Back the Bush: Old Boys covering fees of students in need

Some of Queensland’s most prestigious schools have slashed boarding fees for some students in a bid to keep students enrolled while their families are suffering financial hardship.

FROM discounting fees to mass fundraising – Brisbane’s most prestigious boarding schools are doing their bit to support rural families suffering through devastating drought.

Each year hundreds of families from all corners of Queensland send their kids to study in the city, with many second, third and even fourth generation boarding school families.

But for some the financial strain brought on by years of drought has started to pinch.

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Anglican Church Grammar School headmaster Alan Campbell says “Churchie” has a proud tradition of welcoming country boys as boarders.

He said the school does “everything in its power”, including fee support, to ensure students of families devastated by drought could remain at the school.

Some of the school’s Old Boys and families of current students had even quietly offered to help cover the fees of boarders.

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“One of the most wonderful elements has been the generosity of members of our wider community,” Dr Campbell said.

“They will often very discreetly say to me ‘if there is any way we can help, please let us know’ – it’s quite moving.”

Churchie students Jack Butler-Wood, 18, Nicholas Malouf, 18, and Aaron Prosser, 18. Picture: Annette Dew

Churchie director of boarding Jason Wynne-Markham said he maintained regular contact and travelled to families in drought-affected rural areas, urging them to speak up if they need assistance.

“We have seen a noticeable increase in families, as this drought has extended, who are now coming forward for assistance,” he said.

“And I’m really glad because in years gone by, we would have lost families.”

Recently the families of Churchie’s graduating Year 12 students also raised more than $11,000 for the Buy A Bale campaign.

Meanwhile, at Catholic girls boarding school Stuartholme School about 80 per cent of their 127 boarders come from rural and remote parts of Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The school has frozen their boarding fees for 2020, in recognition of the financial strain many rural families were experiencing as a result of severe drought conditions.

They have also introduced a Centenary Boarding Bursary for 2020 entrants for families who live more than 200 kilometres away, and would otherwise be unable to attend the school for financial reasons.

“Stuartholme opened almost 100 years ago as a boarding school and today, the Boarding House remains at the heart of our school,” acting principal Deanne Johnston said.

“We meet regularly with our boarding families and hear directly from them the impact of years of drought.”

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School has also frozen its next year’s boarding fees at 2019 levels, with more than 100 of its boarding students coming from rural areas.

Severely affected families have also received boarding bursaries to keep current students enrolled in the face of financial hardship brought on by the drought.

St Joseph’s Nudgee College, which has about 100 boys from rural and remote areas, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the National Farmers’ Federation, water for drought-affected communities, and the Fiver for a Farmer campaign.

A bush bursary has also been created to provide fee relief for families, while the Junior School is donating Christmas presents to be sent to children in drought-affected areas.

And Marist College Ashgrove implemented a new fee structure to help support their country families.

The new structure offered up to 50 per cent discount on fees where families had three or more children, and 20 per cent discounts if families had a sister of a boarder at another boarding school.