The Butterick children are no strangers to hardwork on their family’s Mid North farm, feeding its droves of animals and helping prepare for the annual grain harvest.
“It’s busy all the time and it gives us independence because there’s always something to do, and often by yourself,” Bernadine, 16, says.
Bernadine and her brother, Dominic, 15, share a love of the land, so when given the opportunity to leave their Caltowie home to attend boarding school, they knew agriculture must be part of the curriculum. And while their big sister had chosen to head to the big smoke to school, St Marks College, 53km away in Port Pirie, provided the siblings with an option closer to home. “It was a bit confronting when I first started boarding in Year 8, but I knew some of the other kids and the house parents were really caring,” Bernadine, now Year 11, says. “The school has a farm facility as well, so you still get to do some farm work, like training steers in the lead up to the Adelaide show. “It’s really like a home away from home.”
At St Marks College, secondary rural students have the opportunity of five-day boarding on the campus grounds and returning home on weekends. The boarding option allows the siblings to still play sport in Jamestown and keep a community connection, while during the week “living with your best mates”. “I like it because you get to hang out with your mates after school, kick a footy on the oval and play tennis,” Dominic, a Year 10 student, says. “I’ve got more subjects I like to do, too, like metal work and Ag Science.”
Although, he says boarding school is not without its challenges. “Not seeing your parents in the morning was hard, but after a few weeks you get used to it and the boarding house parents are really good if you need them,” Dominic says. “Your mates are there with you too, so you can have a chat with them if you’re feeling a bit down.”
Principal Greg Hay says the boarding option at St Marks College is making quality education available to all students, regardless of their location.
“The ability of allowing boarders to go home and not lose contact with their local community is part of our unique market,” he says.
“They don’t lose contact with home and I think that’s why they come here rather than go to the big smoke. The boarders also make a real difference to the college, they have that great love of rural life that they bring to the place.”
Mr Hay says the school has about 30 boarders from as far as Leigh Creek, about 340km from Port Pirie. “There’s rituals in their daily life and wonderful activities, like 10 pin bowling, film nights and birthday teas, to make them feel special and at home,” he says.
This content was originally published in Advertiser feature on May 6 2017
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