Katie Last, Cootamundra, NSW
29 December, 2025
Katie Last shares her family’s rural life near Cootamundra, their boarding school journey, and the growth, resilience and pride she’s seen in her three daughters.
Katie Last shares her family’s rural life near Cootamundra, their boarding school journey, and the growth, resilience and pride she’s seen in her three daughters.
From their farm near Wagga Wagga, Jane Robertson shares an honest reflection on preparing her eldest for boarding school in 2026 and the emotions that come with letting go.
Midway through Term 3, boarding families feel the strain—tired kids, long travel, rising costs and behaviour challenges. Here’s how parents can work with schools, know when to rest a boarder, and keep family bonds strong, while bracing for the sprint
Leading the charge with warmth and determination for ICPA Queensland. In this episode I chat with Wendy Henning from Glenmorgan in the ‘middle of everywhere’ Queensland as Wendy aptly puts it. Wendy is the State President of the Queensland ICPA,
Hello to you all it’s lovely to have you back here at Destination Boarding. We’re popping into your podcast feed with a few BONUS episodes in addition to our weekly drop. They’re short and straight to the heart and I
As a parent sending your child off to boarding school, it can be overwhelming to navigate this transition. Not only do you want your child to thrive in this new environment, but you also want to be the best support
Kate Kennedy, mother and farmer from Trangie, shares her journey running a 3000-ha farm, raising four kids, and navigating rural life with resilience.
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
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
Our mighty patriarch, my husband’s father died peacefully of old age at 94. None the less, it was avery sad and distressing day for all that loved him. This wonderful generous kind and loving manjust suddenly wasn’t around anymore. Our
Let’s chat about something close to my heart – the beautiful friendships that find us when our kids venture into the world of boarding school. It’s a journey filled with good times and lasting connections that I have experienced firsthand.
Here at Boarding Schools Expo Australia, we have first hand experience of the ‘empty nest blues’ and although Term 1 is coming to an end, it’s inevitable that the emotions will rise up again once your children head off for
This is the 2022 revised edition. Compiled from the real-life experiences of families who have gone before.
Have you been at the receiving end of an emotional ‘distance dump’?
I take a look at an interview piece in The New Yorker, that went viral recently.
The emotions that come with being a boarder – and equally, a boarding family – are a bit like learning how to dance the tango….. lots of dips and turns. As a boarder living away from home, you’re thrown in
I imagine that as a parent, it’s with a heavy heart that you worry for your child’s wellbeing, it’s with angst that you wonder if they feel as though they belong and it’s with curiosity that you navigate the adolescent
Dr Justin Coulson, from Happy Families, goes through a series of questions that will help you determine whether or not a boarding school aligns with your family’s values.
Dr Justin Coulson, from Happy Families, discusses the important topic of helping your child transition to boarding school. Key points include: Watch Justin’s video, where he explains each one.
Dr Justin Coulson answers the important question “what are some healthy habits that every student should know about before they start boarding school?”. He touches on sleep, diet, exercise, friendships, and practicing their spirituality when away from home. Watch Justin’s
Connection is critical for healthy relationships with our kids. But how do you maintain a strong relationship with your child when you’re physically apart? Dr Justin Coulson discusses some communication strategies, including: Watch Justin’s video to learn more.
Dr Justin Coulson, from Happy Families, chats about the factors to consider when choosing a boarding school, in addition to friends, philosophy and fun which he mentioned in the last video. Other factors worth considering include: Watch Justin’s video to learn more.
Dr Justin Coulson, from Happy Families, discusses the all-important questions parents ask themselves when considering boarding school for their child—”is boarding school right for my child?” and “is a boarding school right for my child?”. There are many reasons you might consider boarding
During the teen years our children’s friendships become increasingly complicated, volatile and important. Suddenly friends and friendships begin to mean everything to our teens, and when there are problems with those friendships it can feel utterly devastating. Before the age
Connecting with teens can be challenging. The stereotype tells us that our sweet, loving child has turned into an argumentative, rebellious young person. More likely, however, is that your connection has shifted. Your child is more inclined to stare at
It’s normal for children to feel scared, homesick, lonely, or unsure. Here’s how to make the transition to boarding school easier. Every January boarding schools welcome new students into their doors. These students come from different backgrounds, situations and walks
Our teens’ mental health can be impacted by distance from family and loved ones. Here’s what to expect if you are sending your children to boarding school. A surprisingly large number of Australian teens are struggling when it comes to
Starting boarding school, or any new school for that matter, can be a bit of an upheaval for teens. But being armed with information can be reassuring and assuage some of those nerves. The trick… is getting that information. Open
Your teen is getting ready to venture out into the boarding school world. Encouraging independence in your teen will help them be prepared for their new responsibilities. Here’s how to do just that. Research shows that independence, or agency, is one
Boarding school vs day school. When it comes to motivation, engagement and psychological wellbeing, which is the better choice? Boarding schools have been a feature of the educational landscape here in Australia for a long time. But unlike in the
If you’re wondering how to talk to your daughter about body image, you’re not alone. It’s a conversation that has no beginning or end, but continues throughout your daughter’s life.
UPDATE: 25 MarchGood news for those with students at home and working online. Skymuster Plus will have education webpages unmetered and those on standard Skymuster will receive increased data. ICPA NSW sees this as welcome relief for those concerned about data, with
As our kids made the trek back to their boarding houses for the start of the new school year late last month, we knew many of them had home firmly on their minds.
Katie and Shona Donald You know that finding the right education opportunities are a high priority when a family travels well over a thousand kilometres return to spend two days talking with staff of the schools at the 2019 Dubbo
Sibling support when living away from home Brother and sister, Will and Emma Benham are both boarders at The Armidale School (TAS), where they’re enjoying a range of opportunities at the same time as carving out their own interests and
Myfi and Grace Kellahan When nine year-old Grace Kellahan (Year 4) turned up at the 2019 Dubbo Boarding Schools Expo from West Wyalong with her mum, Myfi, she had with her a carefully handwritten list of questions for the schools
Boarding Schools Expo marketing communications specialist, Kim V. Goldsmith is mum to a school leaver. She gives a somewhat light-hearted take on the serious topic of what it takes to get your soon-to-be ex-boarding, school leaver ready to enter the
One of the great things about Boarding Schools Expo is not just the events we host each year that bring boarding schools and families from rural and regional NSW together under the one roof, it’s the resources we gather over
BY RYAN TAYLOR, FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS* Many students upon completion of high school choose to venture off on a “schoolies” trip with friends, a trip abroad, university studies, or immediately land a job and start working. Regardless of
BY RYAN TAYLOR, FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS* The comfort of school will soon be coming to an end for this year’s graduates, with major works and exams around the corner. While school may not seem like the most comforting
Living 50km north of Moree, Jodie and Andrew Crowe had discussed the idea of boarding school before the first of their six children arrived. It was something they felt was right for them but would take some adjustment as each
Fiona and Bill Aveyard from Tullamore have approached the search for boarding schools for their brood of four children with an open mind…and some time on their side. Both went to boarding school, Kinross Wolaroi School and The Scots College,
BY RYAN TAYLOR, FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS* Children learn so much from parents. Unfortunately, managing money is a topic you will also need to teach your children about. However, it can be very easy to put them on the
Stephanie Day from Wagga Wagga is a mother of three children – Harry (finished 2014), Lachie (finished 2016), and Sophie (who will finish this year). In the transition to becoming a boarding parent, she opened her gallery, Paper Pear, clocking
Amanda Ferrari hails from Trangie, on the Central Western Plains of NSW. She’s still starry-eyed over the fact that she managed to snag a farmer, and has been married to Ross for 22 years. They have three children, twins Amy
Continuing from our last blog post on the changing face of contemporary boarding, now we look specifically at the needs of boarders, and the expectations of their parents. In her research into the Australian boarding industry, Ascham School’s Head of
The days of ice-cold showers in open area bathrooms, unidentifiable food, military-style dormitories with regulation bedspreads (hospital corners, please) and white sheets stiff as boards with starch, are long gone in Australian boarding schools. Along with banishing the austere living
Exam stress is something most of us have suffered at some point in our lives, whether we remember our own experiences or are living through those of our children. As Term 1 winds down for a much-needed break after the
Mel and Ado Scolari of Narromine are parents of three children aged between 12 and 19, who have been or are currently at boarding schools in Sydney. They went into the process of choosing schools with a very clear idea
It sounds daunting and expensive, and while that may be so, think of the prospects it offers our children. I was a boarding school child and yes, I was miserable and homesick at times, but there was so much I
There is a high likelihood your teen will be exposed to drugs and alcohol in their high school years. There is a good chance that they will try these. Why? It’s available, they’re risk-takers, they feel alienated, their friends, or
The seriously impressive Megan Dalla-Carmina, a strategist, coach, writer, speaker and researcher, penned a timeless article titled “The truth about becoming more confident”. In her words, building confidence takes babysteps. Like purpose, confidence does not strike us all at once
Teenage years means an appropriation of space – emotional, intellectual and physically – from an adult. Whilst parents of boarders have accepted (but may not have overcome) the physical separation, it is often the emotional and intellectual separation that can
Protecting our children comes naturally as a parent, what doesn’t come as naturally is protecting them online. Knowing about potential risks and how to deal with them is the best protection to managing online risks and consequences. Bullying is a
Some children are more sensitive than others, which can contribute to their feelings of self worth as they struggle to shrug off negative feelings, or painful barbs directed at them. Many people will say they need toughening up. But do
I’m too tall, not smart enough, too quiet, too loud (yep, at the same time), a corporate banker moonlighting as a yoga teacher & wellness coach, and just, well different from my family and friends. For a while there, the
It’s back to school time already and often it’s hard to know what to pack for your child if it’s their first time at boarding school. Often it’s the little things that aren’t listed on the official school packing list,
Entitled and spoiled are two adjectives thrown around a lot about this generation of teenagers and young adults. This often comes from smothering your children with love and kindness, without setting boundaries. We often hear about this when parents think
Do you constantly argue with your teenager? Is he or she defiant or rebellious? One of the mums on our team has a 14-year-old boy who is driving her crazy at the moment. A healthy, intelligent and athletic boy, he
It’s easy to be the boss when your child is five. It’s harder to have that same influence when they’re 15. If you were lucky enough to have been at the Expo in Newcastle last month, I wonder if you
Whether your child is at boarding school or closer to home, it’s all too easy to end up trying to control kids to keep them safe. Dr Justin Coulson suggests there’s a better way…. We all want our children to
It’s very common to see a friend and think, my goodness, I haven’t seen you in so long, how you’ve changed. It’s harder when it’s your own flesh and blood and they are in their teens and they arrive home
How do we make sure our kids at boarding school aren’t spending their lives on the phone when we can’t get off the darn things either? This morning my beloved farming husband got out of bed, had a stretch, asked
Dr Justin Coulson is a positive psychology researcher, author, and speaker. He is the founder of The Real Men Project, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wollongong, and a Senior Associate at the Positive Psychology Institute. Dr Coulson earned
Empty nest syndrome is usually associated with families whose children leave home to gain independence, attend university or get married. But for some parents of boarders, there is a sense of loss when the youngest child goes off to boarding
Before long, parents will be packing up their children to return to boarding school after the winter holidays. So what else goes into their bags to help them settle back in after the winter break? Ugg boots and a warm
When choosing the right school, it’s not like buying clothes – one sizes doesn’t necessarily fit all and you can’t take a few home and return the ones that don’t fit. A parent at one of our exhibiting schools told
We have spoken to lots of parents recently about the issues they consider when choosing a boarding school to meet the needs of their family. While the Boarding Expo team advises parents to start by thinking about all the aspects
One of the mums on our Boarding Schools Expo team is having trouble communicating with her teenage son. She’s fallen into the trap of lecturing and, while she knows he wants to hear less of her voice, that’s not how
Today was National Walk Safely to School Day. This coincided with the release of the Active Healthy Kids Australia report card, which reproted that more than 80% of Aussie kids aren’t getting enough exercise. The broad message of the report
Footy training, music lessons, swim squad, dance rehearsals, maths tutoring, leadership programs… the list goes on. Some children these days seem to have every minute of their day accounted for. But who sets these busy schedules? The child or the
Is your child on social media when they should be asleep? Do you know how much sleep they actually need to perform at their best academically and not to crash the family car? Is he or she going to parties
There’s a school of thought that too much praise is harming our kids. They think they are great singers and should win X Factor or play professional golf without too much effort. A study in the Netherlands suggests that high
When you choose a boarding school for your child, you are putting a lot of trust in the hands of the school and, in particular, the person responsible for boarding. A boarding master or house mistress has a big impact
Introducing our guest blogger: Mrs Judy Duffy, current Head of Boarding for Kambala Girls’ School in Sydney. We know its getting to that tricky time in Term Two, where the newness of everything has worn off and boarders can start
Homesickness affects people in different ways and often at different times. Sometimes it’s fleeting, other times it can hang around for a while. Everyone experiences it at one point or another and it is completely normal. But it can lead
We look at why education is a precious gift and why reading aloud to our children is so important. If any of you happened to read the Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine this week, you might have come across
We take a look at the debate around giving children their own phone/smart phone or tablet. Almost everyone these days has a mobile phone or some type of smart phone or tablet. And inevitably, more and more children are becoming
We’d like to start by wishing you all a safe and very merry Christmas and thank you for all the support this year. We know that for many of you the long hot summer school holidays are looming or have
Bring a Princess is not really a job…. On television today, our kids are bombarded with advertising, product placement and all sorts of mixed messages about body image, gender roles and early introduction to sexual themes in television programmes. Our
The HSC is upon us. Year 12 is a challenging time for kids as it comes at a fairly stressful time for students as they consider what they will be doing when they finish, university, travel, careers, moving into the
We are a big fan of the blog by Generation Next – an online resource aimed at protecting and enhancing the wellbeing of our children and teenagers. We recently published our own article on this topic but thought it would
Watch the UK Channel 4 Promo Video to see a different side of the Paralympics Do you know that the Paralympics are on? Are you watching? Do you encourage your kids to watch it? The Paralympic Games have begun in
In our Boarding Schools Expo blog, we have placed a lot of emphasis and research in our articles on setting a good example and the importance of role models. For many Australians, athletes and sportsmen and women are important role
With 20 million children actively using Facebook, how do we let our children keep up with technology while also protecting them from cyber bullying? A survey last year by Consumer Reports magazine found that more than one-third of Facebook’s child
Internationally, high schools are feeding grounds for social cliques, strategic playground seating arrangements, cyber bullying and mean girl queen bees who torment the nice kids who fall prey to them. For a parent, it is heartbreaking to stand on the
He or she who owns a problem, solves the problem. It’s a simple philosophy and one that Australia’s leading parenting educator, Michael Grose promotes as a guiding principles in his parenting handbook, Thriving! Michael believes that problem-ownership promotes responsibility. It
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