Celebrating National Boarding Week 2023

The Knox Total Fitness model focuses on their academic, social and emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing through a wide range of programs and experiences at the School. Boys supplement their daily schooling with evening tutoring, a full range of co-curricular activities, and are able to keep busy with weekend outings including trips to the beach, major sports games and the theatre.

The boys’ modern accommodation is home-like and because of this, the camaraderie is front-of-mind for our oldest boarders. During the assembly, Dylan Farr (Walgett), Sam Stone (Enngonia), Alex Koshy (Newcastle), Jasper Derwent (Northern Beaches), Joey Lin (China) and Ody Zhou (China) all spoke and described the mateship and independence they had gained through life at Knox.

Stage 4 Boarding Prefect Dylan said that while it took him a while to settle in as a Year 7 student, he has made friends for life among the boarding community.

“I never really experienced homesickness, but I’ve spent many long nights sitting with some of my mates helping them get through it. It was from some of these nights I’ve met most of my closest mates,” he said.

Sam, who lives 100km north of Bourke in northern New South Wales, had been the only student in his age group at his primary school, which had a total of 25 students. Moving to a school where co-curricular sport was a possibility and classmates were plentiful was a big change.

“It’s hard growing up away from your parents, yet fun living with your mates,” said Sam.

He said spending time outside the School with day students and their families had widened his horizons, and hoped that being able to take friends out to his hometown had widened theirs.

“Boarding has allowed me to grow and learn to lean on my mates for support and also provided me with insight into different cultures and ways of living. It has opened my eyes to how to make the most of the world in which we all live.”

An important facet of boarding at Knox is working with younger boys, and Dylan said his “most rewarding experience” was becoming Stage 4 Prefect.

“I love going down to the Years 7 and 8 boys and just spending time with them, laughing and playing a game of touch footy,” said Dylan.

“There’s something about going through the years growing up with your mates and then going down and helping the younger men of Knox find their feet and become the next generation of leaders within boarding, and also potentially the wider school community.

“I think we’ll be leaving this school in pretty good hands.”

Talented musicians Cale Slack-Smith and Achille Fong also performed songs by Keane and Coldplay to round out a great National Boarding Week event organised by the boys and co-ordinated by Head of Stage 6 Boarding, Mr James Norman.

Our boarders’ families will get to make the most of the Gala Day weekend by sharing in our Back to Country day on Sunday (21 May), where they will participate in games and a meal with their sons.

To learn more about boarding at Knox, please click here.