What happens when the principal of a small rural school decides boarding school might be the best option for his own children?
It’s a question that sits at the heart of this week’s episode of Letters from Home.
Following my recent Mamamia interview and the subsequent article I wrote, Are Rural Families Allowed to Choose?, I’ve been overwhelmed by the conversations that have followed. Some have been supportive. Others have challenged the very idea that rural families should look beyond their local school.
But perhaps that’s exactly why this conversation matters.
Because this episode isn’t about public versus private education. It’s not about criticising rural schools.
It’s about acknowledging a reality that many country families quietly live every day.
Brett Wilkie has spent more than two decades educating children in regional Western Australia.
Today he’s the principal of a small rural primary school, where he and his wife have become deeply embedded in the community. They love where they live. Their children love growing up there. Leaving isn’t what they want.
Yet, as parents, they’re facing the same difficult questions confronting thousands of rural families across Australia.
Can we access everything our children need if we stay?
If we leave, what does that mean for our community?
If we choose boarding school, will people think we’re being disloyal?
Throughout our conversation, Brett speaks openly about the emotional weight of those decisions, the financial sacrifices involved and the quiet pressure many families feel to justify choices that are deeply personal.
He also offers an important reminder. That acknowledging rural education faces challenges is not the same as criticising rural educators.
In fact, Brett speaks with enormous admiration for the teachers and principals who work tirelessly under increasingly complex circumstances. He also reflects on broader issues affecting regional communities, including access to therapists, specialist services, staffing shortages and the ongoing struggle to attract and retain experienced teachers.
This conversation won’t tell you what decision to make for your family.
But it may give you permission to make that decision without guilt.
Because every family deserves the freedom to choose the pathway that best suits their child.
If you’d like to read more about the conversation that prompted this episode, you’ll find my article
“Are Rural Families Allowed to Choose?” below, along with the original Mamamia feature.
I hope Brett’s thoughtful perspective encourages us all to approach these conversations with a little more curiosity, a little less judgement, and a shared commitment to ensuring every rural child has access to opportunity – wherever that opportunity may be found.
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