Seventy years of School of the Air celebrated in family recipe cookbook

Seventy years of remote education in Australia’s far west has found a unique expression in Dust Off and Dish Up, a family recipe cookbook published by the School of the Air (SOTA) Parent's and Citizens Association (P&C). The book celebrates the school’s 70th anniversary while highlighting the vital role food plays in connecting communities spread across vast distances. Published in collaboration with residents of remote stations, the cookbook includes recipes, personal stories, and insights into the evolution of SOTA from its beginnings in the 1950s to its current digital format. Bessie Thomas, a resident of Burragan Station, nearly 200 kilometers from the nearest supermarket, described how cooking brings people together in isolated areas. “We’re getting together for smoko in the paddock or barbecues to celebrate birthdays or nibbles on the verandah and drinks by the dam,” she said. For Bessie, food is more than sustenance, it is a bridge between families, neighbors, and station workers. Her children, who attend classes via the SOTA system, are among many students benefiting from modern technology that allows them to interact with teachers and classmates remotely. The cookbook, titled Dust Off and Dish Up, is the fifth such publication by the Broken Hill SOTA, following a tradition begun in the 1980s. Each edition captures the changing landscape of remote education, from early methods involving radio broadcasts and tape recorders to today’s reliance on high-speed internet. This year’s version includes reflections from Anny O'Connor, who studied through SOTA in the late 1960s from her family’s station in Tibooburra. She recalled receiving lessons via weekly mail and communicating through a transceiver, often struggling with poor reception. “We couldn’t see each other and could barely hear one another, depending on the weather,” she said. Even basic tasks, like finding a wandering foal named Tiny Tim, could disrupt lessons. The cookbook also offers practical guidance for life in the bush, including recipes for traditional country dishes such as sausage rolls, quiche, brownie, sponge cake, and pumpkin soup, many passed down through generations. In addition, it contains tips for managing daily life without regular access to stores, such as how to clean and cook yabbies, a common local delicacy. These skills, honed over decades, remain essential for families living in remote regions. Funding for the school comes partly from sales of the cookbook, which supports initiatives like bus trips, school camps, and classroom supplies for the Broken Hill campus. Bessie emphasized the challenges faced by students in remote areas, noting that many can participate in weekend sports regularly, while others must wait until they return from town. “A big part of our school that makes it a bit different to other schools is just the distance kids are to accessing things they need to access,” she said. The cookbook serves as both a tribute and a resource, preserving the history of SOTA while offering contemporary tools for survival in the bush. It reflects the resilience of communities that have adapted to extreme conditions, using food as a means of maintaining social bonds and cultural continuity. As the school continues to evolve, so too does its legacy, a legacy rooted in the shared experiences of those who live and learn in some of Australia’s most remote corners.