Tag: Podcast Highlight

Peter Debus is the Managing Director of PrincipleFocus, a financial management and advisory business based in Dubbo NSW with branches in Sydney and Warren and servicing clients all over Australia. Initially I wanted to talk to Pete about the decision he and his wife Virginia made to send their three children to boarding school from a regional centre with a plethora of educational offerings, and some of his responses really speak to an invisible pressure for some families certainly when they feel obligated to repeat the opportunities that were offered to them by their own parents. We also discussed the financial implications of choosing boarding school – of course we did, Pete’s an accountant ! We discussed the various conversations you can have with schools and their offerings. Wow this was a brilliant eye opening discussion – and Pete’s an engaging sort of guy. Full of stories – relatable stories. Discussions around visions for your children, cultural diversity, a place to call home, boarding school communities, options for financial management through the boarding schools years. I’m thrilled that he will also be a panelist for our Australian Boarding Schools Summit on 13th October – an online event that you can

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 insights invaluable for families navigating the board.

Welcome back to another episode of Destination Boarding! This one is part of our special Summit Series, where we delve deeper into the topics from our Australian Boarding Schools Summit. One of the big questions we tackled was: “Big or Small — does size really matter when it comes to boarding cohorts?” It’s something we hear about often from families, and the truth is, there are pros and cons on both sides. It really depends on your child and what kind of environment will best support their personality and growth. Today, I’m joined by Danniella Yarman-Lalda, Director of Boarding at Assumption College in Victoria. Assumption is a large school with a relatively small boarding cohort, and Danniella shares how that setup can be a real advantage — fostering close-knit connections while still giving boarders access to all the opportunities a large school offers. Now, full disclosure — this was one of my first recordings using a new platform, and I made the rookie mistake of thinking I could step out of the studio… My very enthusiastic dog Winnie decided this was all a bit too exciting and barked her way through a fair bit of the conversation. So if you

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. Dolly’s Dream has become a national movement advocating for kindness, safety, and mental wellbeing—particularly in rural communities.

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

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

Welcome back to Destination Boarding, where we dive into the big conversations that matter to families, students, and boarding school communities. Whether you’re a parent—current or prospective—a boarder or ex-boarder, an expat looking to educate your child on home soil, or a boarding school staff member, there’s something here for you. Today, we’re sitting down once again with Dr. Lisa Fahey OAM. We’ve invited Dr. Lisa to be a regular contributor to the podcast, and after hearing her insights, you’ll understand why. Her advice for families is invaluable. As a specialist in trauma recovery for young people, Dr. Lisa provides behavioural interventions to support families and children. Her entire career has been dedicated to working with teenagers, and as a mother of five former boarders, she brings both professional expertise and personal experience to the table. In this episode, we’re tackling the growing concerns around screen time—whether it’s smartphones, computers, or tablets—and the impact it has on teenagers. Research now shows that more than two hours of daily screen time can noticeably affect a young child’s intellect. Here’s a myth-buster: a toddler’s ability to navigate a touchscreen has no correlation to their academic ability. This issue is more relevant than

It’s that time of the year when families begin getting ready for the ‘drop off’…for some, they’ve been at it for years but for so many it will be their first time. I equate these last couple of weeks of January to the build-up before a storm. There’s a distinct change in the atmosphere at home; you might even notice some behavioural changes in your kids. I always experienced heightened tensions and if I’m honest, over reactions to situations that would otherwise slide on by in the daily routine of life. I really wanted to jump on and have a chat with a boarder Mum and acknowledge some of our reactions to drop off. When I look back over my time with kids at boarding school we were really expected to move on with our emotions, and I guess there’s some benefit to that, but it’s also important to give yourself permission to feel the grief. That’s what it is. Whether short-lived or ongoing, it’s a form of grief. You are unapologetically a parent and that’s going to rustle up some pretty big feelings at the school gates.  Today I’m chatting about this with Kirsty Wiggins from the central western

Welcome back to our series ‘A ROAD TO MOUNT ISA’. This week we are having the most authentic real time chat with Genevieve McDonald. Gen is from Cloncurry in north west Queensland – well about 40 minutes south of Cloncurry on their family cattle station Brightlands. However, I caught up with Gen while she was at mini school at Gregory – about 6 hours north west of her home.  It was a hot day up north and she’d just had to do a bit of mechanical engineering to get the generator started again to ensure the caravan she was in had air con. She explained that living where they live necessitates that the Mums are definitely jack of all trades. This conversation is peppered with lively interruptions that honestly illustrate life in remote QLD – from coordinating flight logistics with hubby Alistair who was on his way to Gregoryl with the very important Year 6 Graduation cake to being shown mini school creations by an enthusiastic daughter Eliza.  We talked about the joys of mini schools which bring the kids together to learn and create and ultimately play – whether it’s a drama performance or swimming in the river after school. For these

Welcome to Destination Boarding – the little podcast that tells the big story about Australian boarding schools. I’m your host Amanda Ferrari from Boarding Schools Expo and in this series A Road to Mount Isa I’ll be introducing you to our schools that are heading to Mount Isa with us in December. It’s our second event up north and this year we thought it was a great idea to coincide with Sports for Bush Kids week – a week where around 70 families travel hundreds of kilometres from Karumba in the north, Richmond to the east, Windorah to the south, and west into the Northern Territory, to take part in a number of sports. It’s hosted annually by the Isolated Children’s Parents Association Mount Isa Branch of the Air and this year, 2024 is their 25th Anniversary. During this podcast series we’re looking forward to getting to know our Queensland boarding schools that little bit better. We’re exploring their connections to our most remote families and their commitment or sense of social responsibility to ensure that families have access to face to face engagement with a variety of boarding schools – we all know that a website can only tell

Welcome to Destination Boarding – the little podcast that tells the big story about Australian boarding schools. I’m your host Amanda Ferrari from Boarding Schools Expo and in this series A Road to Mount Isa I’ll be introducing you to our schools that are heading to Mount Isa with us in December.  It’s our second event up north and this year we thought it was a great idea to coincide with Sports for Bush Kids week – a week where around 70 families travel hundreds of kilometres from Karumba in the north, Richmond to the east, Windorah to the south, and west into the Northern Territory, to take part in a number of sports. It’s hosted annually by the Isolated Children’s Parents Association Mount Isa Branch of the Air and this year, 2024 is their 25th Anniversary.   During this series we’re looking forward to getting to know our Queensland boarding schools that little bit better. We’re exploring their connections to our most remote families and their commitment or sense of social responsibility to ensure that families have access to face to face engagement with a variety of boarding schools – we all know that a website can only tell part of the

We often talk about the differing needs of children, their interests, their strengths, challenges, maturity. And when we’re considering boarding schools for our children sometimes those differences come into play.

We chat with Bec Austin about her early years growing up and being part of the largest classroom in the world, School of the Air and talk about her parent’s decision to send their four children to boarding school in Sydney.

This list includes the special things that only a parent who has been on this road a few times will know about.