Australian Definition (
girls):
A school aged
kid who attends boarding school. They are often stereotyped as being from wealthy families or from large farms. Although many boarders are from these situations, a great deal are also on financial bursaries, and academic/cultural/sport scholarships. Some are just from average families, and their
parents have had to make many sacrifices to ensure that their children could receive an education far superior than their own.
Some Aussie kids go to boarding school because they live in remote areas or have poor schooling systems in their area. Many have completed Distance Education.
Boarders in regional boarding schools often affectionately call each other 'bogans' and often dress in trackies, singlets, flannies, thongs and ugg
boots. They are world leaders when it comes to wearing their hair in 'messy buns'.
They often use
slang and swearing, and are known to be scabs, always trying to get free food off anyone who's got it. They frequently buy fundraiser chocolates.
Socials between boarding schools, "Boarder's Bashes", are extremely
popular.
As they enter the senior years, many are taken on leave by day
girls to parties involving
drugs, sex, alcohol, smokes, and not to mention a video camera to record everthing with. Some of the worst of these will boast of how much they threw up.
They have a terrible habit of 'killing' songs. This means that a girl will play one of the latest songs over and over on their stereo for weeks until everyone decides that they never want to hear it again. Or at least not for 18 months or so. At this moment "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas is being slaughtered.
Generally they stick together, and are friendly towards
one another. They are much more united than day
girls,and sometimes day girl vs. boarder fights are ignited.
State of Origin is an important event,and they will passionately wear their maroon and
blue to the Dining Hall for the themed Dinner, and then go back to the Common Room to watch the match. Much screaming occurs. (Note: best not to have
parents of international students visit at this
time. They are slightly scared of both the noise, and the creaking ceiling from the
girls jumping up and down upstairs).
The majority of boarders will wear their Boarder status as a badge of pride.
I should know. I am
one.
