Letters From Home

• Around Australia with the ICPA - NT State President Moira Lanzarin

  Throughout the year, we’ve been following the work of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association - the ICPA - across Australia. In these short episodes, we’ll be catching up with each State Council President to hear how their delegations to Parliament have gone, what motions were carried from their State Conferences, and the wins and challenges they’ve faced along the way.These conversations are a chance to celebrate the tireless advocacy of rural, regional and remote families who continue to champion equitable access to education - from early childhood right through to tertiary.Today we’re heading to the Northern Territory, where vast distances mean many kids must board interstate. As Moira Lanzarin so clearly puts it: if we support families with practical, flexible boarding allowances, we don’t just help a child - we keep whole families in the Territory. That stability flows through stations and small businesses, strengthens local workforces, and invites classmates and alumni back to live, work and lead in the NT. When families can educate their kids, access health services and stay connected, our remote regions don’t just survive - they thrive.So, wherever you’re listening — in the ute, on the road, or out on the station — I hope you enjoy this snapshot of the ICPA in action.

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• Nailing Homesickness: Homesick, New School, New Sport, & Loving It: Archie’s Story

  Today on Nailing Homesickness we’re chatting with Archie, a boarder at Brisbane Boys’ College who never – and I mean never – imagined he’d end up at a boarding school.Archie grew up in Gladstone in central Queensland, with strong country roots and a tight-knit group of mates. Boarding school wasn’t on the radar at all… until a BBC athletics scout spotted him at State Championships and started calling his dad. What followed was months of family conversations, a very reluctant mum, and a big decision that saw Archie start boarding halfway through Year 9 - right in the middle of rugby season.In this episode, Archie talks about the hardest parts of leaving home: missing his mates, his parents, and grandparents who’d just moved to be closer. He shares how jumping straight into sport, saying yes to a new game he’d never played, and getting around “the boys” in his dorm helped him settle, find his people, and ease the homesickness.He also speaks beautifully about how staying in touch - calling his mum every single night and keeping up with mates back home - has helped him feel like he truly belongs in both worlds.If you’ve got a teen who’s unsure about boarding, or you’re a parent hesitating on that big decision, Archie’s perspective will give you plenty to think about - and a lot of reassurance.

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• Around Australia with the ICPA - NSW State President Annabel Strachan

  Throughout the year, we’ve been following the work of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association - the ICPA - across Australia. In these short episodes, we’ll be catching up with each State Council President to hear how their delegations to Parliament have gone, what motions were carried from their State Conferences, and the wins and challenges they’ve faced along the way.These conversations are a chance to celebrate the tireless advocacy of rural, regional and remote families who continue to champion equitable access to education - from early childhood right through to tertiary.Today we’re in New South Wales - a state that’s “positively urban” on paper compared to some of our other States across Australia, but where families west of the ranges still juggle distance, patchy services and long drives. As Annabel Strachan reminds us from her home a couple of hundred kilometres west of Bourke, meaningful support keeps families on the land: that means practical allowances for students who must live away from home, removing barriers like means-testing where distance leaves no choice, and recognising the cost of getting little ones to preschool. It also means smart, local solutions - turning very remote one-teacher schools into pop-up education hubs that can flex for preschool and secondary needs, so kids can learn face-to-face with support. During this conversation Annabel shares some exciting news, news that sends powerful signal that the voices of families from rural and remote regions are being heard where decisions are made.So, wherever you’re listening - in the ute, on the road, or out on the station - I hope you enjoy this snapshot of the ICPA in action in New South Wales.If you would like to join the ICPA in your State visit www.icpa.com.au

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• Heart-work, good policy, & the power of love behind Bronnie Taylor

  Special announcement: Since recording this episode, The Hon. Bronnie Taylor has been appointed Chair of the national charity Motherland. We’re thrilled for Bronnie and proud to support Motherland and their incredible work for rural and remote women across Australia. Congratulations, Bronnie!In this warmly honest episode of Letters from Home, Amanda sits down with Bronnie Taylor - oncology nurse, farmer’s wife, mum and proud rural woman - for a conversation that feels like a cuppa at the kitchen table. This isn’t about politics; it’s about the heart-work behind good policy and the everyday grit of life in the regions.Bronnie reflects on growing up across countries, finding her feet in a frosty little hamlet at the base of the Snowies, and discovering - like so many of us - that community lifts you when you let it. We talk boarding school from both sides: the way it shaped Bronnie’s courage as a teenager, and years later, how it shaped her mothering - homesick nights, the power of a school nurse’s timely call, and the “second families” that come from carpools, long weekends and shared netball courts.There’s plenty of laughter (red sports bloomers, train trips and questionable IDs), but also the truth rural parents know well: that love can look like letting go, and opportunity sometimes means distance. Bronnie pays tribute to the glue of rural life - women who organise, advocate, bake, budget and keep the wheels turning - while reminding us that our kids can leave the front gate and still carry home inside them.If you’re weighing up boarding, missing a child at boarding school,  or cheering one on from hundreds of kilometres away, this episode will feel like a letter in your mailbox on a long week. Press play, take a breath, and walk a little taller with us.

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• “Go Floppy: A Quandialla Mum on Boarding School, Letting Go, and Raising Resilient Kids” - Sarah Ryan

  In this heartfelt episode of Letters from Home, Amanda sits down with Sarah Ryan, farmer’s wife, artist, and creator of the iconic Quandialla Candle Co. Broadcasting from her family’s merino stud in southern NSW, Sarah shares her beautifully honest story of raising three children in a tiny village school, navigating the drought years, running a creative business from a backyard studio - and ultimately embracing the realities of boarding school life.With one son now graduated and working as a jackaroo, another in Year 11, and her daughter freshly into Year 7 at a Sydney girls’ school, Sarah reflects on the full arc of the boarding journey. She talks about the hopes, the fears, the tough moments, and the quiet victories that have shaped each of her kids -  and her as a mother.This conversation explores:• Choosing between regional and metropolitan boarding schools• The emotional shock of the first drop-off• Parenting from afar (and how communication has changed)• When to step in -  and when to “go floppy”• How family dynamics shift when one child leaves home• The resilience, tolerance and life skills boarding school quietly builds• The unique grief rural parents carry - and why we must talk about itSarah’s warmth, wisdom and humour make this an incredibly grounding listen for any family on the boarding school path.Her message is clear: trust the process, trust the schools, and trust that your child will grow in ways you can’t yet imagine.A must-listen for rural, regional and remote parents preparing to let go - just a little.Take a look at Quandialla Candle Co. here!

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