Open every door when opportunity knocks

When you chat to the Yannakouros sisters from Nhulunbuy in Northern Territory about their time in boarding in Brisbane, the conversation is peppered with ‘it’s so much fun’.

Daisy Yannakouros (Year 11) led the charge to attend a Brisbane boarding school, commencing at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Year 7 in 2020. When her parents relocated to Nhulunbuy from Darwin, it was decided that her sisters would follow, Milly, now a senior, joining in 2022, with Ivy following in 2023, starting in Year 9.

The sisters have participated in a list of sports as long as your arm, which not only includes school sports but club hockey and club AFL as well.

A highlight this year was all three being selected for the Opens AFL team and playing together, which they say was ‘so much fun’, as was Ivy and Daisy playing on the same water polo team.

Their sport involvement is key to enjoying their boarding days, as it keeps them busy and expands their friendship network in and out of the boarding house.

They also love the weekend boarding house activities, particularly the closed weekends that occur once a semester and really help to cement friendships and community bonds within the house, especially as a newcomer.

Daisy has been appointed co-Sports Captain in 2025, which she is very excited about, and Milly has enjoyed her time as a house captain this year, which she says has honed her leadership skills, gathering together diversity of individual thought to work towards team goals.

Being in their senior years, Daisy and Milly are at the pointy end of their academic studies.

Both agree that prep arrangements in the boarding house help enormously.

In the senior years, there are more options for boarders to study individually or collaboratively with their peers, in addition to the bonus of having day school teachers attend prep sessions.

Ivy says that while the dedicated two-hour evening sessions for the Years 7 to 9 boarders at first seemed long, they have really helped her focus and having the day school teachers in attendance is incredibly helpful.

Just chatting with the Yannakouros sisters is ‘so much fun’, hearing how they have embraced every opportunity while at St Margaret’s with such gusto, while also deeply appreciative of the support they receive from the school community which helps facilitate all their activities – from parent support groups who make delicious breakfasts after rowing, to boarding staff who help organise transport, to the teachers for their academic care, together with all their other 190 ‘sisters’ in the boarding house.