Great Australian Outback Teaching Stories

by Bill "Swampy" Marsh

From beyond the black stump to the Australian Alps; in schools on stations, missions, mines and over the air, it takes a special kind of person to be an outback teacher.Back then, not only did we have to teach the three Rs but also sewing, arts and craft, music, physical education - you name it. Plus there were the duties of gardener, cleaner, nurse, registrar, office administrator, free milk dispenser, librarian and, on occasions, school bus driver. Oh, and in one school I was even responsible for 'mother craft'. And being male and just nineteen, as I was at the time, you might imagine my surprise when a young girl asked me, 'Sir, what's the best milk for babies?'Master storyteller Bill 'Swampy' Marsh has travelled the width and breadth of Australia to bring together yet another memorable collection of stories. This time he has met with many of our extraordinary outback teachers and their students whose recollections so perfectly capture those special days of growing up in the bush.

Genres: Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2016

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, this book really annoyed me. I read Outback Police Stories and quite enjoyed that, but this was the most boring, mundane collection of ramblings ever assembled. I can't even call them anecdotes, as by definition they have to be either interesting or amusing. These were neither.

Every rambling is a variation of the same. Monkeys sitting at typewriters could probably assemble them using the same few themes
* We are far away and use a radio to talk
* Our school is far away
* Far away things are far away
* Sports days are good
* Small school teachers have to do many things
* I'm not a racist but...
* There were students in my class, and I taught them things
* Sports days are the most exciting thing to ever happen
* SPORTS DAY!

[Goldenwattle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is sometimes good to have a book that can be picked up and put down and this is one of those. I left it at my mother's house, which meant I always had a book to read when I visited. After several months I finally finished reading it.
This was not my favourite in this series. My most negative comment was that the stories all seemed to be spoken in the same voice. I pictured an older male voice of limited education. Not all the people whose stories were being told were male. Do so many people use the expression, "Me and my...", instead of the more correct, "My...and I"? Especially as many were teachers. I found that annoying.
An entertaining read, but I will take a rest from this series for a while. I do have another book in the series (given to me) and when I finally get to read it, I will see if I enjoy that more. (I have enjoyed some others more.)

[Tc · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a lot of effort to get through this, and took a few chapters to realise each chapter was a unique recollection of an individual. So it could easily be put down and picked up at will. Some chapters were far more interesting and better written than others, hence my effort to complete the book. But it was interesting to read about rural Australian schools, mostly from bygone eras, both from the perspective of teachers and students.

[Chris Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short stories of schools in the outback. Bill Marsh gathered stories from teachers and students.

[Daniel Pass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories. A guy who taught John Howard. Stories about the huge teaching load - having to teach all grades and do everything. Snake encounters etc.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

From beyond the black stump to the Australian Alps; in schools on stations, missions, mines and over the air, it takes a special kind of person to be an outback teacher.Back then, not only did we have to teach the three Rs but also sewing, arts and craft, music, physical education - you name it. Plus there were the duties of gardener, cleaner, nurse, registrar, office administrator, free milk dispenser, librarian and, on occasions, school bus driver. Oh, and in one school I was even responsible for 'mother craft'. And being male and just nineteen, as I was at the time, you might imagine my surprise when a young girl asked me, 'Sir, what's the best milk for babies?' Bill 'Swampy' Marsh has met with many of our extraordinary outback teachers and their students whose recollections so perfectly capture those special days of growing up in the bush.Many farming families in Australia live in very remote locations,many hundreds of kilometres from the closest school.This means that children need to complete their education through systems called School of Distance Education or School of Air,depending on their state residence.SDE and SOTA send lesson plans and resources to families who then have to deliver the curriculum to the children.Some parents choose to take on the role of educator while others choose to employ a governess or home tutor (outback teacher).The home tutor delivers the curriculum to the children in a classroom that is situated on the station/farm.Outback teachers provide children with quality care and learning opportunities.These professionals experience the unique lifestyle that comes with working in outback classrooms and homes. Attendance and wellbeing are huge issues for many. Children don't learn from people they don't like.Outback teachers learn about various cultures-particularly Indigenous, go on outdoor adventures, and spend time with their students beyond school.They teach more than one subject, and have to keep meticulous records of nearly everything.Various types of schools exist like correspondence,district rural,area,public,religious,provisional,travelling,half-time,demonstration etc.