| BACK HOME EDUCATIONAL AIRWAYS February 23, 1956, was a red-letter day for children in the remote western and north western regions of New South Wales. On that day they were welcomed to a "classroom" extending over half a million square miles, as the School of the air was opened in a studio at Broken Hill North School. The full significance of such a venture is really difficult to imagine, so tremendous are its implications and so vast the area covered. It was a dramatic ceremony for the representative gathering of citizens present in the new building. The teacher in charge, Mrs P. C. Gibb, spoke quietly through the microphone to all children and parents covered by the Royal Flying Doctor Service broadcasting station. The opening day at any school is a very exciting one; but this is especially exciting because this is a very special school. You do not come to school by bus, car or on bicycle as children here do; you simply come to school by going to your transceiver set and turning it on, said Mrs Gibb. To give the visitors some idea of the great distances involved in this unique school, Mrs Gibb called in some of the young listeners on the network. From Glengyle Station, over 500 miles away, north of Birdsville in Queensland, young John Crombie sent regards to his teacher and described his home. John Farger then spoke from Wirrealpa station of 700 square miles, east of the Flinders Ranges. "Seven hundred square miles," said Mrs Gibb. "Just think of that. If you took one whole mile of land beside the railway line from here to Sydney, that land all put together would make up the area of Wirrealpa," she said. "It is wonderful to help make a dream come true and that is what we are doing and what we will be doing in the days ahead. The dream goes back beyond 1926 when the late Very Reverend Dr John Flynn first dreamed of a Flying Doctor Service and a mantle of safety spread over our whole continent. Today marks yet another step forward in the realisation of that dream," she said. In a recorded speech, the NSW Minister for Education, Mr R.J. Heffron outlined the history of the school's establishment. The Director General of Education, Dr H. S. Wyndham, then officially opened the school, observing amongst other things that the direct radio contact between isolated children of the same age would bring them joy and stimulation. He also commented on how fortunate the department was to have acquired the services of Mrs Gibb, who had considerable experience in educational broadcasting and as a remedial teacher. For many years Mrs Gibb conducted the Radio Sunday School of the Air from station 2BH. A touching response to Dr Wyndham's speech was made by Ron Napier of Murnpeowie Station, 250 miles from Broken Hill, north of the Flinders Ranges. Representatives of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, whose co-operation in making their network available to the school enabled its establishment, were next to speak. They were Mr J. H. Mc Clure, the pastoralists' representative on the Royal Flying Doctor Service Council and Mr T. L. Davis. Mr McClure established a very important fact when he pointed out that lack of educational facilities had forced many outback children to leave the land and live in over-populated coastal areas. He made a personnel appeal to graziers to give the school every assistance. In a clear confident voice, Kenneth Stacy, a sixth class student from North Primary School, then told his listeners how "our school is now your school" and invited outback pupils to visit the school when in Broken Hill. Mrs Gibb invited short talks from Wendy Reed (Cymbric Vale), Billy Bonnett (Cobham), and Annette Heinrich (Wongalilli), and the ceremony came to a close with the singing of "Land of Mine' by the Girls of the North School. A SHORT HISTORY In the early years of our educational history it was the practice to provide travelling or itinerant teachers for those children who lived in far distant, sparsely settled areas, and were unable to attend schools set up by the Department CONTINUE NEXT PAGE |