Radio rescue! by Jane Jolly
Ill. by Robert Ingpen. NLA Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9780642278784
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Australian outback, Bush life,
Children in the outback, Pedal wireless, School of the air. In this
sumptuously presented hard cover book, a story is told which
underlines the importance of the Royal Flying Doctor Service to
communities in outback Australia, as well as giving a history of the
development of the radio for station people, showing how important
its use became to them all for communication, school and medical
help.
The book opens with a family sighing for some sort of link to the
outside world. They all love their lives, Dad herding the sheep, Mum
caring for the house and the freedom that their son, Jim has, but
there is something missing. One day a truck arrives with the new
gadget designed to help them all, a pedal wireless. They are shown
how to use it, pedaling the bicycle like wheels, tapping out their
messages then waiting for the voice to come through. Magically they
are at last connected to anyone they wish to speak to. Dad speaks to
the stock agent, Mum to her friends to swap gossip and recipes,
while Jim is told to wait till he is older. But one day he has an
emergency on his hands when Dad falls from his horse and breaks his
leg. Jim must remember the things his parents do with the radio and
call the Flying Doctor Service.
Within a few pages, beautifully illustrated by Ingpen, the reader
learns about the isolation endured by those living so far from town
and city, the dangers of living in such places, the use of the pedal
wireless and the work done by the Flying Doctor. Jane Jolly's brief
words encapsulate the Australian Bush, not a word is superfluous as
she tells her tale. The illustrations cover the fold out pages, give
a wonderful impression of this isolated life.
Readers will gain a great deal of information looking closely at the
drawings, taking in the vastness of the area, the homestead and
outbuildings, the home built air strip, all helped with maps drawn
of the area in the endpapers.
At the end of the story are several pages of information about the
pedal wireless ad its inventor and supporter, two heroes of the
bush, Traeger and Flynn.
The author, Jolly and illustrator, Ingpen also worked together on
the award winning, Tea and sugar Christmas.
Fran Knight