Destination Boarding

Welcome back to Destination Boarding, where we dive into the big conversations that matter to families, students, and boarding school communities. Whether you're a parent—current or prospective—a boarder or ex-boarder, an expat looking to educate your child on home soil, or a boarding school staff member, there's something here for you. Today, we’re sitting down once again with Dr. Lisa Fa...

In this episode, we chat with Nonie Ayling from Wenona, a girls' school in Sydney. Nonie was of our panellists for last year’s Australian Boarding Schools Summit, where we explore the question:  Big or Small… Does Size Really Matter in a Boarding House? Families often ask me whether the size of a boarding cohort makes a difference—what’s best for their child, and what are the benefits or chall...

In this episode of  Destination Boarding , we sit down with Richard Stokes, Executive Director of the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), to explore what it means to be an intentional and purposeful boarding parent. Richard shares his expert insights on how parents can best support their children through the boarding experience, from preparing them for the transition to fostering indep...

In this episode, I sit down with Kate Kennedy, a mother, farmer, and dedicated community member from Trangie in central western NSW. Kate is the proud mum of four—Belle, an early childhood educator; Annie, a paediatric nurse; Charlie, who now helps manage the family’s farming operations; and Ned, currently in his final year at boarding school. After the devastating loss of her husband Al six years...

In this episode, I sit down with Phillip Heath, Head of Barker College, to discuss a key topic from this year’s Australian Boarding Schools Summit— Academics, Country Kids & the Art of Encouragement . We explore how parents and schools can best support boarders as they adjust to a new school environment, often facing a more challenging curriculum and the emotional toll of transition. Barker Co...

In this episode, we're joined by  Dr. Lisa Fahey , a psychologist specialising in trauma recovery and behavioral interventions for young people. As a mother of five former boarders, Dr. Lisa brings both professional expertise and personal experience to the table—making her insights invaluable for families navigating the boarding journey. This chat focuses on how parents can best support their chil...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly, who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to h...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly, who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to h...

In this conversation, Kirsty and Amanda discuss the emotional challenges faced by parents during the transition of their children to boarding school. We explore the grief that accompanies this change, the impact on family dynamics, and the importance of community support.    Through personal anecdotes, we highlight the shared experiences of homesickness and the strategies that can help both parent...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly, who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to h...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly, who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to h...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly, who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to h...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly, who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to h...

Each year we do a summer series for our incoming boarders called ‘Nailing Homesickness’ where I chat with current boarders from across Australia. We know that the schools, and friends will have sage advice for our kids before they head off - everyone really wanting to help alleviate the nerves of our new boarders.    But truly,  who best to speak to than the boarders themselves? Our mission is to...

Hello again, thanks for tuning in to Destination Boarding. Today, I sat down with Angie Nisbet from Married to the Land podcast. Let me tell you, this episode is a ripper. I've just returned from our final boarding schools expo in Mount Isa, where we were overwhelmed with the number of families that came through the door. It's only our second event in Mount Isa and our experience shows us that it...

Thanks for listening to our podcast chat this week. We’re still on our ‘journey’ to Mount Isa - and if that’s not your jam maybe you know someone from Queensland or up around Mount Isa that might be keen to hear our chats with these families and schools? We’d love you to share it if you have a spare minute.    In today’s episode  I’m with Jane Morris who is quite possibly the warmest Dean of Board...

I love my job. I need to tell you that because today’s chat was with someone who clearly loves their job too.  To understand what I do, you need to understand that when families undertake to explore a boarding school education for their child it is, arguably, the most important decision they’ll make on behalf of their children. My job is to ensure they have access to the most authentic, hands on i...

Today’s chat is with the Director of Boarding at Brisbane’s St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, Lesa Fowler. Lesa is a familiar figure in the remote and rural areas of Queensland having overseen the education of so many girls from these regions. She’s been nurturing and encouraging her boarders for 16 years and it’s a position she loves.  St Margaret’s was established as a boarding school back in...

Welcome back to Destination Boarding and our series of conversations where we introduce you to the schools that are heading up to Mount Isa with us, along with a few of the families that call the north west of Queensland and the Territory home. Today I had the loveliest conversation with Tom Floyd from John Paul College in Brisbane. Tom is a veteran of the Australian boarding school landscape havi...

We’re back with another episode of A Road To Mount Isa and today I’m chatting with Head of Boarding at St Peters Lutheran College, Stuart Delaney. I was hit by the fan girl syndrome again with this chat… and if you can’t imagine why I would be fan girling over a conversation with a boarding school then let me throw a few names your way….. Ariana Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan, Jack Cartwright, Shayna...

Hello again. Most of you listening to this series where we introduce you to the amazing schools that are coming with us to Mount Isa will know just how beautiful Toowoomba is - best known as the garden city and only an hour or two from Brisbane. Today we’re chatting with Sharon Currie, Head of Boarding at The Glennie School which is located in the heart of Toowoomba. Sharon and her team lead their...

Welcome back to our series ‘A ROAD TO MOUNT ISA’. This week we are having the most authentic real time chat with Genevieve McDonald. Gen is from Cloncurry in north west Queensland - well about 40 minutes south of Cloncurry on their family cattle station Brightlands. However, I caught up with Gen while she was at mini school at Gregory - about 6 hours north west of her home.  It was a hot day up no...

Today I’m chatting with Simon Murphy, Principal of Blackheath and Thornburgh College in Charters Towers. Charters Towers is around an hour and a half from Townsville in far North Queensland. It’s a sizeable country town with around 12,000 people and there’s a cluster of boarding schools there - quite unique for a country town of that size. Simon mentions there’s three which employ over 550 staff a...

Today we’re chatting with Luke Baills from The Cathedral School in Townsville. Luke is the new Head of School having previously headed up Cathedral’s Junior School for 10 years.     Now it’s no surprise that Luke is looking forward to joining Boarding Schools Expo in Mount Isa. He spent 11 years as a Principal in and around Mount Isa, he actually met Steph his wife there. Steph’s family have a lon...

// Hello again - this week’s pod chat brought me such joy. I’ve been a fan of ‘Miss Chardy’ for years and finally got the chance to sit down with her and get the real story of life on a cattle station in the middle of ‘bum truck nowhere’. For those of you not familiar with Dan’s alter ego ‘Miss Chardy’, she was born out of a need to connect with women everywhere and dispel some of the myths that s...