What sparked the idea of a country campus like Howqua was one day realising that the year 9 frame of mind was not suited to sitting in traditional classrooms, doing traditional lessons.

I was teaching a year 9 class a topic called ‘Social Education’ and they told me loudly and clearly that they did not want to be at school in that moment. So, we wrote on the whiteboard all the places they instead wanted to be at 14 years of age. It filled up the whole board!

I learnt a lesson. Year 9 could be a wasted year for our girls if we did not do it differently. There were so many things they wanted to have a go at rather than being ‘locked up’ in a classroom. The girls had energy, ideas, and enthusiasms which could engage them in purposeful activities and in experiences which could develop and enrich their lives.

Outdoor education was commonly taught in schools and was good to a degree – Outward Bound, Duke of Edinburgh, ski trips and the like – but these are primarily based on recreation, not real life. I pondered this thought and talked to staff and gradually the idea grew.

We began to realise that Year 9 students could benefit from A YEAR AWAY. Looking after themselves, learning from the environment, without parents, siblings, mobile phones and the glitzy attractions of the city. It could truly be a growth year rather than a year of disengagement.