For our boarders from remote stations, being hundreds of kilometres away from their parents is just one of many challenges they overcome when they join our community. We have three boys who have transitioned from remote stations across Australia to the boarding house this year – Ruben Driver and Clancy Turner in Year 7 and Beau Shand-Nunn in Year 8.
At almost 1,000 kilometres from Adelaide, Beau lives closest to the School on a station called Clifton Hills in the state’s far north. Clancy comes from western New South Wales and Ruben’s family are based 400km northeast of Alice Springs, over 2000km from Adelaide.
Resilience is a term that can be given out all too easily, but these boys are the very definition of the word. Along with the careful, nurturing support of our boarding school staff, their stories are inspiring to say the least. Until now, Ruben, Clancy and Beau have never experienced traditional schooling. Prior to joining us, they were students of School of the Air which has provided an education from afaras part of their formative years.
What they haven’t had is experiences many of us take for granted as part of our social, emotional, academic and sporting development. They might never have had a swimming lesson or played in a sports team. They’ve never enjoyed the ease and comfort of a spontaneous playdate with friends at the park – hard to do when your closest neighbours are more than 160 kilometres away. They’ve never experienced a crowd of people or sat for extended periods of time in a classroom with a teacher and classmates.
Instead, they come to us with a range of other unique and incredible skills – they can muster cattle, fix fences, shoot a rifle, ride a motorbike. They are adept at hard, physical work. They understand many harsh realities that are so often part of station life.
The challenge this presents is that none of these skills are required on any normal day in the boarding house or day school. This is where the empathy and experience of our boarding house team is critical to their transition.
“It can be challenging when they first arrive because these boys have never been in a room with 1,000 people in suits and ties or spoken in public or been required to conform – it’s all new to them,” Director of Boarding Timothy Angus said.
“Their sense of self, which for so many of us is driven by things we know and things we’re good at, is suddenly removed and they’re thrust into very unfamiliar situations.
“They’re used to a mix of great responsibility and great freedom. In many ways they’re treated as adults at home, whereas now they’re in an environment where they’re treated as young people, adjusting to new rules and expectations.
“Skills they’ve used on a daily basis are now hidden skills; they don’t necessarily translate to the classroom and that can sometimes lead to disconnection. It’s therefore really important that the boys feel connected, have a sense of identity and feel proud of their backgrounds and their stories.”
For the Driver family, who own and run Elkedra and Annitowa Station in the Northern Territory – a 2.5-million-acre cattle station, running over 12,000 head of Santa Gertrudis cattle – this is their second experience of the boarding house with Ruben following in the footsteps of Sonny (S&A 2022).
Visits can sometimes be limited to once a year, a fact which underlines the important role the boarding house staff play at every level – from emotional and social wellbeing support right through to the countless practical interactions that would normally occur every day between parents and children.
“The decision to send Ruben to St Peter’s College was driven by the exceptional pastoral care and support from the boarding and wider school community that both Sonny and our whole family had previously received,” Ruben’s mum Amber said.
“We feel truly embraced here. Even though we can’t be directly involved in the boarding community, the support that the School provides is very humbling to be part of.
“The staff have a genuine interest in our kids and their wellbeing and even in the brief few years between Sonny and Ruben going through we’ve noticed a focus on continual improvement.”
It’s not an easy decision for any parent to entrust someone else to care for their child. But the sense of opportunity is ultimately what made the decision for the Drivers.
“The opportunity for our boys to study with the best teachers, face-to-face and with peers in a very academic environment is something that feels like a bit of a dream,” Amber said.
“For us it is accessing that higher level academia – even if our children are not going to pursue that pathway, they still have access to it and we know we are setting them up with choice for their futures.”
Ruben, Clancy and Beau have continued to impress with their strength of character as they settle into boarding life.
“All three of these boys have demonstrated great resilience and it’s a privilege for our team to be there for them as part of this experience – in all the moments, big and small,” Mr Angus said.
Beau Shand-Nunn
From having had only a handful of swimming lessons ever (involving a ten-hour round trip to be instructed by the lady who runs the Birdsville post office), Beau has taken to his new life like a duck to water – quite literally! Keen to give anything a go, he competed in seven events at the recent swimming carnival. “I enjoy learning a lot more now – getting help from the teachers in person and being able to ask questions makes a big difference. Seeing kids and being around boys my own age is something I really like and being able to play sport all the time now makes me happy.”
Ruben Driver
Ruben’s School of the Air class would only meet in person four times a year. Now, he’s enjoying being able to do science experiments in real life, make new friends and play regular team sports – quite a change for a boy who had only been able to play two cricket games in his life. “The team sport is definitely something I enjoy so that’s been really fun and something I never had at home. The learning experiences are much better and the new kids I get to meet would be one of my favourite things.”
Clancy Turner
Coming from a 90,000-acre station in western New South Wales and with the nearest supermarket four hours away, life at St Peter’s College was always going to be an adjustment for Clancy. But his resilient approach is well and truly coming to the fore. “I’m really enjoying exploring Adelaide and there’s lots of new things to see and do but making friends and playing footy are two of my favourite things. The boarding house is also very comfortable and I enjoy spending time there.”