Celebrating National Boarding Week

Headmaster's Blog

This week, Scotch College celebrates National Boarding Week during which we recognise and acknowledge all aspects of boarding, our parents and families, our students who spend 38 weeks of the year living away from home and all our staff who support them.

I want to celebrate all of these people who form an integral part of our Scotch College community. As part of my initial address when applying for my role at Scotch I shared my belief in the benefits of boarding, and I thought I'd share it with you all today.

I believe the best schools are boarding schools. Whilst we know great schools provide extraordinary advantages for the education of boarders, I believe that boarders also add benefit for the education of day students and we will continue to be leaders in this field, committing to increasing our boarding population and actively celebrating our engagement with rural and remote communities across the state and country as well as maintaining a concerted effort to bring international students back.

Our boarders, these remarkable young men and their families have made the admirable choice to live and study at our school and away from their home, a testament to their resilience and pursuit of excellence. The presence of boarders amongst us enriches our community, bringing diverse perspectives and a spirit of camaraderie that extends beyond the classroom.

We must also pay tribute to the parents, whose sacrifices do not go unnoticed. It is through their belief in the value of education and the opportunities it presents that their sons are here today. Their decision to entrust us with their sons' care and development is a profound expression of love and commitment to their future.

Being a boarder is no small feat; it requires courage to step into a new routine, adapt to communal living, and navigate the complexities of growing up while away from home. Yet, it is these very challenges that forge character, independence, and a sense of responsibility that will serve them well beyond their school years.

I know this because I have travelled in their shoes, having been a boarder at that now co-ed PSA school in Midland.  Although it was last millennium, I remember the experience like it were yesterday, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. My parents, who happen to be in the audience today, also travelled the same road with me, including the tears, the homesick calls to home made from the one community phone that you fought to get access to as the senior boys spent every minute of every evening calling the girls at any number of the IGSSA boarding schools.

Thankfully the boarding experience has evolved, and it needed to, from what was served in the dining room to the archaic traditions excused as 'rites of passage'. What hasn't changed is the impact boarding students have on a school community.  From their life experiences to their broadened perspectives, we are better because of the boarders in our school.

What I also know is that the friendships forged out of the years living alongside your boarding brothers last a lifetime. The three groomsmen at my wedding were all my boarding brothers, the Godfather to my son is a boarding brother, my closest friends that I see 35 years after graduating are my boarding brothers. Most importantly whenever, wherever and whatever my need for support may be, I know I can call any of my boarding brothers and they will be there.

This week we will formally celebrate our boarders with numerous activities around the College, culminating in our annual Ag Day on Friday. Again, thank you to the staff who make this week's celebrations possible and who take such excellent care of our boarders during the year.

Let us all acknowledge the unique contributions of our boarders, the unwavering support of their families and the commitment of our staff. Together, we create a vibrant tapestry of shared experiences and lifelong memories. Thank you, boarders, for being an essential part of our Scotch College legacy.

Brad Gill
Acting Headmaster