We arrived in Alice Springs around 11:30 this morning. It was interesting watching the landscape below as we flew over. Nothing but desolate and barren desert with a beautiful red hue. The "Mad Max" movie landscape backgrounds make much more sense now. Alice Springs is the only true town in Central Australia with a population of about 24,000. Families from as far as 750 kilometers (460 miles) away have to travel here for all their shopping needs. It was established in 1872 to serve as the central hub for the telegraph system that Australia was building to improve communication to it's remote areas. We spent some time wandering around downtown then visited the Telegraph Station, the Royal Flying Doctor Service headquarters, and the School of the Air center.
First I will share the Telegraph Station since that is how the town got it's name. The superintendent of telegraphs was Charles Todd and his wife's name was Alice. When the surveyor found what he thought was an adequate waterhole to support the station, he named it Alice Spings. The station operated for 60 years.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service was established in 1928 in an effort to reach the isolated families in need of medical attention. Today there are 21 medical bases that serve 80% of Australia. The planes today are fully equipped with equipment comparable to a hospital intensive care unit and staffed with doctors and flight nurses. People call when in need of service and if they can't be assisted through phone consultation, the plane is dispatched to go to them.
The Alice Springs School of the Air was established in 1951 to serve the remote children that can't attend a traditional school. It started by placing radios in the family homes and lessons were transmitted over the air. Children could contact the teachers when they needed help. Paperwork was mailed to them and they completed their lessons and mailed them back in to be graded. Today, students are given a satellite dish, computers, web cams, and microphones so they can participate within a virtual classroom via the internet. The teachers can see the students, students can see the teachers and other students, and actively participate in the lessons. Paperwork is scanned and sent in for grading. Library books are packaged and mailed to the students on a regular basis. The families and students come to Alice Springs 4 times a year so they can connect with fellow students, play some games and sports together, and meet their teachers.
Some of the old radio equipment.
A quilt made by the different squares families made and sent in.
No comments:
Post a Comment