Discovering the Island Continent of Australia

First and foremost, what is a podcast?  There are many different kinds of podcasts, and for the purpose of this blog, I’ll describe the one mentioned below.  A podcast is a digital audio recording of a radio interview that can be downloaded onto an iPod or mp3 player, saved indefinitely, and listened to anywhere at any time of day as often as you choose.  

For the past two years, ever since my friend David in Queensland told me about ABC Radio National’s “The Book Show,” I’ve been making regular visits to the website. (ABC stands for Australian Broadcasting Corporation.)  Ramona Koval (left) is the host.   She interviews authors and book reviewers from around the world, and her podcasts offer a fascinating look into the literary world. There are recordings from Australia book shows in Melbourne and Perth, as well as one-on-one interviews with authors such as Yann Martel, who wrote Life of Pi and Roseanne Barr who wrote  Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm. Even Rosanne found her way to Ramona’s show. That interview was on July 8, just a few weeks ago. As you can see, there’s something for everyone, from serious to sarcastic.  ABC Radio National hosts a wide variety of shows and music stations that can be found here.  

If you have yet to get an iPod or an mp3 player, I highly recommend it. It’s great to be able to listen to a recording that, ten short years ago, would’ve been missed had we not tuned in to a radio station at just the right time to hear it live. And forget about getting reception all the way from Australia! Technology is a wonderful thing. 

Education is the path to living a joyful, prosperous, healthy, and peaceful life. It also played a leading role in the life of my grandfather, Meredith G. Williams Sr.  He was an educator and high school principal. Today, there’s a middle school named after him in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.   

When I learned about Australia’s “School of the Air,” an unconventional classroom that brings education to children living on cattle and sheep stations and government posts in the remote outback, I was impressed by the efforts teachers and students took in order to study reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic in ”the middle of nowhere.”
 
With the use of voice only two-way radios, the teacher gave the lessons and the students provided feedback whenenever the connection was strong enough to transmit. Once a year, there are reunions and gatherings of all those who participate throughout Australia, in centralized locations, so they can meet one another face-to-face. Some say, these children receive a better education than those who sit in regular classrooms, because their desire and appreciation for what they have is stronger.
 
In 2009, Australia announced that it will invest over $40 billion, that’s B for billions of dollars, to provide Internet service to 90% of its population.  The remote stations will have satellite and wireless service, and this will result in better connections to School of the Air. Visuals and interactive classroom discussions will surely be added, and parents may begin hearing the early morning question, ”What should I wear to school today?”!

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