FROM THE DIRECTOR OF BOARDING

ONCE UPON A TIME …. there were 104 gorgeous girls. All of them lived in beautiful and faraway places surrounded by oceans, rivers and bush. Four times a year, they hugged their family members goodbye and travelled for hundreds of kilometres to arrive in a wonderful place by the name of St Patrick’s College Townsville. Always on the night before travel day, the girls packed their final bags, ensuring there were pics from home and space for their favourite clothes, teddy bears, new music and shoes. Most girls also found space for a couple of bags of salty plums and their favourite gum. They knew that Mama DC wasn’t a fan of gum, but they always tried to give it a whirl each time, just in case.

Travel day was always long. Some girls left home at 5.00 in the morning and travelled by car, a small plane, another plane and then another plane, before waiting for a bus and finally arriving at St Patrick’s College Townsville in the evening. Some girls took a car, then a boat and then another car. Other girls took bus rides that lasted all day long. In between transfers,  many girls became tired, hungry and bored with the meat pies, soggy ham and salad sandwiches and vending machines in the airports and bus stations. The only thing that kept them going was their anticipation at meeting all of their sisters, and making their way back to their second home at St Pat’s.

As the weeks passed, the girls settled into their bedrooms and routines. Their favourite parts were the 6.30 morning wakeup and electronics hand in at nights. All of the girls understood how important it was to have a good night’s sleep and thanked the supervisors for taking care of their well-being in this way. On the weekends the supervisors took everyone on wonderful adventures including Crystal Creek, Maggie Island and Jourama Falls, and organised mystery bus tours, trips to the movies, shopping, ice skating discos, Riverway swims, art galleries, football games, cultural cook ups  and much more. They also learned how to be more conscious of their natural environment and enjoyed working with Miss Gemma on upcycling projects, composting, recycling and working in our own garden spaces.

When the final day of term finally rolled around, the girls always buzzed with excitement to see family again, mixed in with a little bit of sadness in saying goodbye to all their sisters and their beloved boarding aunties and akas. The House Mothers and all the supervisors always looked on with full hearts and enormous pride as they waved goodbye to all the girls starting the long trek back home on buses, boats, big planes and very tiny planes.

A FINAL WORD FROM MAMA DC … there is so much joy, vibrance, energy, sparkle and beauty throughout the corridors of our boarding home. The richness of culture and overwhelming feeling of warmth is incredible and demonstrates the heart of the St Patrick’s College Townsville boarding family.

Happy holidays everyone!

Katie de Cateret | DIRECTOR OF BOARDING