From Station Life to City School: How Clem Found Her Feet at Boarding School
Description
In this episode of Nailing Homesickness, we’re heading a very long way from Brisbane - all the way to a cattle station in the Northern Territory, four hours south of Katherine, at the well-known Newcastle Waters.
I’m chatting with Clementine, a Year 9 boarder at Stuartholme School in Brisbane, who first started boarding in Year 7. She’s one of three sisters - all boarding, all at Stuartholme - which I’m sure will make a few rural parents clutch their hearts… and their calculators.
In this episode, Clem talks about what it’s really like to leave a tiny primary school and suddenly find yourself in classes twice the size of your whole school, in a city that’s close to two days travel from home. She shares honestly about homesickness, that fear of missing out on what’s happening back on the station, and how she’s learned to say “yes” to new opportunities - from tennis and netball to those very early rowing mornings.
Clementine also gives some beautiful, practical advice for younger boarders: why it’s okay to feel homesick, why it’s okay to not feel homesick sometimes, and how calling home, talking to other boarders, and leaning into boarding routines and study support has helped her find her feet.
If you’re a parent wondering how your child will cope so far from home, or a soon-to-be boarder listening along, I think you’ll find a lot of comfort and courage in Clementine’s story.
A big thank you to Little Big Dairy Co for sponsoring our Nailing Homesickness miniseries. A family owned and operated dairy that brings fresh milk to your fridge.
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