A Different Kind of School Holidays, Mackenzie’s Boarding Story
During National Boarding Week, it feels right to pause and notice the girls whose stories carry a very different kind of childhood. For many city students, school holidays might mean sleep ins, going out, friends and family time. For some of our boarders, holidays look very different.
For Year 7 boarder Mackenzie, who is from Three Springs, life at home is shaped by the land, the animals and the kind of responsibility that starts young and becomes second nature. She lives and works on her family farm, where cropping and caring for animals are all part of everyday life. Horses, cows, sheep, alpacas, dogs and birds all make up the world she comes from.
A Childhood Built on Capability
Mackenzie has been riding horses since she was three years old and has been driving on the farm since she was only four. Her family breeds horses, so there are plenty of them around, 21 in total, with six boys and 15 girls.
When she talks about them, it is clear they are much more than animals to her.
“It’s really fun, but they are also my calm place, and they are my best friends.”
Her horses are not just part of farm life or something she happens to be good at. They are where she finds peace, steadiness and a sense of home. In that one sentence, you can hear both the toughness and tenderness in her character, a young girl who is clearly capable, but also deeply connected to the animals and farm that have shaped her.
Camping By Herself
In the April school holidays, Mackenzie packed a swag and some food, took her horse and dogs, and headed out on her own to camp on the family property near a big lake surrounded by bush.
She lit her own fire with matches, put a hot plate over it, cooked sausages and steak, and set up a paddock for her horse. Her dogs slept beside her in the swag, and she spent the night there by herself.
She said she had been annoyed with her brothers and wanted some space, so she decided to head off for the night.
That is the kind of sentence that probably lands very differently depending on where you grew up. For Mackenzie, it was practical, calm and entirely doable. For plenty of others, it sounds extraordinary, especially when you rememberyou are only 11 years old!
She was not scared either, even though it was her first time doing it without her brothers there. She was simply ready.
From Farm Life to Boarding Life
That same independence sits behind her move from farm life to boarding school. Mackenzie is honest about the change.
“Boarding is really hard and different but I cope by looking forward to the breaks and thinking of the good times.”
It is a simple comment, but a strong one. It speaks to what so many boarders do so quietly. They leave behind home, family routines and the outdoors, then step into a shared life with new people, new expectations and a completely different pace.
Mackenzie says her favourite thing about boarding is sharing a house with her friends and sharing clothes. It is a sweet reminder that even the girls who can light a fire, cook dinner in the bush and camp beside a lake with their horse and dogs are still Year 7 girls, building friendships and finding joy in everyday boarding life.
This Boarding Week, Mackenzie’s story is a reminder of just how much our boarders bring with them. Strength, perspective, humour, independence and a life experience that is often far beyond their years.
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
