What happens when boarding school isn't simply about accessing a broader education, but about opening opportunities for a child that may be difficult to access at home?

In this episode of Letters from Home, Amanda talks with Heidi Shoecraft, who came to Australia from Denmark as a 19-year-old agricultural exchange student and built a life with her husband Derek and their three children near Theodore in Central Queensland.

Heidi shares the family's introduction to boarding school and the very different questions they faced when considering boarding for their daughter Maia, who has mild cerebral palsy affecting the left side of her body.

They talk about preparing a child with a physical disability for boarding, asking schools the right questions, trusting boarding staff, friendships, independence and knowing when your child is genuinely ready.

But this is also a conversation about opportunity.

Boarding school has given Maia access to regular athletics training and specialist coaching as she pursues her love of discus and an extraordinary dream...one day competing at the Paralympics.

Heidi also shares how Maia inspired her own seven-year journey back to university to become an exercise physiologist, and why access to allied health professionals remains such an important issue for rural families.

Mentioned in this episode

The Boarding School Collective – find information about boarding schools, resources for families and register for our upcoming Boarding Schools Expo Popups in Charleville, 18–19 October, and Mount Isa, 30 November.

For lots of practical tips around children, development and everyday life, Amanda also recommends following her daughter Annabel, an occupational therapist, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theotcollective_tamworth/ @theotcollective_tamworth

And don't forget to follow or subscribe to Letters from Home wherever you listen to your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

In this episode of Letters from Home, Amanda sits down with Jess Redfern, founder of SAVVI the Label, entrepreneur, mum of three little ones and former boarder, for a warm and wonderfully colourful conversation about opportunity, independence, motherhood and backing yourself.

Jess shares the remarkable story of deciding in Year 8 that she wanted to go to boarding school, sitting her parents down at the dining room table with the paperwork she'd printed and an interview she'd already organised.

It wasn't a pathway her family had previously considered and it required real sacrifice. But boarding school gave Jess something she now recognises as pivotal. It allowed her to step outside the identity she'd grown up with and discover who she was on her own terms.

Jess talks about the networks and experiences boarding opened up, the independence of living away from home and the confidence that followed her into adult life. We also explore why, despite living in Wellington with secondary options nearby, she and husband Jack are considering boarding for their own children, not because it's simply what Jess did, but because of the broader opportunities and perspectives it can offer.

We follow Jess's wonderfully varied entrepreneurial journey through fitness, wellness, disability services and now SAVVI the Label, before discovering the heart behind SAVVI the Foundation and its grants supporting women to take their own next bold step.

And with three children under three, Jess also shares what she hopes her daughter learns from watching her build a business alongside motherhood, and what she hopes her boys learn about the strength and capability of women.

Find Jess and SAVVI

Follow @savvithelabel on Instagram.

Discover the work of @savvithefoundation.

Coming up with The Boarding School Collective

We're heading to Charleville on 18–19 October for our first Boarding Schools Expo Popup in the region, followed by Mount Isa on 30 November.

Meet boarding schools face-to-face, ask the questions that matter to your family and discover the opportunities available to your children.

Register free via The Boarding School Collective.

What does boarding school really look like when home is a station north of Alice Springs and school is in Toowoomba?

In this episode of Letters from Home, Amanda talks with Sally Muenster, a qualified teacher, mother of four and, with husband Dan, owner and manager of Yambah Station.

After fourteen years on a property north of Bourke, Sally and Dan followed a long-held dream and moved their family to the Northern Territory. But their eldest son was already settled at boarding school in Toowoomba, and their next child was preparing to join him.

Rather than allow distance to undo a schooling decision that was working for their family, they found a way to make it work.

Amanda and Sally talk about:

• Life and education on a station and the Alice Springs School of the Air community
• Why Sally chooses to be in the schoolroom during each child's final year before boarding
• Moving thousands of kilometres further away after choosing a boarding school
• The flights, driving and logistics involved in getting three children to school in Toowoomba
• Why boarding provides opportunities that simply aren't available in the schoolroom at home
• The emotional reality of leaving your children on the other side of Australia
• Sally's mid-term visit “non-negotiable”
• Recognising when a boarding child is beginning to disconnect from home
• The boarding parent community and families supporting one another
• The unexpected joy for parents of getting off the station and becoming part of another community
• Why schools need to understand the difference between country and genuinely remote boarders
• The independence and responsibility of station children versus the restrictions of boarding life
• Why access to boarding school can enable rural and remote families to remain living and working where they are
• What it could mean for rural and remote communities if boarding school became inaccessible to families

A warm, practical and deeply relatable conversation about separation, opportunity, connection and why sometimes sending children away is what makes it possible for a family to stay.

How does a city girl from inner Melbourne become a farmer's wife in Central West NSW?

In this episode of Letters From Home, Amanda Ferrari sits down with Georgie Cavanagh, co-founder of luxury Australian linen brand Carlotta & Gee, to explore the unexpected journey that began with what was meant to be, one year at boarding school.

Together they discuss:

• Georgie's Year 9 boarding experience as a city student.
• The friendships that introduced her to rural Australia.
• How boarding school fostered independence and adaptability.
• Building Carlotta & Gee from a handful of pre-orders into a luxury international brand.
• Why she's now embracing rural life and raising her own family on a farm.
• Her thoughts on one day sending her own children to boarding school.

This is a conversation about courage, curiosity and how life's biggest turning points are often the ones we never see coming.

Learn more about Carlotta & Gee

• Carlotta & Gee

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another family navigating their own boarding school journey.

What happens when a six-month adventure turns into a lifetime?

In this episode, Amanda sits down with Prue Ritchie, General Manager of Bourke's Preschool and Long Day Care Centre, Barwon Woman of the Year and mother of three boarding school students.

Prue shares the remarkable story of arriving in Bourke as a teenage governess, falling in love with both the community and the man she would marry, and building a life dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families living in remote Australia.

Together they discuss:

• Growing up in Sydney before discovering a love of remote Australia.
• Choosing to raise children in Bourke despite the sacrifices that come with distance.
• Preparing children for boarding school.
• Parenting children with ADHD and learning differences.
• Why early intervention can change a child's future.
• Selecting a boarding school based on pastoral care and wellbeing.
• Navigating the emotional Year 12 "lasts."
• What Australia could do differently to improve opportunities for rural and remote children.

This is a conversation about belonging, resilience, community and choosing a life you never expected—but would never change.

What happens when you take a sport traditionally associated with city rivers, school boat sheds and fiercely competitive regattas - and put it in the middle of the Australian outback?

You get something that is about far more than rowing.

In this episode of Letters from Home, Amanda speaks with farmer, former Brisbane Grammar boarder and President of Outback Rowing Australia, David Counsell.

David shares how rowing first captured him during his final year at Brisbane Grammar, how the Vikings Rowing Club helped spark the idea of taking boats west, and how a recreational lake at Barcaldine became part of an ambitious movement to make rowing accessible across rural and remote Australia.

They talk about the extraordinary benefits of rowing for physical and mental wellbeing, the friendships and sense of belonging that grow around a crew, and why rowing doesn't have to end when a country child leaves boarding school and comes home.

David also puts out a challenge to boarding families: if you love rowing, bring your kids and their mates west during the school holidays and become part of the Australian Outback Rowing Regatta. And if your own country town has a suitable stretch of water, perhaps your community could be next.

The 2026 Australian Outback Rowing Regatta and Convoy runs from 30 September to 5 October, combining the journey through regional Queensland with racing at Barcaldine and Longreach. Outback Rowing describes its mission as improving health, wellbeing and social connection in rural and remote communities by making rowing accessible, inclusive and community driven.

LINKS

Outback Rowing Australia — website, events and getting involved

Churchie — Anglican Church Grammar School

Brisbane Grammar School

To find your nearest Outback Rowing community - or to put your hand up to help establish one - Outback Rowing also welcomes enquiries from first-time rowers, returning rowers, schools and supporters.

Kaitie Nash – The Life She Never Planned

Most people know Kaitie Nash as ‘First Time Farmer’ - the funny, warm and wonderfully unfiltered woman sharing the realities of learning to farm alongside her husband Will. But farming wasn't part of Kaitie's original plan. A one-way ticket from Perth to Darwin was supposed to be a three-month adventure. Instead, shemet Will, stayed for eleven years and eventually found herself moving with two small children to his family's farm in NSW - right in the middle of drought.

In this episode of Letters from Home, Kaitie and Amanda talk about finding your place in a rural community, raising country kids and learning to appreciate the little things.

They also explore a new chapter for Kaitie's family: boarding school.As a mum who never boarded herself, Kaitie shares openly about her early reservations, why Sydney initially felt simply too far away, and how attending a Boarding School Collective Expo changed her perspective completely.She also talks about returning to an Expo with her eldest son and allowing him to begin exploringschools for himself - footy merch’ and all.

Kaitie and Amanda discuss:

* Kaitie's life before farming and meeting Will in Darwin

* Moving to the family farm during drought

* Finding friendship and belonging in a new rural community

* Why she created ‘First Time Farmer’

* Raising two boys in the country

* The impact of distance on opportunities for rural children

* Beginning the boarding school research journey

* Why meeting schools face-to-face changed her thinking

* Giving children a voice in choosing their school

* Her experience following her diagnosis with FND

* The values she hopes her boys carry into adulthood

Find Kaitie online

Visit her online The First Time Farmer https://thefirsttimefarmer.com.au/

Follow Kaitie on Instagram: @kaitie_nash

Australian Rural & Remote Boarding School Family Survey

If you're considering boarding school, currently have children boarding, or have already

completed the journey, we'd love to hear from you.

The survey is designed to capture the real experiences of rural, regional and remote families -

from researching schools and preparing children for boarding through to the challenges,

opportunities and unexpected positives along the way.

Coming up with The Boarding School Collective

Our final two events for 2026 are the Charleville Pop-up on 18–19 October and Mount Isa Pop-up

on 30 November.

Explore upcoming events and real

What happens when a young woman from the Gold Coast discovers her purpose in the heart of rural Australia?

In this episode of Letters from Home, Amanda Ferrari sits down with teacher, ICPA advocate and researcher Hannah Calcino, whose journey from city life to Winton has been shaped by one unwavering belief - that every child deserves equitable access to education, regardless of where they live.

Together they discuss:

• Growing up on the Gold Coast before unexpectedly falling in love with rural Australia.
• Life as a governess and the lifelong relationships formed with one remote family.
• Supporting rural students through the transition to boarding school.
• Hannah's Masters research into the social and emotional experiences of rural boarders.
• Why belonging is one of the strongest predictors of a successful boarding transition.
• The extraordinary commitment of rural teachers and communities.
• The volunteer advocacy of ICPA Australia and why it continues to make such a difference for geographically isolated families.

Useful Links

• Queensland ICPA: https://qld.icpa.com.au/

• The Boarding School Collective Mount Isa Expo: https://boardingschoolco.com.au/events/

• The Boarding School Collective: https://boardingschoolco.com.au/

Kate Brow only spent one year boarding at school, but the lessons she learned during that experience continue to influence her life today.

In this episode of Letters from Home, Kate shares how a unique boarding-style year helped build confidence, resilience and lifelong friendships before leading her on an unexpected journey from Geelong to life on a family farm in the Snowy Mountains.

Kate also speaks candidly about the challenges she faced as a new mother in rural Australia, her involvement with the Gidget Foundation, and how finding connection through Motherland Village ultimately led her to become the program's manager.

This is a conversation about belonging, friendship, motherhood, mental health and the power of community.

In This Episode

• A unique Year 9 boarding experience that changed Kate's perspective
• Building resilience through challenge
• The friendships that endure long after school
• Falling in love with life on the land
• Motherhood and isolation in rural Australia
• The Gidget Foundation and supporting maternal mental health
• How Motherland Village is connecting rural mothers across Australia
• Why connection matters more than ever

Links

Motherland Australia: Motherland Australia

Motherland Village Program: Motherland Village

Kate Brow Instagram: @k8brow

The Gidget Foundation: Gidget Foundation Australia

Can a rural school principal believe deeply in country education while also choosing boarding school for his own children?

This week, Amanda sits down with Brett Wilkie, principal of a small rural primary school in Western Australia, to explore one of the most complex conversations facing rural Australia.

As both an educator and a parent, Brett shares the emotional reality of weighing up educational opportunities, community commitment and family sacrifice. Together they discuss teacher shortages, access to specialist services, the pressure many families feel to justify their choices and why boarding school should never be viewed as disloyalty to a rural community.

This is not a conversation about public versus private education.

It's a conversation about access, equity and the freedom for every family to choose the pathway that's right for their child.

In this episode

• Why two passionate rural educators are considering boarding school for their own children.

• The emotional burden of choosing differently in a small community.

• Teacher shortages and the realities facing regional schools.

• Why access—not loyalty—is at the heart of many educational decisions.

• How boarding school can help families remain living and contributing to rural Australia.

Further Reading

Read Amanda's article:

Are Rural Families Allowed to Choose? - The Boarding School Collective

(The original Mamamia article that sparked this conversation is linked at the end of Amanda's article.)

Connect

Follow The Boarding School Collective for resources, events and conversations supporting rural, regional and remote families considering boarding school.