From Ms Gyton
It was so lovely to have all staff and students gather together on the Sports Hall Roof for the Official Opening of the redeveloped Wilkinson House on Monday. Together with our special guests, this was an important moment for us all to formally recognise this new chapter in the life of a building that has been part of SCEGGS’ story for many decades.
Our ceremony started with a beautiful Acknowledgement of Country delivered by Year 12’s Ashaa Bonner, and then a musical acknowledgement performed by Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2. I was particularly pleased to welcome back Ms Allum who officially opened Wilkinson House with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon – with the cheerful assistance of our 2026 Head Prefect Zara Perkins and our youngest student Lucy Vanderhoek. As the thunderous three cheers erupted, it signalled to all present that this is not just a building, but a place where every girl has the opportunity to grow into the best person she can possibly be.
Wilkinson House is an excellent example of balancing heritage and tradition with progress and sustainability, which is so important to SCEGGS’ ethos. But what makes this building truly fantastic are the people; the people who made this vision possible and the people whose energy, laughter and enjoyment will echo through the corridors for generations to come.
Wilkinson House began life as a block of mid-war flats constructed in 1928 and designed by celebrated Sydney architect Emil Sodersten. The building was purchased in the 1960s by SCEGGS and evolved to serve the School over the years as a much-loved home for our boarders, and at its peak, was home to 100 students. Following the closure of the Boarding House in 2001, the building was adapted for classroom use, however the design and aging infrastructure were a significant constraint to its effective use as a modern learning facility.
Guided by the vision of former Head of School Jenny Allum, the space has been thoughtfully transformed. It now fosters good teaching and learning, offers places for quiet work and reflection, incorporates team-based staffrooms and multi-sized meeting spaces and has increased our sporting facilities with a strength and conditioning gym and an additional sports-focused classroom space. There are other features of the building that are perhaps not so visible; durable, low-maintenance materials, water efficient features that capture rainwater and the roof-top solar panels which all contribute to a more environmentally sound building.
As I mentioned earlier, it was Ms Allum’s vision that ignited the redevelopment of Wilkinson House, but the complexity of this project required the time, commitment, expertise and leadership of the School Board, Building Committee, Smart Design Studio and Grindley Construction to bring it to life. It would not have been possible without the philanthropic drive of the SCEGGS Trust, our Light Her Path Ambassadors and the hundreds of past and current families, staff, Old Girls and the wider community who contributed generously to the fundraising campaign which helped to deliver the project under budget. And we could not have done it without the patience and good humour of our students and staff who managed many different disruptions to their daily routine.
Wilkinson House stands as a physical testament to what SCEGGS can achieve when we all come together and I am deeply grateful to each and every person who played a part.
If you have not had an opportunity to walk through the space yet, we’d love to see you at the ‘open house’ walk through next week – all current parents and carers are welcome, so please see the invitation sent via email on Monday for all the details.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Holly Gyton
Head of School
