Few rivalries at Sydney High stir as much spirit as the inter-house competitions — McKay versus Rubie in the pool, Fairland versus Torrington on the track, Eedy versus Saxby on the courts.

The House system remains one of the great threads linking every generation of Sydney High. But few boys (or even Old Boys) know that the house names they shout for were not always those six.

Once, High’s houses were called Gordon, Parkes, Reid, and Wentworth — after famous statesmen of colonial and Federation-era New South Wales. Then, in 1955, a headmaster with a strong respect for tradition decided it was time for change.

The First Houses: 1928 and the Statesmen Era

The house system at Sydney High was first formally established in 1928, according to the Monthly Minutes of the School Union (High History & Heritage Archive).

Those minutes record that the original four houses — Gordon, Parkes, Reid, and Wentworth — were set up that year to organise inter-house competitions and encourage school spirit.

Interestingly, the names Gordon and Reid were substitutions for earlier proposed titles, Barton and Forrest, likely to balance representation among Federation-era figures.

Before 1928, there is little evidence of a structured house system. Internal sport and competition appear to have been organised on a class basis rather than houses. The creation of the four houses in 1928 thus marked the beginning of a new era in school life — introducing the framework that would eventually evolve into today’s six-house tradition.

A Conservative Revolution: Andrews and the 1955 Renaming

In The History of Sydney High School (1983), Headmaster K. J. Andrews (1955–63) recalled how the new house system was born:

“I think my attitude to tradition may fairly be described as a conservative one. Traditions are valuable because they provide an inspiration and a goal for this generation, and, at the same time, by providing a link with the past, give the School a sense of historical continuity…

One of these was related to the House System. I soon realised that, owing largely to the efforts of Mr Alan Jessep as Sportsmaster, the School Houses had become the basis on which all internal sporting activities were organised.

…I felt that in this new situation the old House names were without significance. Accordingly, after consulting a number of ‘elder statesmen’, I suggested to the School Union Committee that the old House names, Gordon, Parkes, Reid and Wentworth, be replaced by Eedy, Fairland, McKay and Saxby.

The idea caught on and the new House names were announced on Speech Day, 1955.”

— K. J. Andrews, Headmaster 1955–63

And from The Record, Vol 46, November 1956 (p39):

CHANGE OF NAMES FOR HOUSES
On Speech Day last the Headmaster announced that names of the four houses; Gordon, Parkes, Reid and Wentworth, had been changed to Eedy, Fairland, McKay, and Saxby respectively, thus perpetuating the memory of four men with a fine record of service to High. 

And so began the modern era of High’s house system — still competitive, still colourful, but now rooted in High’s own history, not in colonial politics.

1955 - The 'New' Four : Eedy, Fairland, McKay and Saxby

Each of the four new houses honoured a significant figure in High’s history:

The Expansion to Six: Rubie and Torrington

The school’s enrolment expanded in the decades after the war, leading to the introduction of two new Year 7 classes, and eventually to the addition of two new houses.

At speech night, in December 1991, the Headmaster, Robert Outterside, announced that the new houses would be named Rubie and Torrington in honour of “two of the school's stalwarts who fought for its selectivity and enrolments”.

The addition of Rubie and Torrington completed the six-house system that continues to this day — each bearing its own colour, crest, and legacy.

A Living Link with the Past

When Andrews renamed the houses in 1955, he wrote that traditions “provide a link with the past, [and] give the School a sense of historical continuity.” Seventy years later, that link is stronger than ever.

Each carnival, relay, and chant connects generations of High boys — from Eedy’s 1880s pioneers to Torrington’s 1970s reformers. The houses are more than administrative groupings; they are living memorials to the people who built the school, taught its boys, and kept its spirit alive.

Timeline of High’s Houses

Six Colours, One School

Each house’s banner tells a piece of High’s story — the first students who opened the gates, the headmasters who shaped the culture, the Old Boys who kept the union strong.

Together, they represent the living continuity of Sydney High, where every generation competes fiercely, sings loudly, and remembers those who came before.

💬 Call for Memories

Were you at High when the new houses were announced?

Do you remember cheering for Gordon or Parkes before 1955?

Recollections of a legendary house rivalry, upset, or carnival moment?

Please leave your comments below (you must be Logged In) or Send your memories to admin@shsobu.org.au