For more than two decades, Boarding Schools Expo has been part of the fabric of rural, regional and remote Australia. Over 65 events, through droughts, floods, pandemics and everything in between, almost 17,000 children and 7,500 parents have walked through our doors. Each one has come with questions, hopes, worries and dreams about boarding school. And every single time, we’ve been there to welcome them, listen to them, and walk alongside them.
We’ve never seen ourselves as just an event. From the very beginning, our mission has been to open doors. We’ve made sure parents had access to conversation beyond the boundary fence, and we’ve never shied away from the tough topics – homesickness, finances, distance, identity. In fact, we believe the conversations that matter most are often the ones that go unsaid. So we’ve made it our job to put them on the table, to normalise them, and to help families feel empowered in their decision-making.
We’ve been adaptable, too. When face-to-face wasn’t possible, we brought events online, ensuring that no matter where a family lived, they had access to these vital conversations. We launched a podcast to bring voices from across Australia – mums and dads, psychologists, advocates and the kids themselves – into living rooms and kitchen tables. And we built the first-ever podcast dedicated solely to new boarders, so kids heading off to school could hear from peers who had walked that path before them. Those short, honest conversations are literally changing the transition experience for families, helping kids understand that homesickness is normal, that it can be worked through, and that they are not alone
So why, you might ask, would we rebrand when what we’ve been doing is working so well? The answer is simple: every new generation deserves a new chapter.
Our values – authenticity, lived experience, transparency – remain exactly the same. They are steeped in the lived reality of rural families and they will never change. But with every season comes a fresh look, a renewed approach and a commitment to meet families where they are. Today’s parents and kids are accessing information differently, asking new questions, and facing challenges unique to their time. We know that to truly serve them, we need to evolve alongside them.
That’s why this October we will unveil our new name, our new look, our new website, new events and new programs. And with it, we will relaunch our podcast under its new name, Letters from Home. These conversations will go even deeper, supporting bush families with heartfelt stories, practical advice, and the reassurance that they are never on this road alone.
This rebrand is not about leaving behind who we are.
It’s about amplifying it.
It’s about building on 21 years of experience and ensuring that the next 21 are even more impactful. It’s about showing every family – whether they live in western NSW, the Gulf country of Queensland, the wheatbelt of WA, or as expats overseas – that they are seen, heard and supported. That the possibility of a good education is theirs.
We know that face-to-face will always be the best, and we will never stop creating those opportunities. But we also know that for families who cannot be at every event, our digital home must be fit for purpose – packed with live Q&As, expert voices, parent stories and real talk about the matters that matter. That’s what this rebrand is about: equipping every family, no matter their postcode, with clarity, confidence and community.
Most significantly, this change sets us up to do more than ever before. Next month in Quilpie, as we support national charity Motherland, we’ll be making a very special announcement—one that holds enormous promise for the future of bush kids everywhere.
This is not the end of a story. It’s the next chapter in a journey that has always been about families, about the bush, and about the boundless potential of our kids.
Onwards and upwards. What a ride it has been – and what a future we’re charging into, wholeheartedly, together. We can’t wait to meet you there.
