OUTBACK SCHOOLS ARE NO LONGER ISOLATED

Back in the early 1980s, Borroloola School was on the outback radio scheduled conducted by the Nhununbuy Regional Education Office.

The radio aerial was not very firmly attached into the ground. A horse kicked it over.

That meant for a period of time direct radio communication from the regional office was impossible.

At the time I was principal of Angurugu School on Groote Eylandt.

For some weeks, messages from Nhulunbuy to Borroloola and vice versa had to be relayed through Angurugu.

Eventually the aerial was permanently fixed into the ground and direct communication was restored.

Such was life back then and back then was not all that long ago. Communication has marched on at a rate of knots; isolation from the world is no longer a part of Outback and remote areas service.