Wireless chalk and stethoscope on wings

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I planned one day of relaxing in the pool in Alice after the long desert trip, but as you know me already, it didn’t happen. I discovered that there were a few interesting places in Alice. Mainly, I visited two places that provide services we are very accustomed to, but in a unique way as they serve a community distributed over a vast area.
The first place is called “School of the air”. The school teaches 114 kids that live in an area of 1.3M sq km, where there are less than 10 kids in the same area. Most of them live in remote cattle stations and the only other kids in the area are there siblings. The closest neighbours may be 500 km away. The teachers sit in the “class room” in Alice and transmit the lessons over the Internet (once it was just a radio) to the kids. Then they have to work a lot at home, tutored by their parents. Apparently the system works. About 90% of them continue to a boarding high school in Alice and over 75% go to university. The school is ranked in the top 10 in the country. Maybe it’s not a bad idea not to be in the same class with 30-35 other kids that distract your attention. For teachers too it’s a fun school - no need to be a “policeman” - just a teacher.
After that I went to the Alice base of the “Royal Flying Doctor Service”, or RFDS. RFDS gives medical service - both regular and emergency to more or less the same communities, but this time of course also the larger communities in the area - mostly Aboriginal. The service has 30 bases in Australia, and the Alice one employs 6 doctors + some nurses, pilot, technicians, etc. In a quiet day they have 2 flights. In a hectic day they have about 12. It’s certainly ain’t easy but it’s definitely exciting to work for them.

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Photos

RFDS "control center"
The communication center

Comments

[anonymous]

the outback
Honey ... I am a bit demanding here ... But I really want to read about the outback and see photos if you got some ... May I ? Please ? Miss you ! }{ - brouria