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For many boys who travel from around Australia – and the world – to attend St Joseph’s College, the concept of “home” takes on new meaning.
One young student, Howie Green, captured this sentiment perfectly when reflecting on his return to the family farm during the school holidays. After weeks away, stepping back onto the land – 500km away from his Sydney boarding school – should have felt like a homecoming, yet something unexpected stirred within him. “When I first got to Joeys, I felt homesick. But now, when I come back to the farm, I feel homesick for school,” he admits. “The boarding house becomes your second home without you even realising it … you start missing your mates, the routine, the place itself.”
From the farm to the city
From the expansive farmlands of northern New South Wales, two neighbouring families made life-changing decisions. Kate and Ben Green, and Bernie and Phil Dawson, whose sons grew up chasing pigs and mustering cattle, chose to send them to board at St Joseph’s College in Sydney.
For many, sending a child so far from home, is daunting. But for the Greens and Dawsons, who wanted the best for their boys, they soon discovered that Joeys offered more than an education – it provided a community and the opportunity for them to grow into good men.
Samuel Dawson and Howie Green, now in Year 8, experienced childhoods shaped by hot, sunny days, hard work and deep ties to the land. Kate Green, who herself attended boarding school in Queensland, recognised that Joeys could offer Howie opportunities beyond what the bush alone could provide. Kate, whose father Steve (1972) is an Old Boy of St Joseph’s College, hesitated at first: “Sydney is big. Joeys is big. I didn’t think we could do it.”
But the school came to them. Through visits from Old Boys and College representatives, they experienced Joeys’ spirit firsthand. “Dad always said, ‘just bring Ben to a Joeys game’,” Kate recalls. So, they did. And that was it. “As soon as we walked into the grounds, we were hooked,” Ben Green recalls. “Just walking around, seeing the boys, the way they carried themselves – it was done.”
For Phil and Bernie, the pull was just as strong. “Before Sam was even enrolled, Kate rang me and said, ‘no pressure, but they’re coming through on a country tour,” recalls Bernie. At a lunch stop in Bingara, they met Br Anthony Boyd, Mr John Reading (1972), Deputy Headmaster Mr Danny Sidgreaves and Headmaster Mr Michael Blake. “Who gets to sit down with a headmaster and have that conversation?” Bernie reflects. Later, when they toured Joeys, it was the students who made the biggest impression. “The way they spoke to us – confident, polite, welcoming – I knew this was where Sam needed to be.”
Mates for life
The reality of boarding school requires sacrifice, but the rewards are evident. The boys, initially nervous, quickly found their place. Howie, who grew up playing rugby league, now dreams of making the First XV rugby union team. Sam has taken up the guitar.
Watching their sons grow into confident young men affirms the decision. “He’s really lifted,” says Bernie. Kate adds, “Howie values home more now. He stands a bit taller.”
The journey of these country families echoes that of expat families who send their sons back to Australia to school. Whether from the bush or overseas, the experience is the same: leaving behind a familiar world for something bigger, finding their place and forming lifelong bonds.
If you are considering St Joseph’s College for your son’s educational journey, you can learn more by visiting joeys.org or contacting the Admissions Office directly via email: sjc@joeys.org or call +61 2 9816 0900 for a detailed discussion about a Joeys education and how it aligns with your child’s aspirations.
