The School of the Air
NOT IN THE TEST This part is worth reading, but the citizenship test never asks about it.
Until the 1950s, children living in isolated places had to attend boarding school or complete their lessons by mail (picured above). Adelaide Miethke, Vice-President of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in South Australia, realised that the Flying Doctor radio service could also help children at home talk with their teachers. The Alice Springs service began to air two-way lessons in 1948. The School of the Air was formally established a few years later. Australia’s experience has helped many other countries to set up their own similar programs.
The old pedal radio was replaced with high-frequency radio receivers and is now replaced by the internet. The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and the School of the Air continue to serve and benefit the people in Australia’s remote communities.
From Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, the official booklet