Former Wallaby Adrian Skeggs returns to Lord Howe Island to raise his son in nature

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In the 1990’s he was a pro-rugby player based in the city. Now, the former Wallaby Adrian 'Moose' Skeggs has returned to his home of Lord Howe Island. It is home to the states most remote public school, where his son is among those getting an unusual education.

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00:00It's a weekday morning and children are riding barefoot next to a coral lagoon on their way

00:08to school.

00:09It's awesome.

00:10It's just such a fantastic place to be and be with the kids.

00:14The kids don't wear shoes to school, which is a bit mind-blowing and it took me a while

00:18to get used to that.

00:21The 40-odd students at the Lord Howe Island Central School often head to the foreshore

00:26to learn and connect with the environment.

00:29I think they're used to growing up around adults and that's just part of their everyday.

00:33They're really engaged and really connected.

00:35I like living on Lord Howe because there's lots of waves out on the reef.

00:41There's no traffic, there's no snakes or rats and you can ride your bikes everywhere.

00:46It's helped bring fourth generation Islander and former Wallaby, Adrian Skeggs, back to

00:52the island with his family.

00:54It's just so meaningful now that we're doing so much more together and riding him to school

00:58and picking him up from school.

00:59It's just such a dream.

01:00It's been amazing his growth in just a few months.

01:04I think living on probably the world's best and biggest playground is great for him because

01:09every day is an adventure outdoors.

01:11But with no high school on the island, they'll still have to look to a mainland boarding

01:16school or distance education in the future.

01:19Parents say the broader learning opportunities and remote island lifestyle outweigh any challenges.

01:25When the kids aren't in school, they're out learning from the pristine environment around

01:29them or within their community.

01:31The children grow up pretty much knowing every single endemic bird, fish.

01:38They know the ways of the ocean, they swim early, they get to know the land very quickly.

01:43And the next generation is riding the wave too, with the island's first preschool recently

01:49opening next door.

01:51The first steps in a unique education journey.

01:55For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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