After nearly 40 years at John McGlashan College, the principal has retired, and board of trustees chairman Geoff Burns said he would not like seeing such a fuss being made over his departure.
"He shied away from the limelight.
"His whole ethos for a John McGlashan student was to be the best person they could be, but that didn't mean standing on the roof top shouting it out.
"He would be quietly working in the background, encouraging others to be the best that they could be.
"He wasn't a big PR man, he certainly wasn't into marketing."
Not surprisingly, he declined to be interviewed for this story.
The Dunedin-born 66-year-old had been at the school since 1986, firstly as a teacher, before moving on to become head of several departments and boarding hostel manager.
He then became assistant principal (1997-2001), deputy principal (2001-13), and then principal for the past 11 years.
At the time of his appointment, he told the Otago Daily Times he was looking forward to the new role, continuing the high standard of education, and doing the best he could for every boy at the school.
Mr Burns said Mr Garry left at the end of last year, having had a positive effect on "literally thousands" of students going through John McGlashan.
"In the school’s recent history over the last few decades, if you say John McGlashan, Neil Garry is always in the same sentence — they're almost one and the same.
"It's an absolute end of an era."
Mr Burns said he had been involved with many projects at the college during his tenure, but a significant one was the acquisition of the Te Anau Downs second campus.
"That's something that has taken many years of really firm focus and commitment, to be able to get the school into a position where it's been able to purchase that.
"It's a place where John McGlashan will have various outdoor education camps, and we make it available to other schools as well."
He said many of the staff and families who had had a long association with the school, were "genuinely sad" to see Mr Garry depart.
The board called for applications for the principal’s role this week, and said they were looking for a "really inspirational, visionary person" who was an experienced education leader, to join the team.
Applications would close at the end of April and Mr Garry’s replacement would be named soon after, he said.
