"School of the air" shuts down

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by molly bloom



The school of the air always fascinated me when I was a young boy at school in Great Britain. I could never imagine living so far away from a school as to require distance learning, having always lived in the inner city. And it was always sunny in the films and photographs.

It still fascinates me - that photo of the kid with the fish from a remote billabong sums it up.

[Egbert]

Originally posted by molly bloom

............I could never imagine living so far away from a school as to require distance learning, having always lived in the inner city........

I was educated by the Alice Springs School of the Air and by corresponce school for my first 3.5 years of primary school.

In the mornings we would get on the radio to contact Alice Springs, as did the other children from cattle stations in central Australia. We would have lessons over the radio.

The correspondence school was in Adelaide. They would mail my lessons out to our cattle station. My mother taught me for the first three and a half years from the materials the correspondence school sent to us. (We then moved to the city of Adelaide where I went to a school with other children).

[molly bloom]

It's funny but it's not until you drive from Melbourne to Ceduna (or a similar interstate trip, let's say...) that you realize how vast and how thinly settled Australia is. It's more difficult to comprehend in Victoria, until you get out to the Little Desert or the Wimmera, but travelling through parts of South Australia was an eerie feeling- kilometres of empty highway (except for the occasional rotting kangaroo or squashed snake) and isolated cattle stations.

I've yet to travel anywhere in the Red Centre, but the contrast with my experiences in Great Britain where I never lived anywhere than in big cities is quite marked. I think in some ways distance is also a state of mind- driving from London to Cornwall or Wales seems mentally like a long distance, but it wouldn't be anything in terms of travelling time in Australia. My respect for country people has grown since I've lived in Australia- the phrase 'the tyranny of distance' actually means something now. My smallest class size when I was in infants or junior school was 30 or 32, so being in a class of one seems quite remarkable, still.

[Egbert]

There was a time, many years ago when I was very young, when I thought Alice Springs was a BIG place. Well, it is big compared to Tennant Creek. (BTW For people overseas, Alice springs had a population of around 20,000 then and Tennant Creek about 2,000).

Later I lived in Adelaide for many years then moved to Sydney. One day at work I commented on how crowded Sydney is and how crowded the trains are. A girl from London said she thought Sydney was not at all crowded and that there was plenty of room on Sydney trains.

Umh, Molly Bloom, I see your point about perceptions of distances. In the city 100 kilometres is a long way. In the outback it is not so far. Our nearest neighbours, a roadhouse (roadside pub), were 40 kilometres away and the nearest town (Tennant Creek) was nearby at 80 kilometres.

EDIT. Molly, are you on the EU forum perchance?

[Alexander's Horse]

why don't you 2 go and get a room.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
why don't you 2 go and get a room.

But that would cast you in the role of Pandarus, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that.

Besides which, if we were to meet half way it would have to be somewhere like Keith, and I've been there. Actually Mt. Gambier would be nicer, especially when the lake changes colour...

In any case, I've just celebrated my nineteenth anniversary, and I know nothing about Peter's inclinations, so any suggestion of extra mural activities would be presumptuous.

And no, Peter I don't post or lurk in the EU forum; why do you ask?

I have however been to Adelaide- I was there during the Biennial in 1998. Very hot and sunny, with a great ary gallery (how odd to see the Eros from Piccadilly) and museum. Had a marvellous meal in the Red Ochre Grill and a very sweet and fattening afternoon tea in one of the large department stores. We stayed between the city centre and Glenelg, just near the tram line. Do you like it, or is it too quiet for you?

[chequita guevara]

I refuse to believe you're only 19, MB. You're too smart for a 19-year old.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by molly bloom
I've just celebrated my nineteenth anniversary

Anniversary, not birthday.
His profile says he was born in 1969 too.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
I refuse to believe you're only 19, MB. You're too smart for a 19-year old.

Why, Mr. Guevara, charmed I’m sure (flutters eyelashes, swoons....)!

No, I meant anniversary not in the French sense of anniversaire = birthday, but anniversary, as in I’ve been with the same partner for nineteen years. I could hardly say wedding anniversary as we both know that godless sodomitic liberal humanists like me aren’t allowed to get married. However, for the purposes of residence, the Government and D.I.M.A. (the Immigration dept.) recognize gay relationships provided that you can prove that you have been together in a committed relationship and remain in one in Australia. You need joint accounts, bills, photos, friends’ or relatives’ statutory declarations, and so on. It’s not equality, but it is relatively enlightened, so we’ll settle for that.

‘Twas very pleasant- we went out to Viet Namese restaurant in Richmond and had a delicious meal. And a long lie in on Sunday- I made omelettes aux fines herbes and we had grilled Turkish bread and fresh figs and Greek yoghurt, and some delicious East Timorese free trade coffee. I’d recommend partaking of it, if you can find some...

[chequita guevara]

Oh, well, congrats!

[monolith94]

"I refuse to believe you're only 19, MB. You're too smart for a 19-year old."

*raises eyebrow(

It's people like you wot cause unrest!

[Egbert]

Originally posted by molly bloom

............
And no, Peter I don't post or lurk in the EU forum; why do you ask?

.........

IIRC correctly there is someone at the EU forum using the name Molly bloom.

BTW Pay no attention to that suggestion of getting a room. I have no "inclinations".

[Alexander's Horse]

sorry, I was on autopost