Help us raise funds for the Wilderness Bhadure Boarding House in Nepal by attending our upcoming Boarders' Fashion Parade.

Friday 30 July, 2021
7.00pm
Wilderness School Gymnasium (Enter via Gate 30)

Tickets are on sale now!

$25 for adults and $15 for students.
Adults will receive a raffle ticket included in the entry to the event.

Book individually or a table of 10 guests. When booking name your Table Captain OR click Yes to the 'Any Table' option.

Click here to purchase yours.

Guest are invited to BYO nut-free nibbles and food. Alcohol will be available to purchase on the night.

For event enquiries, please contact Rosie Broderick, Head of Boarding via email or phone 8344 6688.

Celebrating Boarding Week

Sunday 16 May to Saturday 22 May (Week 5), marked the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA) National Boarding Week.

The week is aimed at raising awareness about the many benefits of boarding schools and celebrating the important part our boarding community plays in the fabric of the School and wider community.

Wilderness School joins ABSA in the celebration of the almost 200 non-government boarding schools that provide world-class educational opportunities for any student, regardless of where they call home.

For some 128 years, boarding has been at the heart of the Wilderness School experience. The Brown Family moved to our current site in 1893, and within three months, they had their first boarder, Amy Baily, from Two Wells. In the early days, the boarders lived with the Brown sisters in the upper level of Browns House. Over the years, many girls have enjoyed a wonderful opportunity to live and learn on campus, develop independence, resilience, and form lifelong friendships while living together in a diverse and inclusive community.

Our boarding community is large enough to foster personal growth yet small enough to notice and cater for diverse individual difference and interests. The nuances of boarding life do present challenges, and at times the girls struggle with the physical distance from family. Despite this, at the core, they are proud to be a Wilderness boarder, and there is an undeniable sense of sisterhood generated from the camaraderie of their shared experiences. This is never more evidently expressed than on Sports Day and Swimming Carnival, when the Boarders vs Day Girls events spark enthusiastic and competitive rivalry.

While boarding provides many opportunities, it also demands the girls to be agile, optimistic, develop empathy, take responsibility, show initiative and compromise.

Along with celebrating our amazing boarding students, National Boarding Week provides a great opportunity for our boarders to say thank you to the vast network of staff who provide rich learning experiences and pastoral support that ensure a positive experience during their boarding journey. We rely upon so many of our teachers, coaches etc, even our maintenance team who, almost daily, keep the lights on and the air conditioners serviced.

We also recognise and thank the day school families who so generously open their homes for Tuesdays for Tea, hosting girls over the weekends, providing a home-cooked meal, transportation and providing that often missed sense of home. And finally, to our boarding staff, who provide the foundations of support to create positive experiences, guidance and a sense of belonging in their home away from home.

Day Girls for Dinner

As a way to celebrate National Boarding Week, each boarder invited a day friend to dinner.

The cafe was a buzz every night last week as each of the year levels hosted their friends for dinner. The day girls enjoyed the experience of sharing a meal with so many girls and getting an insight into how dinner service happens in a boarding environment.

Each year level chose the menu for the night they were hosting. The visiting day girls enjoyed the experience and getting a better understanding of life of the boarders after 3.30pm. It was gratifying to see the girls introducing themselves and thanking the staff and their friends for the invitation.

Charlotte Linke and Victoria Lane had some planned activities to add to the interaction and engagement each night, which added to the light-hearted banter between the girls.

Thanks to Charlotte and Victoria for their initiative in the organisation of this event.

Congratulations Myarn

Mrayn Alden recently designed the MetroStars playing kit for the SAASTA Aboriginal Football Academy. The SAASTA Aboriginal Football Academy is a sports-based education program for Aboriginal Students run in partnership with the North Eastern MetroStars Soccer Club. Myarn explains the design and what it means to her.

My name is Myarn Alden, my skin name is Numbajin. I am a proud Kija and Juru woman from the Kimberley.

Traditionally where I'm from, our art uses dot painting to tell stories. The story behind my design is about the first two teams, MetroStars and Croydon, coming together for the Indigenous Round.

On the front, the red stream represents the MetroStars colour but also symbolises the red dirt on my country. The yellow outline of the red stream represents the Torrens River that makes its way to the MetroStars home ground. The circles convey the two teams, MetroStars and Croydon. I learnt this technique from my Kumputu (Great grandmother on my maternal side). She is a Ngarti woman from Halls Creek.

Growing up, I gained her knowledge about our beautiful art and how to express a story through our dot painting. The Kangaroo footprints signify the two teams walking together. The boomerang is a part of the South Australian Aboriginal Academy (SAASTA) logo.

SAASTA partners with MetroStars to run the Aboriginal Football Academy (AFA). The AFA gives Aboriginal students from around the country the opportunity to come together to learn and play football together. The white dots on the back are stars for MetroStars. The stars also remind me of my country and being with family in my community.

Bingo Night with Rostrevor College

The senior girls revealed their competitive side on Friday night with a bingo match between the Year 11 and 12 boys from Rostrevor College. Lots of prizes were won, and the night ended with a big screen show of the AFL, which was appreciated by all. A big thank you to Safara Moyse and Jessica Schutlz for organising the run of the night, and I am sure another games night is on the horizon soon.

Reconciliation Breakfast and Assembly

Myarn Alden and Zara Hart were not only up at the crack of dawn to attend the Reconciliation Breakfast at the Adelaide Convention Centre but also did a brilliant job presenting at our own whole school Reconciliation Assembly last Thursday. Having the courage to speak in front of one's peers can be a daunting thought. I was very proud of them for the courage shown as Myarn offered the Acknowledge to Country, and Zara shared her family's personal story and why Reconciliation is such an important ideal for First Nation peoples.