Helpful Articles, Stories and Resources

Haylie Hill shares the challenges of making education affordable for her family, from living apart and leaving her community to the opportunities that made it worthwhile, and how financial support could have kept them together in Camooweal.

When her son started boarding school, Willa Arantz faced brain cancer, her father’s death and losing the family home. With warmth, humour and fierce determination, she shares her treatment journey, the support that helped her family and healing through art.

Raising eight children on a remote sheep station, Sarah Harris juggles boarding school, School of the Air, toddlers and station life. She reflects on the challenges of motherhood, the importance of sport and watching her daughters thrive away from home.

Laura Wilson loved boarding school, but sending her own children is more emotional. Mum of six, nurse and Quilpie transport business partner, she joins Amanda for a warm, funny chat about country childhoods, family life and opportunities for our kids.

Jackson Dowling’s journey from Port Macquarie teenager to Flight Nurse with the Royal Flying Doctor Service began with a boarding school scholarship. His story reveals how opportunity, mentorship and perseverance transformed his relationship with education and changed the course of his life.

For Heidi Shoecraft, sending daughter Maia to boarding school meant trusting others to support her cerebral palsy. What they discovered was that boarding offered Maia independence, friendship, specialist opportunities and the chance to pursue her dream of competing at the Paralympics.

Boarding school didn’t give Jess Redfern her ambition, but it gave her the confidence and freedom to discover where it might take her. From a determined Year 8 boarder to entrepreneur, mum and founder of SAVVI, Jess shares how leaving home helped her become herself.

From Yambah Station to boarding school in Toowoomba, Sally Muenster shares the heartbreak of saying goodbye to her children, the importance of staying connected across thousands of kilometres, and the unexpected community boarding brings. It’s a story about keeping rural families connected to the places they love.

Georgie Cavanagh grew up in inner Melbourne, never imagining she’d one day marry a farmer, raise children in the bush and run a global luxury brand from rural Australia. Hear how boarding school planted the first seeds of that remarkable journey.

Fresh out of school, Prue Ritchie arrived in Bourke expecting to stay six months. Instead, she found a family, community and purpose, becoming a passionate advocate for rural education and children.

What began with a few boats and a belief that rowing shouldn’t belong only to cities and schools is becoming a movement across rural Australia.

Kaitie Nash, known online as ‘First Time Farmer,’ shares her journey from Perth to farm life in NSW, navigating drought, motherhood and now boarding school decisions — approaching each challenge, and her son’s voice, with honesty and humour.

Teacher, ICPA advocate and researcher Hannah Calcino moved from city life to Winton, driven by a belief that every child deserves equitable access to education. Her story explores purpose, place and rural education.

When Kate Brow spent a year boarding in the mountains, she had no idea it would shape her resilience for life. Now a farmer’s wife and mother, she’s helping rural women find connection through Motherland Village.