Country student’s first day of school in the city

New boarder and Year 7 student Lucy Kennedy was the only child on her family’s remote station near Mount Isa but this week starts school with over 900 new friends at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Brisbane’s inner north.

“On Ardmore I didn’t get to see many other kids that often. I only got to see my school friends about three times a year when we came together for different school events,” Lucy said.

“I am excited about being around other girls my age and being able to socialise a little bit.”

Lucy will encounter a range of new school life experiences as she embarks on her first day of school in the city starting with travelling more than 1,800kms from home to the school gate.

“I will have to drive an hour and a half to the Mt Isa airport, then get on a plane and fly to Brisbane which will take three hours,” Lucy said.

Music lessons and sporting activities will be completely different for Lucy now too.

“I have been playing the violin for four years now and the cello for one year,” she said.

“I learnt to play through School of the Air over the phone with no visual at all. I had an amazing teacher who helped me through it all.

“I plan to continue my violin at St Margaret’s and hopefully learn the piano as well.

“I am looking forward to getting the opportunity to play some team sports too. So far in primary school, I haven’t been able to play any team sports because I live a long way from town.

“I think it will be fun at boarding school making lots of new friends.”

St Margaret’s will welcome 170 new and veteran boarders for the start of school with students hailing from all over Queensland, Northern NSW, the Northern Territory and overseas destinations including Vanuatu and China.