17 the Star
Pictured above: Olivia Edwards and fellow boarder Mia Cole (both Year 12) relaxing in one of the Boarding House common rooms.
MY HOME AWAY FROM
Year 12 student Olivia Edwards reflects on her journey as a boarder at MLC. As a shy Year 8 student unaccustomed to living away from my family, I was apprehensive about my capacity to succeed in an all girls’ boarding school. More than 300 kilometres away from my home in Albury, New South Wales, I did experience feelings of worry and homesickness. Looking back over four and a half years, the boarding house has bolstered my successes and invigorated my ambitions. The care and guidance that the older girls provided had a profound impact on who I am today. As a Year 12 boarder looking forward to commencing university in 2022, I now have the responsibility of guiding the younger girls as they begin the extraordinary experience of being a boarder at MLC.
‘The Amazing Race’ activity during the orientation weekend at the beginning of each year facilitates new friendships. The event is a taste of the excitement of Melbourne while showing the importance of connecting with others. I still stay in touch with the older girls who were the first to teach me how to touch on and touch off with my Myki, even though many of them now attend universities interstate and overseas. Being a boarder provides the incredible opportunity to network with other tremendous young women from every corner of the globe. The culture in Tiddeman House is truly special, from the big events to the smaller moments. Family Dinners are a lively tradition every Thursday while the ‘Boarders’ Birthday’ is a much anticipated annual event. Traditionally, the girl who has boarded for the longest cuts the birthday cake whilst the youngest boarder blows out the candles. My personal favourite events have been shopping at Chadstone, trips to Bounce trampolining and the Colour Run. I’ll always reflect on the memories formed each night over supper in the Lower Tower Common Room. Being a boarder means spontaneous trips down Glenferrie Road for frozen yoghurt, many weeknights spent conversing and snacking on cereal in the dining hall and Friday movie nights curled up in the Sun Room with ample snacks.
Pictured top: The artwork of butterflies on display in the Boarding House Reception. Pictured bottom: Boarders enjoy weekend group activities in early Term 1 2021.
Resilience underpinned my experience throughout the 2020 COVID lockdowns. While some of us were thousands of kilometres away, the Boarding House spirit endured. I remember the first day of online school where all of the Year 11 boarders caught up during virtual recess. We made an exhibition of our own pets, including many cats and one rooster. Returning to boarding amid the adversity of 2020 was a bizarre experience, with social distancing and strictly designated shower times. Many girls were unable to return as a result of travel restrictions, but our efforts to stay connected exemplified the unique connections that MLC boarders form. Hanging up in the Boarding House Reception is an artwork of scarlet butterflies assembled in a pattern, with a single white butterfly in the corner. The artwork was gifted by a Year 12 boarder during my first year of boarding. The single white butterfly symbolises metamorphosis and is perhaps reflective of my own transformation throughout my boarding experience. Similarly, the celebration of the white butterfly’s individualism reflects the nature of the boarding community. Each individual is interwoven into the complex tapestry of the whole to create a dynamic, multicultural environment that celebrates each person’s distinctiveness.
