Danae Hobbs will start prep next year, joining 10 boys at the small school.

Principal Christian Brown said ideally the school would have a 50-50 ratio.

“We’re very excited to have a girl again,” he said. 

Mr Brown said they enjoyed including boy-targeted activities into the curriculum this year, such as having football players visit and woodwork clinics. 

“She’s the only prep enrolled as well, so there will be lots of face-to-face and one-on-one time with teachers,” Mr Brown said. 

Danae said she was very excited to start school and was looking forward to playing outside and making new friends.

Although she is a bit of a girly-girl and likes all things pink, she said she wouldn’t try and make the boys do girly things. 

Danae’s mother Shelley Hobbs said she wasn’t concerned at all. 

“I’m not worried,” Ms Hobbs said. “I didn’t think twice about sending her to the school. 

“She gets along better with boys anyway and she has a lot of fun playing with her brothers.”

Ms Hobbs said she was the only girl on her block growing up.

“You just played with everyone – it didn’t matter that I was the only girl,” she said. “It was play with the boys or play by yourself.” 

The school’s population has rapidly been decreasing, with 14 pupils this year and only 11 enrolled for next year. 

Six years ago the school had 39 pupils, with 16 girls and 23 boys.

Mr Brown said the school serviced the local area and if the numbers drop further, the school might have to close. 

“If the town grows, we’ll grow,” he said.

“If we get people moving away and people moving out here to retire, then we won’t exist for too much longer.”

nicole.cairns@fairfaxmedia.com.au