Final before producing a superb effort to finish second overall, narrowly behind Newington. It was a tremendous result against some genuinely strong crews.
Our golfers gave a good account of themselves against a talented field, while our rifle shooters represented High admirably and competed hard throughout the day.
Friday evening provided an opportunity for old friends to reconnect, tell increasingly exaggerated stories from school and prepare for the main event on Saturday.
Saturday morning kicked off with multiple sports running simultaneously and High immediately found its groove.
Indoor cricket turned out to be one of the more entertaining sports of the day, largely because the scoring system appeared specifically designed to punish enthusiasm.
Hit a six out of the venue? Minus five runs.
Lose your wicket? Minus five runs.
Attempt to relive your 1st XI glory days against mediocre bowling? Potential disaster.
As a result, self-control became far more valuable than batting talent. The smartest players quickly realised that nudging singles around was considerably more effective than trying to launch the ball into the next postcode.
Conditions started damp and slippery before drying throughout the morning, making scoring difficult. High won both matches and finished second overall, missing first place only on aggregate runs scored.
It was an exceptional effort in a format where patience routinely outperformed power and where maturity surprisingly became a competitive advantage.
Basketball delivered one of the highlights of the entire weekend.
Sydney High went through undefeated, recording victories over both Joeys and Newington before claiming first place with the best points differential in the competition.
Clinton Allardice and Carl Wong demonstrated they had retained far more of their basketball abilities than anyone should reasonably possess after three decades, while the rest of the team embraced a physical style of play that occasionally looked closer to a contact sport than basketball.
Nobody complained. Much.
The title was richly deserved.
The tennis courts quietly produced some of our best results of the weekend.
The 1993 pairing of Jeffrey Johnson and former world-class surfer Luke Hitchings went through undefeated. Jeffrey once again demonstrated that if an object can be struck with a racquet, bat or club, there is a very high probability he will excel at it.
For the 1994 cohort, the twins Edward and Alan Tai also competed magnificently and somehow managed to look remarkably similar to how they did 30 years ago.
Frustratingly, not all of those results translated into the points tally we expected. Given the final standings, those missing points would become a talking point later in the evening.
The soccer team produced some of the most skilful moments of the day.
Sohail Mohideen was at the centre of much of the attacking play, producing several classy touches and finishes that reminded everyone he still had plenty left in the tank. Supported by Michael Keller and a strong cast of contributors, High finished with two wins and one loss, securing a strong podium finish.
Whether that translated to second or third depended on the final calculations and scoring nuances, but either way it was another strong performance and yet another example of how close the overall standings would prove to be.
Touch football was one of the most enjoyable events of the day.
High defeated Scots before knocking over Newington and advancing to the final against Joeys. Unfortunately, Joeys proved too strong in the decider, winning 3-1, but the runners-up finish was richly deserved.
The team itself was a reminder that touch football rewards very different attributes from rugby. While the old rugby stars supplied experience and some silky touches, success largely came from assembling a team of people who could still move. Speed, fitness and the ability to avoid requiring immediate medical attention between sets turned out to be surprisingly valuable assets.
Hovering around the team throughout the day was Grant Cummins, who enthusiastically embraced the role of player, coach, selector, strategist, chief annoyance and occasional self-appointed Director of Operations. His constant stream of instructions undoubtedly brought structure and purpose to the side, although there remains some debate as to whether every player realised they were being coached at the time.
The athletics program was both impressive and mildly alarming.
Caerl Murray sprinted to a superb second place in the 60 metres, earning valuable points and considerable admiration.
Tony Stevens and Finn Murray battled away in the middle and long-distance events, contributing important points through sheer determination and refusal to acknowledge common sense.
But athletics also provided perhaps the most universal experience of the weekend: injury.
Across all schools, the collective snap of hamstrings sounded like bubble wrap. Calf injuries, sore backs and creaking joints quickly became the dominant conversation topic.
There were moments where competitors fell mid-race with such theatrical timing that onlookers could only assume they had been taken out by an unseen sniper hiding somewhere near the athletics track.
One memorable moment involved High accidentally competing in the 1993 relay, finishing second, before immediately backing up in the 1994 relay and finishing third.
In a competition ultimately decided by only a handful of points, moments like that are impossible not to revisit.
Swimming had barely found its rhythm when Sydney weather decided it wanted to contribute.
After the freestyle and backstroke events, an extraordinary thunderstorm rolled across the venue, bringing torrential rain, lightning and enough water to create indoor waterfalls and lakes inside Joeys Hall.
Within minutes, competitors and spectators were sheltering indoors while organisers attempted to deal with rapidly deteriorating conditions.
The timing was particularly unfortunate, as swimming was one area where Sydney High saw opportunities to pick up additional points.
As team coordinator, there will always be a small part of me wondering whether strategically deploying former national swimmer Ben Ebel differently across the opening races may have delivered another point or two before the heavens opened.
Such thoughts are probably best left unexplored.
With competition suspended, everyone made their way indoors for what is arguably the real highlight of GPS Gold.
The debate and dinner.
The evening's entertainment featured an exceptional line-up including members of The Chaser, Triple M's Dobbo and several outstanding speakers from across the schools.
Representing Sydney High was Sam McCool, who delivered a magnificent performance. Mixing humour, school pride and some well-aimed observations about rival schools, Sam had the room engaged from start to finish.
While he did not take home the judges' award, many in the High contingent thought he was unlucky not to finish higher and certainly among the standout performers on the night.
The evening also featured GPS Gold's 50th Anniversary branded beers, plenty of wine and a hall full of competitors comparing injuries.
When the final scores were announced, the result was almost impossible to believe.
| Position | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverview | 68.5 |
| 2 | Sydney High | 65.5 |
| 3 | Joeys | 62.0 |
Three points.
That was the difference between first and second.
Hindsight 20/20 vision suggests there are countless moments that could have swung the result. A point in swimming. A point in tennis. A different relay outcome. A slightly different selection decision.
The reality is that it would not have taken much.
But focusing solely on the result misses what GPS Gold is about.
The highlight of the weekend was not a medal, trophy or points tally.
It was seeing old friends reconnect.
It was watching people compete despite creaking knees, pulled muscles and fitness levels that perhaps had not been tested this seriously for some time.
It was seeing those who could not compete still make the effort to be there.
One of the genuine highlights was having Steven Massa join us. Although unable to compete, he came along to the dinner and reminded everyone what the event is truly about: friendship, laughter and shared history.
GPS Gold has a funny way of reminding everyone that while we may no longer be the athletes we once were, the competitive spirit never really leaves.
The bodies might be slower.
The recovery certainly takes longer.
The physiotherapists are busier.
But the desire to represent your school and spend time with your mates remains unchanged.
With Sydney High year groups originally numbering around 170 to 180 students, there is no reason we cannot field more than 100 competitors at future GPS Gold events.
So here is the challenge.
When your year group's turn comes around, make the time.
Turn up.
Compete if you can. Support if you cannot.
You do not need to be the fastest, strongest or fittest person there. GPS Gold is a reunion disguised as a sporting competition. The results are remembered for a few days. The stories are remembered for years.
We may have finished second on the scoreboard, but after a weekend like this it is hard to see anyone who attended as anything other than a winner.
And who knows? With a few more competitors, a few fewer hamstring injuries and perhaps slightly better weather, Sydney High might just be taking home the chocolates next time. But even if we do not, we'll still have a great weekend with our mates.
And that is really the point.
To view this News Article
The High GPS premiership winning rugby teams of 1971, 72, 73 recently caught up for the 50th anniversary of the last GPS premiership for Sydney High r… More...
