QLD sisters Savannah, Ava and Olivia Hawkins explain why they love their Gold Coast governess Hannah Calcino

Life for the Hawkins sisters is filled with adventure, and governess Hannah Calcino has been enjoying her time in the outback with them.

THE Hawkins sisters have red dirt in their veins and love a daily adventure in regional Queensland, but they want their city friends to come and join the fun.

Savannah, Ava and Olivia live with their parents and governess, Miss Hannah, at Malakof Downs – a 14,500 hectare cattle station 60kms south west of Hughenden. It is about 1250km northwest of the Gold Coast.

Unlike their city counterparts, the Hawkins sisters complete their schoolwork via the air, campdraught, ride motorbikes, and help their mum and dad muster cattle.

Olivia Hawkins, and her family had a challenging year, especially the February floods when they received their annual rainfall in a matter of days.

Olivia said despite daily barriers, she loved life in the bush and would not change it for the world.

“We love life at Malakoff, we get to do so much,” she said.

“If you have not lived out here, you wouldn’t understand. Yes, sometimes it is hard. The floods were not good. The phone lines weren’t working, and we couldn’t get our schoolbooks, and the cows drowned. We could not get food in town, so dad had to go and pick it up in the helicopter.

“But each day is an adventure. We have lots of animals, we work in the yard, play instruments, ride horses, do gymnastics, play netball, do some schoolwork, and hang out with our home tutor Miss Hannah.”

The Hawkins sisters and their governess Miss Hannah. Photo: Supplied.

Gold Coaster and teacher Hannah Calcino, 23, moved to the rural town to work as a governess. Hannah assists the girls with their schoolwork provided by Mt Isa School of the Air and other activities and provides manpower in the cattle yard. However, living in the bush has also seen her make firm friends, establish a regional Netball carnival, travel, and most importantly advocate for quality education in rural Australia.

Hannah said her educational dream was to work in boarding schools and ensure kids from regional Australia had the correct support to thrive in the city.

“The biggest hurdle kids face is access to resources. Whether that be educational resources or to health facilities,” she said.

Hannah Calcino has loved every moment in the rural town. Photo: Supplied

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“These kids have the odds stacked against them, but still find a way to flourish. I have loved every moment of being a governess. No two days are the same. I have a degree of flexibility I do not have when I am teaching in a mainstream school. Governessing is all the good bits of teaching, without the stress of lesson planning, marking, and reporting.

“I would definitely recommend governessing. You do not have to have an educational degree, just enjoy working with children, be willing to jump outside your comfort zone, and have a sense of adventure. You are exposed to the elements, but the rural community is tenacious, resilient, and inspiring.”

The Hawkins sisters, who are in Year 2, Year 4 and Year 5, regularly attend concerts to dance or play their violins and violas in a symphony orchestra.

Ava, 9, said recently they joined other kids in Mt Isa to perform at the 30th Apex Rock Pop Mime show.

“We learnt our performance via on-air meetings, and then joined everyone in Mt Isa for two days before the concert to practice,” she said.

“We were one of 15 performances, and ours was based on the movie War of the Worlds.”

Olivia, Savannah and Ava love life in regional Queensland. Photo: Supplied.

Savannah, 7, said the red dust settles in your veins and would always find a way to your heart.

“Life in the bush is fantastic, and you could come and say hi,” she said.

“You will have the best time.”