Sam Bailey is a farmer, pilot, husband and best-selling author. He has achieved all of those from a wheelchair….and has an incredible ability to take an audience on the journey of his life.

From a childhood growing up in the Australian bush to a car accident in the outback that turned his life upside down and its aftermath, Sam tells his story in his own down-to-earth laconic style that captures the determination, grit and humour that made it possible.

He relates how he beat the odds to fulfill his life-long dream to be a farmer, learning to ride a four wheel bike; devising a hoist to get into farm machinery and ultimately learning to fly an ultralight.

Sam then found his soul mate in former Tamworth-based ABC radio Rural Reporter, Jenny Black – who he proposed to “live” on regional radio. Their story appeared on ABC TV’s “Australian Story” in 2000 with an overwhelming response and was published in April 2006 in their book ‘Head Over Heels’.

Today they live and work together on their mixed farming property in North West NSW, in between travelling the country telling their story and giving inspiration to others.

They are also working towards their next big goal - called Helifirst - which entails Sam becoming the first quadriplegic in the world to fly a helicopter and flying into schools to inspire children to fulfill their own dreams and goals

We are thrilled to have Sam Bailey present our keynote for our first ever Australian Boarding Schools Summit 2022.

You can find out more information about Sam and Jenny at their website www.sambailey.com.au

Ruby Riethmuller is the Founder and Director of Womn-Kind - a female-led youth mental health organisation on a mission to close the gap in effective wellbeing education and support for adolescent girls and gender-diverse young people. Ruby has led Womn-Kind in the development and launch of school wellbeing workshops, a first-of-it's-kind social wellness app - the Womn-Kind App, Dear Sister podcast, merchandise, parent training seminars, collaborations and online resources that are delivering mental health education and support to adolescents. Since founding Womn-Kind, Ruby has grown the community to over 5,000 people, been shortlisted for the Young Australian of the Year Award, selected as a Future Women Rural Scholarship Recipient and nominated for the NSW Women of the Year Award. Ruby grew up in regional NSW and attended Ascham School on a boarding scholarship.

‘Alana Moller is the Federal President of the Isolated Childrens' Parents Association (ICPA).

She remains a member her local Clermont Branch in Central Queensland and has been the President and Correspondence Secretary of the Branch.

Alana, and her husband Scott, own and operate 'Star of Hope Station’, west of Clermont in Central Queensland – primarily a cattle station.

They have three daughters – two at boarding school and one in primary school via distance education. In fact all of Alana and Scott’s daughters have completed their primary education with School of the Air and….. Alana has (and remains) the home school educator/tutor.

Alana has had a keen interest in rural education since her own school days, growing up on her family's cattle station outside of a small mining town. Once completing all of her schooling there, she completed a Bachelor of Education (Secondary English and Geography) with the goal of becoming a rurally based teacher.

As often happens in rural Australia, Alana met her husband while completing a prac’ teaching placement in Clermont. After they married, Alana continued contract and supply teaching in Clermont and Capella until 2010 when her eldest daughter started distance education and she became the home tutor - meaning that her teaching continued and 10 years later is down to one child in the schoolroom.

Alana joined ICPA’s Federal Council knowing that the organisation directly reflects her passion for rural education and the importance of pursuing equality and accessibility for isolated children.

As President Alana sits on all ICPA Federal Portfolios and we are thrilled to have her as a guest panellist for our inaugural Australian Boarding Schools Summit.

Hailing from the Central West district of NSW, Australia, Fiona is a 5th generation primary producer. Fiona's is a mixed-family farming operation of 5000ha. Enterprises include cereal cropping, merino sheep and prime lamb production. In addition, Fiona founded the paddock-to-plate business, "Outback Lamb".

Outback Lamb makes award-winning, farm-fresh, gourmet lamb sausage rolls. Their lamb was a state winner in the 2021 Delicious Magazine Produce Awards, and the sausage rolls took out the bronze medal at the 2021 Sydney Royal Show in the RAS Fine Food Awards.

A 2023 Nuffield Scholar, Fiona has achieved industry recognition by being a finalist in the 2019 ABC/Kondinin Farmer of the Year, the 2020

Lambition Industry Innovation Awards, and the 2019/2020 Shine Awards. Fiona sits on the NSW Ag Minister's Advisory Group (AGMAG), was a mentor in the DRLMP (Drought Resilience Leaders Mentoring

Program) and advocates for the red meat industry in her role as an MLA Meat Ambassador. Fiona is passionate about connecting people to their food source. Some of her speaking engagements include the Australian Fine Food Expo in Melbourne, keynote speaker for the Asian Productivity Organisation in Taiwan, Keynote speaker for the APVMA International Conference in Armidale, plus various other industry events, podcasts, radio and television appearances.

Fiona is dedicated to the future of family farming and regional prosperity. She is committed to sharing rural Australia's story and focuses on hitting that sweet spot where the planet, profits and community are all winners.

Tom Dunsmore is the CEO of Torres Strait Kaziw Meta a NFP, boarding hostel on Thursday Island catering for students from the outer islands of the Torres Strait. Kaziw Meta has been awarded one of the top ten first nations education program in Australia for the cultural focus and in particular Kaziw Meta Dance Team. Prior to this, for over 10 years Tom was the General Manager at the Australian Boarding Schools Association supporting boarding schools in Australian with training, consultancy, industry and partnership developments.

Peter Gibbs or “Chicka” is a Gamillaroi man from the community of Weilmoringle on the banks of the Culgoa River in far west NSW. Peter has many years of experience in the community-development sector, with more than 30 years focusing on Western NSW.

He has worked in shearing sheds, on cotton fields, for the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, TAFE NSW Western Institute and been an Advisor to both Federal and State Government Ministers. Mr Gibbs is a Director of the NSW Geographical Names Board, Skillset Senior College and an active member of the Bourke based Nulla Nulla Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Mr Gibbs has been instrumental in the establishment of the IPROWD Program, a training model that develops Aboriginal people for a potential career in the NSW Police Force. The concept for this model developed after the tragic death in Police custody of his sister Fiona. IPROWD is now one of the most high profile programs in NSW.

Peter has developed partnerships with business, the philanthropic sector and government agencies in implementing innovative strategies aimed at improved life outcomes for Aboriginal people. He went to boarding school, and he sent his children to boarding school. He brings a valued perspective to the conversation around boarding schools and their impact on students.

George has worked in the education sector for over 25 years and has spent time in operations and business development. Having worked extensively across this national business he is familiar with all aspects the industry, across the Independent school and tertiary sectors.

George understands the role catering plays in the boarding environment and the relationship between quality, service and wellbeing. Over the years he has developed and maintained strong knowledge and connection with the changing needs of this market and is very passionate about making a difference.

Having worked in the industry for over two decades Fiona has spent considerable time in operations management, business development and innovation.

Her working knowledge of the education market, from all perspectives, allows her to take a holistic approach to the development of future concepts and innovations that add value to the student and, more specifically, the boarder experience. Fiona is the driving force behind our smart food program and the tailoring of solutions for each boarding community partnership to ensure we deliver the most appropriate and quality catering solutions.

Recognised by NSW Member for Dubbo, Dugald Saunders as a 'true son of rural NSW', with a passion for the agriculture industry and business. James' roots stem from agriculture, the legal profession and stakeholder engagement with the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

He is confident in leadership and working with numerous stakeholders across industry. James has a strong professional background with a Bachelor of Economics/ Bachelor of Laws (majoring in Economics) from The University of New England and was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court in early 2016.

In 2019 James was named RAS NSW Rural Ambassador which was followed by being awarded the UNE Alumni Rising Star Award in 2020. He is also one of six Robb College Life Members.

These wonderful professional achievements have stemmed from a childhood on the family farm at Nyngan, and boarding at The Scots College, Sydney. James is an advocate of rural life and the opportunities of a diverse education.

Having grown up in Sydney, Fiona has spent the last couple of decades living and working in regional Australia. For many years she was involved in a farming enterprise in the central west of NSW, which her sons Will and Henry are now running.

She spent twelve years in the federal parliament as a Senator for NSW and also held ministerial positions including Rural Health, and in Cabinet the positions of Regional Development, Regional Communications and Local Government and Territories. She also held the position of Deputy Leader of the Nationals.

From 2018 - 2021 Fiona was the Strategic Adviser, Regional Engagement and Government Relations for Charles Sturt University.

Fiona was appointed by the Australian Government as the Regional Education Commissioner in December 2021.

Alistair has always been passionate around education and the impact that strong social environments can have on an individual's development. He discovered this passion while at university and spent a majority of his spare time coaching sport and tutoring in the boarding house of his old school. From there, he went on to present seminars at high schools across the country around study skills, motivation and time management

Since university, Alistair has worked across many facets of the Edtech industry. His roots are in technology driving learning outcomes, but for the last 2 years Alistair has been working with Edstart to revolutionise school fees for parents and schools alike. Edstart works with over 600 schools across the country and has unique insights into the challenges faced by parents around fees. We believe wholeheartedly that education is the most powerful investment a parent can make for their children. For that reason, there should be a multitude of supporting frameworks to enable parents manage school fees in a sustainable and personable manner.

Ben is the Director of Boarding at The King’s School. He has over 15 years’ experience in boarding and pastoral care. Ben teaches senior Economics, Business Studies and Junior Commerce, and coaches Rugby, Tennis and Cricket. He has been an Assistant Boarding Housemaster, a Master in Charge of Sport, an Academic Year Co-ordinator, an Officer in The King’s School Cadet Corps and most recently a Senior Boarding Housemaster for the last seven years.

He is passionate about best practice pastoral care. He has introduced the Patron program to King’s boarding and has worked with the boarding team to develop the Technology policy within the boarding houses. Ben has been on many rugby tours including two World Cup tours in 2007 and 2019 and has been fortunate to be part of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh sailing expeditions to New Caledonia.

Ben has the pleasure of working with a wonderful team of Housemasters, House Matrons and Boarding staff and, together, they are committed to providing a rich and rewarding experience for each and every boarder. As a result, Ben believes a King’s School boarder is a young man who is kind, caring and respectful, who has resilience and grit and who will contribute positively to the wider community in their service to others. Just as importantly, they will leave school with lifelong friendships and wonderful memories.

Jo was appointed as the Registrar of The King’s School in 2020. Her role involves meeting prospective families who are interested in enrolling their children at one of the three Campuses of TKS. She enjoys meeting families from Metropolitan Sydney, Regional and Rural Australia and from around the International globe.

Jo’s move to Registrar follows her role as the Preparatory and Regional Registrar, a teacher, Housemaster and Master in Charge of Snowsports at the King’s Prep. She has met many families over the last twelve years at TKS. Jo has over 30 years of teaching experience, of boys, girls and co-ed classes, across a variety of private and public primary schools. She has helped open a behavioural unit in Western Sydney, published primary text books and lectures to university students on being “job ready”. Jo is passionate about education, creating happy learning environments and weaving school families into our caring community.

James and his wife Amanda have a mixed farming enterprise at Narromine. They have three daughters, Annabelle, Libby and Emily. For their daughters secondary education James and Amanda sent their daughters to board at Wenona School in North Sydney. Annabelle graduated in 2019, Libby in 2020 and Emily is to graduate in 2022.

In addition to farming James works with families through-out Australia in the area of family succession planning. James’ role is to ensure the transfer of management and assets occurs within a family so all family members deem the outcome to be fair.

Heidi grew up in Central West NSW. After attending Boarding School in Sydney and studying Business Heidi accepted a position working in a stock camp in the NT. Since then she has been very involved in the Northern Beef Industry through Head Stockman, Overseer, Training and Recruitment roles. Heidi is the Recruitment Officer for a family owned and operated Pastoral Company in North West QLD and works remotely from her office on a cattle station north of Julia Creek, which she manages alongside her husband. They have 4 children who were all home schooled through School of Distance Education until year 6 before attending Boarding School in Brisbane. 2 children are still at Boarding School and the older 2 have graduated. Heidi believes that without boarding schools, isolated children without access to a secondary school, would be denied social, sporting and academic opportunities.

Heidi is also the Founder and Manager of All Quotes Direct which is an online quoting and sales platform for everything rural. This service automatically directs and links the next online generation with businesses in their local area. It was important to her that by developing a service like All Quotes Direct, the economy would remain strong in rural communities through local businesses surviving into the next tech orientated generation.

Waverley Stanley is an Indigenous man who grew up in Murgon, a small rural town 300 kilometres Northwest of Brisbane, but currently resides on the Gold Coast.

Waverley has a passion for education and the empowerment of Indigenous children. Waverley is the Founding Director of Yalari Limited, a not-for-profit company established in 2005 to provide Indigenous students from regional, rural and remote communities to attend some of the best boarding schools throughout Australia.

Yalari have a vision of supporting Indigenous students that will provide a positive change for generations of children to come.

Waverley attended Toowoomba Grammar School from 1980 – 1984.

Dr Fahey is a registered Psychologist of over 30 years. She has focused her practice in areas of support to individuals and families with high and complex psychological needs, challenging behaviour and trauma recovery. Dr Fahey has a passion for targeted analysis with a flexible innovative multidiscipline approach to shaping therapeutic intervention across a range of settings.

She has a strong commitment to clinician development, having supervised over 50 Psychology Interns to registration in the last 15 years, and providing professional supervision and mentoring to established practitioners: along with hosting both Clinical Masters and undergraduate placements for both University of Western Sydney and Macquarie University.

Dr Fahey’s PhD thesis in 2014, focused on an investigation of the impact of carer psychological profile on capacity to care for high needs and traumatised clients; along with testing insights around building resilient and sustainable carer models. She continues to write focused action research papers and develops software and training platforms to optimise well-being and mental health for clients and carers.

Dr Fahey was honoured with the Order of Australia for services to Psychology and medicine in 2023.

Mrs Kate Kovacs is Director of Boarding at Loreto Normanhurst. She commenced her employment with the school in 1992 as a Personal Development Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) and Religion teacher. In 2003 she became a House Coordinator and in 2005 became the Deputy Director of the Boarding school until she took up her current position, as Director of Boarding in 2010. Prior to commencing at Loreto Normanhurst, Mrs Kovacs taught in schools in country NSW and QLD. Mrs Kovacs has a Bachelor of Education and a Certificate in Residential Care.

Kate is the current Chair of the ABSA NSW Heads of Boarding and the Vice Chair of the Australian Heads of Boarding. She presents regularly for ABSA on areas of best practice in the boarding setting and is an Accredited Boarding Practitioner, Level 4.

Pete is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Adviser and Managing Director at PrincipleFocus.

He has worked in this role for over 25 years proving advice and business coaching agribusiness and high net wealth families in regional Australia. He has had previous experience in leading Sydney and regional firms and in a corporate environment. Pete and wife Virginia live and work in Dubbo and have completed the education of their 3 children at boarding schools and University. He describes that personal journey as so very rewarding and at times presenting challenges for all family members.

Toni Williams has been in the Independent Education sector for over 20 years and for the past 14 years has been Director of Business and Operations for St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s Anglican Girls Schools. Prior to her current role, Toni was the foundation Business Manager for St Andrew’s Anglican College. Her current role incorporates the responsibilities of Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary and Business Operations, including management of large capital projects.

Toni’s experience also extends into the retail and tourism sectors, having been a Business Manager for Coles Myer and holding management positions in various Queensland Resorts prior to joining the independent education industry.

• Immediate Past President, Association of School Business Administrators, Qld Chapter (ASBAQ)
• Past Director, Association of School Business Administrators Limited
• Member, Finance Committee, Independent Schools Queensland

BBus(Acc), BBus(InfoSys), GAICD, GIA(Affiliated)

Natalie is a wife and mother hailing from rural Queensland on a feedlot, farming and grazing operation.

She is currently CFO of the family farm operation and has just completed 16 years of teaching her children via school of distance education (the last one went off to boarding school in Brisbane this year). She has a thorough understanding of rural and remote education and the complex issues that can arise - with a Bachelor of Behavioural Studies under her belt, 4 children going to two different boarding schools, as well us many years working with the ICPA as a councillor and Publicity Officer she has plenty of experience to draw on.

Martin was responsible for the research and subsequent oversight of the implementation of “Next Generation Boarding” at Knox Grammar School on Sydney’s north shore.

Now primarily focused on relationships within our past, present and future boarding communities, local and overseas, Martin finds himself traveling extensively in rural areas, and overseas, to connect with families and students.

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