Letters From Home

Amanda Ferrari
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Welcome to Letters from Home, a podcast dedicated to Australian boarding families. Hosted by Amanda Ferrari, the show explores all aspects of boarding life - from packing for the first time to life as a boarder & beyond. Amanda interviews graduates who share how boarding shaped their lives, with families about their journey to and through boarding school, speaks with schools about their unique programs, & hosts an annual "Nailing Homesickness" miniseries to help new boarders. Our podcast is essential listening for boarding families and staff, we welcome your feedback, reviews, & ratings.

  1. City Girl, Bush Life, Big Decisions with Amy Clark

    6D AGO

    City Girl, Bush Life, Big Decisions with Amy Clark

    Amy Clark on belonging, “critical mass” in small-town schools, and choosing boarding to give her boys room to grow. In this episode of Letters From Home, Amanda chats with Amy Clark from Walcha on the northern tablelands of NSW, about the decision to send her children to boarding school, and everything that sits underneath that choice. Amy shares her unique background growing up between Sydney and the Central Coast, shaped by horses, family expectations around education, and watching her siblings experience boarding school from the “outside looking in”. Now raising three boys on a sheep and wool property, Amy speaks candidly about rural family life, the intense juggle of parenting alongside agricultural work, and the practical realities that influence schooling decisions. Together, Amanda and Amy explore the pressure on small-town secondary schooling when student numbers dwindle, the ripple effects of teacher shortages, and the often-unspoken guilt families can feel when they have local options, yet still choose boarding for broader opportunities and support. At the heart of it all is Amy’s hope for her boys: belonging, resilience, strong friendships, and a solid foundation to step confidently into the world.

    45 min
  2. Big Steps, Big Love with Lisa Green: A Single Mum’s Journey to Boarding School

    FEB 6

    Big Steps, Big Love with Lisa Green: A Single Mum’s Journey to Boarding School

    Researching schools, navigating scholarships, and letting go with love. In this heartfelt episode of Letters from Home, Amanda sits down with Lisa - a single mum, teacher, and devoted advocate for her daughter Ellie - to explore what it truly looks like to research and choose boarding school as a single parent. As this episode goes live, Lisa and Ellie are preparing to head to Frensham, where Ellie will begin Year 7 and her boarding journey this year in 2026. Their story captures that tender in-between space so many families know well: the excitement of new opportunity, the weight of financial realities, and the quiet grief that comes with letting go. Lisa shares what gave her the courage to walk into a Boarding Schools Expo knowing that a bursary or scholarship was the only way boarding school could be possible. She speaks openly about co-parenting through major decisions, the support she received from Ellie’s dad - whose own boarding experience shaped his perspective - and how together they weighed fit, welfare, learning style and opportunity. Despite living in a large regional centre with many schooling options, Lisa explains why boarding school felt like the right choice for Ellie - particularly as a creative, curious learner hungry for language, arts, independence and connection. This episode is also a powerful reflection on values: where Lisa’s belief in education comes from, why she is unapologetically pro-girls, and how she hopes this experience will shape Ellie’s confidence and independence. If this conversation resonates, we highly recommend listening to our much-loved episode The Grief of Dropping Your Child at Boarding School with Kirsty Wiggins - our most listened-to episode ever - which we’ve linked here. We send our love to Lisa and Ellie as they begin this new chapter, and to all boarding families - especially those facing their very first drop-off. Big steps. Big love.

    31 min
  3. The Spirit of Boarding with Tamara Nixon: Why Rural Kids Matter to City Schools

    JAN 29

    The Spirit of Boarding with Tamara Nixon: Why Rural Kids Matter to City Schools

    Tamara Nixon is a sixth-generation farming mum from Oaklands in the Southern Riverina, balancing life on the land with the big-hearted reality of parenting three children away at boarding school in Melbourne.  In this episode, Tamara shares why she believes so deeply in boarding - the resilience, diversity of opportunity, and the powerful sense of community it can create. But she also raises an issue more families are quietly noticing: particularly in places where it’s distances aren’t so vast like Victoria, boarding houses can empty out on weekends - and that shift can change the culture of belonging we often celebrate.  Tamara talks frankly about what that means for boarders who stay, how schools can and have rebuilt community after COVID, and why honouring rural roots (and even agricultural pathways) matters more than ever. If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also love our Nailing Homesickness episode with Tamara’s son Harry, a student at Scotch College in Melbourne.

    51 min
  4. Around Australia with the ICPA - WA State President Jane Cunningham

    JAN 22

    Around Australia with the ICPA - WA State President Jane Cunningham

    Western Australia’s size brings opportunity - and enormous challenge. In this episode of our capsule series Around Australia with the ICPA, Amanda Ferrari is joined by Jane Cunningham, President of ICPA Western Australia, to unpack the realities of accessing education across one of the largest and most sparsely populated states in the country. Jane shares how distance, travel costs and limited services shape schooling options for WA families - from early childhood through to boarding school, distance education and tertiary pathways. She explains the vital role of WA’s Schools of the Air and the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE), and how targeted advocacy has led to new programs supporting maths and science in multi-age regional classrooms. The conversation also explores some of WA’s biggest pressure points: a declining boarding away-from-home allowance, cancelled school bus services, lack of transport support for School of the Air families, inclusion and disability support within residential colleges, teacher shortages driven by housing availability, and the urgent need for whole-of-government solutions across education, transport, housing and health. It’s a powerful reminder that for families in Western Australia, education access isn’t about choice -it’s about fairness and of course, equity. Above all else. If you would like to join the ICPA in your state, visit www.icpa.com.au⁠. If you didn’t catch Amanda’s conversation with Moira Lanzarin, President of ICPA Northern Territory it’s well worth a listen. Moira’s acknowledgment of the vast distances of NT life are mirrored here with Jane from WA. Two enormous parts of Australia that while sparsely populated pack above their weight for Australia’s economic prosperity.

    34 min
  5. From Country Quiet to City Life: Phoebe’s Boarding Story

    JAN 20 · BONUS

    From Country Quiet to City Life: Phoebe’s Boarding Story

    In this episode of Nailing Homesickness, Amanda Ferrari chats with Phoebe, a Year 10 boarder at Methodist Ladies’ College in Melbourne, who began boarding at the start of Year 9 after growing up on her family’s farm in northern Victoria. Phoebe reflects on the early days of boarding - leaving a small country school where she’d been since kindergarten, adjusting to city life, and navigating the overwhelm of new faces, routines and expectations. She speaks candidly about the challenges of that transition, but also about the opportunities that drew her to boarding in the first place. From throwing herself into sport and co-curricular activities, to learning when to seek company and when to take quiet time for herself, Phoebe shares thoughtful, practical strategies for managing homesickness and settling in. She also highlights the importance of staying connected to home - nightly phone calls, photos from the farm, and knowing that those country friendships are still there when she returns. This is a reassuring and uplifting conversation for families considering boarding school, particularly those starting in Year 9. Phoebe’s story is a reminder that while the leap can feel big, growth, independence and lifelong friendships often follow. If this episode resonates, you may also enjoy our conversation with Archie from northern Queensland, who boards in Brisbane and also began boarding in Year 9 - a powerful companion listen from the opposite end of the country. A big thank you to ⁠⁠⁠Little Big Dairy Co⁠⁠⁠ for sponsoring our Nailing Homesickness miniseries. A family owned and operated dairy that brings fresh milk to your fridge.

    18 min
  6. Around Australia with the ICPA - SA State President Belinda Hatcher

    JAN 15

    Around Australia with the ICPA - SA State President Belinda Hatcher

    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 South Australia, where engagement is surging - this year’s conference saw a record 29 motions.  Belinda Hatcher shares how SA families are pushing for practical change: extending AIC support to start at preschool, valuing distance-education supervisors with a dedicated allowance, and reviewing the State Education Allowance (currently just over $5,000 and indexed) toward a fairer model that recognises real costs.  There’s targeted work under way too - from airfare subsidies to help kids get home from boarding more affordably, to increases in school travel rates, to a common-sense tweak to the PATS scheme so geographically isolated families can reach the care they actually use. And in early childhood, new links with Child & Family Health and the RFDS are closing gaps for young mums and little ones across the South Australian outback. It’s all about one goal: support the family, and you keep the community. 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 South Australia. If you would like to join the ICPA in your State visit www.icpa.com.au

    31 min
  7. Finding Confidence, Consistency and Calm at Boarding School with Nouvelle M.

    JAN 13 · BONUS

    Finding Confidence, Consistency and Calm at Boarding School with Nouvelle M.

    In this episode of Nailing Homesickness, we meet Nouvelle, a Year 8 boarder at Canberra Girls Grammar School, whose upbringing in an Australian Defence Force family has shaped her ability to adapt, connect and grow. Having moved frequently throughout her childhood, Nouvelle shares how boarding school offered something deeply valuable - stability and a sense of belonging. While she began boarding with excitement, homesickness arrived a few weeks in, reminding her just how much she loved and missed her family. What followed, however, is a story of resilience, self-awareness and growth. Nouvelle speaks candidly about the strategies that helped her through: staying busy, getting involved in sport and co-curriculars, building friendships across year levels, leaning on trusted staff, and staying connected to home through phone calls and handwritten letters. She also shares how boarding helped her develop strong time-management skills - something she never expected but now values enormously. This episode is full of reassurance for new boarders and their families, reminding us that homesickness is normal, it does pass, and it often sits alongside incredible personal growth. As a companion to this conversation, we also recorded a beautiful interview with Nouvelle’s mum on Letters from Home, sharing the parent perspective of boarding school within a Defence family. Listen here. A must-listen for families navigating change, distance and the early days of boarding school. A big thank you to ⁠⁠Little Big Dairy Co⁠⁠ for sponsoring our Nailing Homesickness miniseries. A family owned and operated dairy that brings fresh milk to your fridge.

    24 min
  8. A Leap of Faith, Kept Close to Home - Celebrating 10 Years of Boarding at MAGS

    JAN 8

    A Leap of Faith, Kept Close to Home - Celebrating 10 Years of Boarding at MAGS

    What regional boarding gives bush families - confidence, community, and opportunity. This episode takes us to Macquarie Anglican Grammar School (MAGS) in Dubbo for a milestone moment for them at the end of last year: the first cohort of boarders to complete the full six-year journey from Year 7 to Year 12 at this growing regional boarding school. First, Amanda chats with Eli Kinscher, Director of Boarding, about what it means to lead a regional, co-ed boarding community - and why boarding closer to home can be a game-changer for rural and remote families.  Eli paints a picture of MAGS’ unique rural boarding campus just outside town, the rise of weekly boarding, and the culture they’ve built with families over the past decade. Then we hear from Abbey Medcalf, a boarder from Tottenham who completed Year 12 last year, reflecting on small-town life, early homesickness, finding her people, and the opportunities that helped her grow - from sport and community connections in Dubbo to her next big dream: studying Music Performance in Sydney. A warm, honest listen for any family considering boarding - especially those hoping for opportunity without feeling worlds away from home.

    42 min
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About

Welcome to Letters from Home, a podcast dedicated to Australian boarding families. Hosted by Amanda Ferrari, the show explores all aspects of boarding life - from packing for the first time to life as a boarder & beyond. Amanda interviews graduates who share how boarding shaped their lives, with families about their journey to and through boarding school, speaks with schools about their unique programs, & hosts an annual "Nailing Homesickness" miniseries to help new boarders. Our podcast is essential listening for boarding families and staff, we welcome your feedback, reviews, & ratings.

Information

  • Creator
    Amanda Ferrari
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Amanda Ferrari
  • Show Website
    Letters From Home

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