The entertainer was lured to Balclutha, before he became a household name, to take the lead role in the society's 1986 production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
The move paid off for the society, with a sell-out season, and two years ago, Guest returned for a one-off concert in a town where he said he held the fondest memories.
Yesterday, Mr Pearson recalled Guest's time in the town 22 years ago, the lasting friendships he made and the lasting impact he had.
In the weeks leading up to the show, Guest rehearsed with director David Rossiter during the day and met the rest of the cast at nights.
Always the consummate professional, Guest was happy to offer advice to the awe-struck cast members, Mr Pearson said.
But he never came across as "a flashy star".
"He was . . . just a very easy-going, normal kind of bloke."
When he stayed in Balclutha, Guest was hosted by society stalwart, the late Iris Copland, and the pair formeda close relationship over the years.
Mrs Copland was invited to Guest's wedding to former Dunedin performer Judy Barnes and he paid for her to fly to Sydney to watch him on stage in The Phantom of the Opera.
During his Balclutha concert in 2006, Guest left the stage and, in an emotional moment, wandered through the audience to embrace Mrs Copland.
In an interview before that show, he told the Otago Daily Times the friendships he formed there in 1986 seemed as fresh then as they were 20 years earlier.
"I have a real connection with the place. It's great to see familiar faces after all this time."
Emily Burns, the 15-year-old Queenstown soprano who performed with Guest in the resort last November, says she will always remember his support, sense of humour and show business tales.
She performed a duet with Guest when he brought his New Zealand Heartlands Tour to the Queenstown Events Centre.
They sang All I Ask Of You, from The Phantom Of The Opera.
She also sang solo Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, from Phantom, and I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables.
Emily said Guest was great to work with and had reassured her backstage before they performed in front of hundreds of people.
"He told me not to worry and feel excited, not nervous, and that I'll be good.
"He said whenever I get the chance to do something, just go ahead and do it."
