In this two part episode of Letters from Home, we’re joined by Tannas Godfrey, whose story is one of quiet determination and incredible adaptability.

Tannas grew up on North Stradbroke Island, where life revolved around the surf club, small-town friendships and salt-sprayed independence. But when school on the island finished at Year 8, her parents made a brave decision that would change everything — boarding school. What began as a practical solution to a long barge commute turned into the first step of a remarkable journey.

From Ipswich Girls’ Grammar to a career in the Australian Army — serving in logistics, deployment operations and even United Nations work — Tannas’ path took her far beyond the surf breaks of Straddie. Yet, like so many of us, love drew her back to the bush. She swapped military bases for life on a remote property near Cunnamulla, then further west again into the Northern Territory.

Now a mother and former School of the Air teacher, Tannas shares her lived experience of raising children in isolation, choosing boarding school, and the emotional mix of pride and ache that comes with it. Her reflections on transition, confidence, and finding the right school fit are full of wisdom for any family standing on that edge of change.

This is a story about resilience, belonging, and the power of saying yes to the unknown.
Enjoy my conversation with Tannas Godfrey.

In this two part episode of Letters from Home, we’re joined by Tannas Godfrey, whose story is one of quiet determination and incredible adaptability.

Tannas grew up on North Stradbroke Island, where life revolved around the surf club, small-town friendships and salt-sprayed independence. But when school on the island finished at Year 8, her parents made a brave decision that would change everything — boarding school. What began as a practical solution to a long barge commute turned into the first step of a remarkable journey.

From Ipswich Girls’ Grammar to a career in the Australian Army — serving in logistics, deployment operations and even United Nations work — Tannas’ path took her far beyond the surf breaks of Straddie. Yet, like so many of us, love drew her back to the bush. She swapped military bases for life on a remote property near Cunnamulla, then further west again into the Northern Territory.

Now a mother and former School of the Air teacher, Tannas shares her lived experience of raising children in isolation, choosing boarding school, and the emotional mix of pride and ache that comes with it. Her reflections on transition, confidence, and finding the right school fit are full of wisdom for any family standing on that edge of change.

This is a story about resilience, belonging, and the power of saying yes to the unknown.

Enjoy my conversation with Tannas Godfrey.

Some families spend generations in one postcode. Paddocks and fence lines become the story of a life. Today’s guest, Kate B*, has lived a very different rhythm - one defined by movement. As a Defence Force wife, Kate has packed up her family nine times in just over twenty years, moving interstate and overseas, sometimes with months to plan… and sometimes with only six weeks’ notice, like the posting to Singapore when she was 30 weeks pregnant. Canberra. Sydney. Back again. New houses, new schools, new doctors, new everything - again and again.

If you’re listening from the bush, where we often don’t move at all, this is a window into another world - and a reminder that the ache for belonging lives in all of us, whether we stay or go.

What struck me most about Kate is her quiet courage. She’ll tell you she’s an introvert, yet every move required her to become the family’s front-runner for connection: standing at the school gate to chat, volunteering in classrooms, arranging those early playdates, phoning other parents she’d never met and saying, “Let’s grab dinner so our girls can feel at home.” She built village after village so her kids didn’t have to do it alone.

And then there’s the way she makes “home” travel with them: the same furniture, the same candle scent lit on day one, the same beloved plants that the kids ask for when the boxes arrive. For Kate’s family, home isn’t a street; it’s the people and the rituals that move with you.

When the constant relocating began to pinch most sharply - especially for high school - Kate and her husband offered their daughter something different: boarding. Not because home didn’t hold, but because friendships and learning needed a steady place to land. Their daughter chose it, after a try-out night in the boarding house and plenty of honest conversation. And while the first goodbye stung, what followed surprised Kate: deeper daily connection. Morning check-ins, an afternoon debrief, and then a sacred daily phone call, uninterrupted minutes that many families living under one roof never get.

You’ll hear the nuance in Kate’s story: one child naturally resilient, another still building those muscles; a mother who’s had to put herself out there even when it felt unnatural; the professional sacrifices of moving every couple of years; and the unexpected gifts - confidence, cultural horizons, friendships forged in unlikely places. You’ll hear practical wisdom too: that there’s nearly always a way to get involved, even from far away - zooming into P&F meetings, turning up to the annual parent dinner, finding guardians you trust.

This conversation is for anyone weighing big decisions about their child’s schooling and sense of belonging - especially our rural and remote mums who don’t move much at all but who know, deeply, what distance feels like. Kate reminds us that stability isn’t always about a fixed address; sometimes it’s the steady love and the brave phone call that make all the difference.

*full name withheld 

In the second half of our conversation with Kimberley Wilson from Rutchillo Station near Julia Creek, we pick up where we left off - talking about her daughter Cadence, a bush kid turned medical student whose journey began in a tiny schoolroom on the family’s outback station.

After almost two decades as a home educator, Kimberley has seen education evolve across the airwaves and through the seasons. In this episode, she shares how that dedication - and her own teaching background - helped shape Cadence’s path from the station classroom to Fairholme College in Toowoomba, and now to studying medicine at James Cook University.

We also talk about the realities of remote life: farewelling children for boarding school, the challenges of distance, and the quiet strength it takes to keep children on track from hundreds of kilometres away. Kimberley opens up about her ongoing advocacy with the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association and her hopes for fair, accessible education for every rural and remote child.

It’s a heartfelt continuation of a story about family, endurance and the opportunities that grow from even the most isolated corners of Australia.

Read:

It’s The Ultimate Collaboration: Rural Boarders x Agricultural Advocacy

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. If, like Kimberley, you’re a family based in remote north-west Queensland then keep an eye on our Mount Isa Boarding Schools Expo page - we’ll be back up there in November next year and schools are registering to join us. 

In this two part episode of Letters from Home, we travel to Rutchillo Station near Julia Creek to meet Kimberley Wilson - a woman of the outback whose story will both humble and inspire you.

Kimberley has spent nearly two decades teaching her children through School of the Air, balancing lessons with station life and community commitments. In this heartfelt two-part conversation, she opens up about the joys and challenges of being both mum and teacher in one of the most remote parts of Queensland - and the heartbreak of losing her daughter Peyton just before she was due to begin boarding school.

We talk about the resilience that shaped her family, her deep involvement with ICPA Queensland, and her hopes for true educational equity for remote children. Kimberley also shares the remarkable story of her daughter Cadence, who studied at Fairholme College in Toowoomba and is now pursuing medicine at James Cook University, driven by a passion for rural health.

It’s a story about love, loss, education, and advocacy - and a reminder that the future of rural Australia often begins in a tiny schoolroom on a far-flung station.

For families who’d like to meet schools face-to-face, visit our Mount Isa Expo Directory and register to attend. Schools are still registering for this event at the end of 2026.  Our events are a place where connection and opportunity come together for regional and remote families.

Today I’m with Richard Stokes. Richard is the CEO of the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA).

ABSA, as the leading authority in Australia on boarding for school-aged children, promotes the interests and well-being of boarders, boarding staff, boarding parents and boarding institutions in Australia. It is an organisation that fosters collegiality and professionalism at a regional and federal level and across many parts of the world. ABSA continues to advance the profile of boarding and best practice in boarding and facilitates communication on boarding matters between schools, hostels, educational bodies and governments both in Australia and overseas.  

Now that’s the brochure spiel… Richard brings decades of boarding school experience to his role. In fact without him ABSA wouldn’t exist as it does today and serve to educate thousands of boarding staff each year. 

4000 boarding staff across Australia with a turnover rate of 25% ensures that Richard is never going to be able to retire! Did you know that ABSA offers Certificate level training right through to Masters of Residential Education and boarding school staff can pursue a career wholey and soley devoted to managing boarding houses within a school. 
It begins with Base Level 1 Duty of Care training and goes on to Active Duty, in between there’s a vast array of Certificates staff can undertake, leading to a Masters and then there’s the Emerging Boarder Leaders program. Staff do not have to be teachers to have a career in boarding. In fact Richard tells me 60% of staff in boarding houses across Australia are not teachers. 
Anyway this is the core practice of ABSA, to train the people that look after our kids when they’re living away from home. I don’t know about you, but that really inspires me and how good is it to know that our boarding house staff aren’t just going through the motions. There’s a clear path to career progression and as you’ll hear from Richard, a definite enthusiasm for what they do.

Follow our podcast today.

Thank you to Courtney Dunn for editing this episode.

Enjoy this conversation with Richard Stokes.

Boarding Schools Expo Australia

ABSA

Here we are another episode of Destination Boarding - The Podcast, and this one is part of our Summit Series where we expand on the panel discussions we had for our Australian Boarding Schools Summit.

One of those topics was 'Big or Small, does size really matter when it comes to boarding cohorts?'

We speak to families often about this very topic, and there’s obviously pro’s and con’s for both. Ultimately, it comes down to you and your child. Understanding what’s best for their personality.

In this episode, we’re speaking with Director of Boarding at Assumption College, Danniella Yarman-Lalda about their boarding community. Assumption is a large school with a small boarding cohort and you’ll hear in this chat the opportunities that affords the students that are part of that boarding family.

I have a confession to make here. This is one of the first recordings I’ve done on a new platform and I got a bit cocky thinking I didn’t have to sit in my studio to record anymore…. Well my very noisy doggy thought this was too exciting and managed to yap her way through most of it. It was distracting for me, and I lost my train of thought a couple of times,  but I also didn’t want to stop and lose the valuable points that  Danniella was making.  Sometimes when you do that it’s just not the same the second time round.

This is a great conversation to listen to if you are wondering how smaller boarding schools ensure that their boarders are not lost in the throng of day students and it absolutely highlights the benefits of smaller boarding houses for those that are wondering.

Thank you to Courtney Dunn Productions for editing this episode.

Boarding Schools Expo

Assumption College

Today’s episode is a particularly special one. We’re speaking with Sally Sweeney, CEO of Dolly’s Dream, an organisation that holds deep significance for so many rural and remote families across Australia. Founded in memory of Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett, who tragically took her own life at just 14 years old following relentless bullying and cyberbullying, Dolly’s Dream has become a national movement advocating for kindness, safety, and mental wellbeing—particularly in rural communities.

This episode isn’t just about raising awareness—it’s about connection. Sally and I talk about what makes Dolly’s Dream such a unique and impactful voice in the mental health space, especially for families living remotely and for young people transitioning to life at boarding school or working on isolated stations. Sally shares the heart and drive behind their programs, including their tailored workshops for schools, workplaces like AA Co stations, and their upcoming program specifically designed to support young people transitioning from remote education into secondary boarding life.

We also explore the important—and sometimes confronting—conversations about bullying. How do we spot it? How do we talk about it, both with our kids and with the adults around them? How do we educate not just the victims of bullying, but the bullies themselves—many of whom don’t even realise the harm they’re causing?

As a mum who’s walked the boarding school journey myself, these conversations strike right to the core of what we’re trying to do with this podcast: create a space where parents feel heard, seen, and supported. Parenting from afar comes with its own challenges—ones that don’t always get talked about. But together with organisations like Dolly’s Dream, we can start changing that.

Whether you’re a parent, a boarding staff member, or someone passionate about the wellbeing of young Australians, this episode will give you insight, empathy, and maybe even a few tools to better support the young people in your life. And for those of you heading to the Boarding Schools Expo in Emerald, you’ll have the chance to meet the Dolly’s Dream team and hear even more about their incredible new transition program.

Thank you to Courtney Dunn for editing this episode.

Boarding Schools Expo

Dolly's Dream

Welcome back and thanks for putting us in your ears. The best thing you can do for our little podcast is follow it and share it with your friends. Some episodes may be of particular interest to you or someone you know and we’d love it if you helped more families to know the story of Australian boarding schools.

This week I’m chatting with Rebecca Ryan from Gunnedah. You might remember Rebecca from our recent Australian Boarding Schools Summit, where she was part of our panel unpacking the age-old question: does size really matter when it comes to choosing a boarding school?

It’s a topic that can stir plenty of discussion — especially when schools change the size of their boarding cohort. But as you’ll hear, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Rebecca beautifully explains how it all comes back to knowing what matters most to your family and your child.

Rebecca shares how faith, family, and familiarity guided her family’s decision-making process, ultimately leading her daughter Olivia to Loreto Normanhurst — where she’s not only thriving but discovering her passions.

There’s a lot to love in this episode, especially the way Rebecca speaks about the connection between city and country, and how the right school can feel like home, no matter its size.

Thank you to Courtney Dunn for editing this podcast episode.

Loreto Normanhurst

Welcome back to another week of Destination Boarding, where we continue to deep dive into the big conversations around our Australian Boarding Schools Summit topics.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Allysia Heness-Pugh, Director of Boarding at Ascham School. For almost 140 years, Ascham has offered an outstanding education for girls, with boarding sitting firmly at the heart of that legacy—ensuring rural and remote students have access to an exceptional secondary education.

Ascham is well known for its academic program, delivered through the unique Dalton Plan. But something you may not know is the strength of their scholarship and bursary program. The school actively supports a diverse range of applicants, helping to ensure affordability and access to high-quality education for all.

Allysia is a career boarding professional, having held leadership roles at some of Australia’s top schools. In this conversation, she speaks with real warmth about the value of diversity in the boarding house and the ripple effect of Ascham’s wellness program across the school community.

There’s a lot to take away from this authentic and open chat—including insight into how Ascham approaches financial support and why it remains such an important part of their offering.

Scholarships and bursaries are also key topics in our 2024 Australian Boarding Schools Summit. Stream the Summit online anytime via our Boarding Expo 365 platform—we’re exploring the impact and real value these opportunities bring to both families and schools alike.

Enjoy this episode with Allysia Heness-Pugh.

Thank you to Courtney Dunn for editing this podcast episode.

Ascham: https://boardingexpo.com.au/schools/ascham-school/

Boarding Schools Expo https://boardingexpo.com.au