Ascham boarder selected for ARTEXPRESS

An additional two Ascham students were shortlisted, including boarder Georgia Allen of Berridale.

Camilla’s fine drawings, entitled Natural Selection, will be exhibited at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery in early 2019.

Her work shows a rare talent at such a young age.

Earlier in the year she was also awarded the Ascham Foundation Award for excellence in practical art.

Camilla credits her deep love of animals for inspiring her work, and she has already been commissioned to produce more artworks.

Camilla and her sister Pippa come from a long line of Ascham boarders – both of their grandmothers lived at Ascham, a decade apart, as well as their maternal great grandmother, aunts, great aunts, cousins and second cousins.

They also have cousins who are current boarders and are carrying on the tradition.

“Generations of family living at Ascham is common over the school’s 132 year history and has contributed to the enduring strength of our boarding community,” a school spokesperson said.

Around 75 per cent of Ascham boarders hail from country NSW and are incredibly adept at both life at home on the land as well as school in the heart of Australia’s biggest city.

Head of boarding Sue Newton describes it as the development of a ‘dual citizenship’ – where boarders can straddle both worlds comfortably.

“The shared experience of rural life provides common ground, so a sense of extended family is palpable in the boarding houses,” Ms Newton said.

“Resident dogs, hens, a hive of native sting-less bees and a large vegetable garden offer familiarity to the girls on Ascham’s campus in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

“Boarding has changed enormously over the last century and a half.

“Historically, boarding was predominantly the solution to geographical isolation, and it shaped girls into young ladies by way of rules and routine.

“Today, there are many more reasons why people choose boarding as part of their child’s education, and girls from both the country and the city come to live at Ascham.

“But from the beginning until now, the cornerstones of Ascham boarding have always been the same – the building of independence, the acquisition of essential life skills, the crafting of resilience and, most consistently of all, the forging of life-long friendships.”