A celebration of Boarding
Year 12 boarders Ed Graham and Tyler Messina addressed our Senior School Assembly on Fri 27 May, discussing our action-packed schedule for Ag Day on Fri 10 Jun and Scotch Boarding Week, happening from Tue 7 – Fri 10 Jun.
Ed and Tyler tell us about their hometowns and families, giving us a unique insight into what it's like to board at Scotch College.
Ed Graham: I come from the Wheatbelt town Popanyinning, about two and a half hours southeast of Perth. Tyler comes from the Mid West town of Mullewa, which is five hours north.
Today we will be talking about life at home and our upcoming Ag Day.
It is currently seeding time on the farm, which involves towing big machinery that rips up the soil and puts seeds into the ground. Seeding is a busy time for most boarding families, who work around the clock to get a crop in for this year's season.
All the rain we've had over the last couple of weeks has been great. We hope we can get more throughout the year. Other families have been busy shearing sheep and preparing for lambing.
Over the holidays, the boarders went back to their hometowns, and many helped out their families. Sam McGinnis (Year 12) did some rock picking and Coen Livingstone (Year 12) worked at an IGA.
Many of the boarders come from non-farming backgrounds. Some families work in mining, tourism and commercial jobs. We also have boarders from Perth and overseas.
About half our boarders come from farms and the other half come from towns and cities.
While our boarders come from different backgrounds, we've built a strong community based on mateship. We are always there to help our mates and look out for each other.
It's not always easy living away from home, but it's always fun waking up each morning to hang out with your mates. Boarders learn to become independent early on in life and learn valuable skills to help us as adults.
The boarding staff are great mentors and role models, helping us when we're away from our parents. They also help with our studies and are there to answer any questions we have.
Tyler Messina: Throughout Scotch Boarding Week, we'll be platforming photos, voices and stories from our Boarding community on Scotch College's Facebook and Instagram, giving a snapshot into life in Boarding.
The week will culminate in our annual Ag Day on Fri 10 Jun at the Gooch Pavilion. It will run during our Marching and Assembly time slot for Senior School students and during Periods 2 and 3 for Junior and Middle students.
The day will kick off with Marching, led by our Pipe Band. All Houses will march, as usual. However, our Year 9–12 boarders will march separately to celebrate Scotch Boarding Week.
Students can wear free dress in line with the theme 'farming' for a gold coin donation – so polish up your R.M.s and get your best checked shirt ready.
We will be running farming-themed activities, including tug of war, wool-bag sack races and welly boot throw, to name a few. There will also be a careers tent to showcase careers in the agriculture industry.
We're awarding prizes for each event, so don't be afraid to give it a go.
Parents, grandparents, families and friends are invited to enjoy our farmers' markets, a sausage sizzle and a scoop of ice cream from Simmo's.
All funds raised on the day go towards the Royal Flying Doctor Service, so there's never been a better reason to come down and enjoy our celebration of Scotch Boarding.
Find out more about Ag Day and discover Boarding stories on our Facebook and Instagram.
