Episode 14 Questions for discussion 29th May 2018
Live Export Debate 1. Discuss the Live Export Debate story with another student. Share your thoughts with the class. 2. What are live exports? 3. How much money do Australian producers make from live exports every year? 4. Why do some countries prefer to buy live Australian animals? Give one example. 5. Some video footage of animals on their way to the Middle East has recently emerged. How did the vision make some people feel? 6. The Government will be making some changes to the live exports industry. Give one example. 7. Which country has shut down their live export industry? 8. What are some of the pros and cons for shutting down Australia’s live export industry? 9. What do you think? Should live exports be banned? Explain your answer. 10. How did this story make you feel?
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
What is a treaty? 1. Summarise the What is a treaty? story, using your own words. 2. What is a treaty? 3. A treaty is a legal agreement. True or false? 4. When New Zealand became a colony, Indigenous people weren’t given any rights. True or false? 5. When the British first arrived in Australia it was claimed Terra Nullius. What does this mean? 6. Complete this sentence. Many people in Australia say a treaty would be a huge step towards ______between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people. 7. What was the ‘Barunga Statement’? 8. Why don’t some politicians support the idea of a treaty? 9. How did this story make you feel? 10. What did you learn watching the BTN story?
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
Brumby Control 1. Summarise the BTN Brumby Control story. 2. Complete this sentence. Horses arrived in Australia in 1788 with the First ______. 3. How many brumbies are there currently in Kosciuszko National Park? a. 6 thousand b. 46 thousand c. 400 thousand
©ABC 2018 4. Where is Kosciuszko National Park? Locate using Google Maps. 5. How will the Government manage the number of brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park? 6. How do environmentalists feel about the way the brumbies will be managed? 7. Brumbies are not an introduced species. True or false? 8. What impact do brumbies have on the environment? 9. List three facts you learnt from this story. 10. Illustrate an aspect of the Brumby Control story.
Check out the Brumby Control resource on the Teachers page. Do the quiz on the BTN website. Get your class involved in BTN’s Ask A Reporter! This week’s topic is brumby control.
Royal Flying Doctors 1. Before you watch the BTN story, predict what you think it’s about. 2. Who does the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) help? 3. What year did the RFDS start? 4. Before the RFDS began how did people in remote areas reach a doctor? 5. Who started the RFDS? 6. What technology was invented to help people contact the doctor? 7. Complete this sentence. The first Flying Doctor took flight in a ______plane. 8. On average the RFDS helps someone every… a. 2 minutes b. 20 minutes c. 2 hours 9. On what Australian banknote does the founder of the RFDS feature? 10. What did this video make you wonder? Discuss as a class.
Check out the Royal Flying Doctors resource on the Teachers page.
Bee Business 1. Before watching this story discuss in pairs what you know about bees. Share your thoughts with the class. 2. How old was Finn when he bought his own bee hive? 3. How did Finn make his garden bee friendly? 4. Describe the clothing Finn wears whilst bee keeping. 5. You don’t need a lot of land to keep bees. True or false? 6. Complete this sentence. Bees help to ______plants to help them grow. 7. What goals does Finn want to achieve before he starts university? 8. What will Finn do with the money he makes off his first litre of honey? 9. How much money has Finn raised so far? 10. Illustrate as aspect of this story.
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
©ABC 2018
Episode 14 Teacher Resource 29th May 2018 Brumby Control
1. Summarise the BTN Brumby Control story. Students will explore the issue of culling brumbies and hold a mini 2. Complete this sentence. Horses arrived in Australia in 1788 with the debate. First ______. 3. How many brumbies are there currently in Kosciuszko National Park? a. 6 thousand
b. 46 thousand Science – Year 6 c. 400 thousand Scientific knowledge is used to 4. Where is Kosciuszko National Park? Locate using Google Maps. solve problems and inform personal and community decisions 5. How will the Government manage the number of brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park? Science – Year 7 6. How do environmentalists feel about the way the brumbies will be Solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science managed? and technology, may impact on 7. Brumbies are not an introduced species. True or false? other areas of society and may 8. What impact do brumbies have on the environment? involve ethical considerations
9. List three facts you learnt from this story. Interactions between organisms, 10. Illustrate an aspect of the Brumby Control story. including the effects of human activities can be represented by food chains and food webs
English – Year 5 Plan, draft and publish imaginative, Class Discussion informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, Hold a class discussion about the information raised in the Brumby Control choosing text structures, language story. Create a class mind map with BRUMBY in the middle. Use the features, images and sound following questions to guide discussion: appropriate to purpose and audience
• What do you know about brumbies? English – Year 6 • What words would you use to Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, describe brumbies? choosing and experimenting • When were brumbies introduced to with text structures, language features, images and digital Australia? resources appropriate to purpose • Why were they introduced? and audience • What are some different methods of controlling brumby populations? • What does it mean to `cull’? • What do environmentalists say about the issue of controlling brumby populations? • Why are some people against the idea of culling?
©ABC 2018
Six Hat Thinking Working in pairs, students use Edward De Bono’s Six Hat Thinking to explore the issues raised in the BTN Brumby Control story. Ask students to respond to the following questions:
How did the Brumby Control story make you feel?
What do you know about brumbies? What have you learnt from the story?
Were there any positives from the story? If so, what were they?
What are some of the negatives or challenges that you learnt from the story?
Why is it important to find out more about the issue?
What questions were raised during this activity? What do you want to learn further about this topic?
Mini Debate – National Icon or Pest? Before preparing for the mini-debate, students will investigate the environmental and moral/ethical issues related to controlling the brumby population in the Kosciuszko National Park. They may find it useful to record their information on the following chart.
What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learnt? How will I find out?
Preparing for your mini debate • Working in pairs, students will prepare a 1-2-minute speech for a mini debate on the topic of controlling brumby populations.
• One person will speak for the affirmative and the other will speak for the negative.
• Before students begin to construct their argument, ask them to record what they already know about the topic and what they would like to find out. Students then research the topic to gain a greater understanding of the issue.
©ABC 2018
• Ask students to list their arguments in point form on paper (without their partner seeing them). When they have done this, ask them to choose the five best points that will form the basis for their debate.
• Students will write in point form, their debate on cards that fit into the palm of their hand. Their debate needs to have an introduction (introducing the topic), middle (three main points) and a conclusion (restating their position). Students practise their speech and then present the mini debate to other students.
Guide for giving feedback Reflection • Was the information clear and • How difficult was it to think of points to accurate? support one side of the argument? • Were the arguments logical? • Do you think you would have done a • Were the counter arguments accurate better job supporting the other side of and relevant? the argument? • Comments about the presentation style • Was I able to convince others of my (tone of voice, body language, opinion? enthusiastic, convincing). • Did my opinion change? • What did you learn from this activity?
Be a reporter for a day Investigate the issue of controlling brumby populations in the Kosciuszko National Park and write a newspaper article or online news report. Things to think about:
• Who is your target audience? Use age appropriate language and themes. • Write a headline that is short and to the point. • Use words and pictures in your report. • Find information from a variety of sources. • Present the facts and/or opinions clearly and accurately.
Source: ABC
ABC News – Culling of Kosciuszko brumbies to be banned under plan to protect `national icons’ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-20/culling-kosciousko-brumbies-banned-under-plan-national- icon/9780558
ABC News – Scientists propose declaring brumbies a threat to environment, in move that could pave way for cull http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-03/nsw-scientists-propose-brumby-threat-environment/9722800
SBS – A bumpy ride for wild brumbies https://www.sbs.com.au/news/a-bumpy-ride-for-wild-brumbies
©ABC 2018
Episode 14 Teacher Resource 29th May 2018 Royal Flying Doctors
Students will investigate the history 1. Before you watch the BTN story, predict what you think it’s about. of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in 2. Who does the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) help? Australia. 3. What year did the RFDS start?
4. Before the RFDS began how did people in remote areas reach a doctor? 5. Who started the RFDS?
6. What technology was invented to help people contact the doctor? HASS – Years 5 & 6 7. Complete this sentence. The first Flying Doctor took flight in a Develop appropriate questions to ______plane. guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, 8. On average the RFDS helps someone every… systems and challenges a. 2 minutes b. 20 minutes Sequence information about people’s lives, events, c. 2 hours developments and phenomena 9. On what Australian banknote does the founder of the RFDS feature? using a variety of methods including 10. What did this video make you wonder? Discuss as a class. timelines
HASS / History – Year 6 The contribution of individuals and groups to the development of Australian society since Federation
Before watching the BTN Royal Flying Doctors HASS – Year 7 Construct significant questions and story, ask students what they already know about it. propositions to guide investigations Use a mind map to record students’ responses. about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges • What is the Royal Flying Doctor Service? • Who do you think uses the Royal Flying Doctor Service? • Why do you think the service is important to Australians?
After watching the BTN Royal Flying Doctors story, hold a class discussion, recording any questions that were raised in the discussion. What are the gaps in their knowledge? Discussion starters:
• Think of an interesting fact you learnt from this story. • What did this video make you wonder? • What information was surprising? • Think of one question you have about the Royal Flying Doctors story. How will you find an answer to your question?
©ABC 2018
Timeline – Royal Flying Doctor Service Research the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia. Download this template and use your research to help match the dates to key events.
Students will then respond to one or more of the following questions: • Find three interesting facts about each significant event. • How did people in remote areas reach a doctor before the Royal Flying Doctors Service? • How has Reverend John Flynn made an impact on people’s lives? • Which dates on the timeline do you think are especially significant? Why? • How have aviation, medical and communications technology changed for the RFDS over the years? • How does the RFDS support the School of the Air?
Answers to timeline • 1917 – The story of Stockman Jimmy Darcy leads to Reverend John Flynn establishing, what is known today as, the RFDS. • 1927 – The pedal wireless was invented by Alfred Traeger in Adelaide, the pedal powered radio allowed people in the outback to contact the RFDS. • 1928 – The first Flying Doctor took flight in a Qantas plane. • 1951 – The ‘where does it hurt chart’ is developed by Sister Lucy Garlick. • 1954 – The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit the RFDS Broken Hill Base. • 1994 - The design for Australia’s $20 banknote features the face of the Reverend John Flynn.
©ABC 2018
Notable Australians After watching the BTN story, show your students the Australian $20 banknote (the side featuring Reverend John Flynn). Use the following questions to guide your class discussion as you explore the note in detail: • Who do you see? • What else do you see? What do you think each of the elements represent? (See diagram for descriptions) • Why do you think Reverend John Flynn was chosen to be featured on one of Australia’s banknotes? Source: RFDS History
Reverend John Flynn – Create a biography Before students begin to construct their biographies, hold a class discussion to find out what they already know about biographical writing. Discuss what type of information is included in a biography and what they tell us about a person. The Civics and Citizenship website has some examples of biographies for students to look at.
Using the Biography Organiser template students will find and record information about Reverend John Flynn.
Some possible areas of research include: • Where was Reverend John Flynn from? Locate using Google Maps. • When was he born? Describe his family life growing up. • What are some of Reverend John Flynn’s achievements? • What was his most important contribution to Australian society? • What were some of the challenges he faced? • How has Reverend John Flynn made an impact on people’s lives? • What do you admire about Reverend John Flynn?
Further investigation • Imagine you could sit down and talk to Reverend John Flynn. What questions would you ask about his life and achievements?
©ABC 2018
Visual literacy
The Flying Doctor (1941) Watch this black-and-white clip which shows the operation of the Royal Flying Doctor Service by re-creating a real-life emergency in which a stockman’s life is saved. What did you learn watching this clip? What was surprising? Source: Australian Screen
Live Flight Map View the live flight map. Count the planes to find out how many Royal Flying Doctor Service planes are attending patients right now. Source: Royal Flying Doctor Service
Explore the inside of a RFDS plane Explore the inside of a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and hear Sarah’s story, from the perspective of Sarah, her dad, doctor, nurse, pilot and her mum. Find Menindee using Google Maps. Where is the closest city? How many kilometres is it from the nearest city? Source: Royal Flying Doctor Service
Royal Flying Doctor Service - History https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/about-the-rfds/history/
Royal Flying Doctor Service - Flying Doctor Timeline https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/timeline-90-years-service/
Royal Flying Doctor Service – Fun Games http://flyingdoctor4education.org.au/kids-club/fun-games
Reserve Bank Australia – Reverend John Flynn https://www.banknotes.rba.gov.au/australias-banknotes/people-on-the-banknotes/reverend-john-flynn/
©ABC 2018
BTN: Episode 14 Transcript 29/5/18
Hey, Amelia here, welcome to BTN.
Coming up today.
• We look at a debate about Australia's wild horses.
• Learn more about the history of an outback institution.
• And get the buzz on a young bee keeper.
Live Export Debate Reporter: Ruby Cornish
INTRO: We'll have all those stories and more for you soon. But first today to the debate about live exports. That's when animals are sent overseas to be sold for meat and it's pretty controversial. Recently the Government made some changes to laws about live exports to try to make sure animals are safe while they're on ships. But some reckon the laws don't go far enough. Let's find out more.
Australia sends a lot of stuff overseas. Things we dig out of the ground, things we grow and things we make. But recently, a different Aussie export has been under the spotlight. Animals. Of course, Australia sends a lot of meat overseas. It's all packaged up and frozen before it sets sail. But every year we send millions of live farm animals, too. Some goats, but mostly sheep and cattle. It's a huge industry that makes about 2 billion dollars for Aussie producers every year, and demand for live Aussie animals has been growing for a while. There are a few reasons for that.
In poorer countries, a lot of people often don't have cold storage to store packed meat. Buying live animals is usually cheaper and it means you can use all the different parts of the animal. It also creates jobs in the countries that buy them, because it takes a lot of work to get meat ready for sale. On top of that, some religions, like Islam say animals have to be killed in a certain way before they're eaten, and buying a live animal means people have control over how that’s done.
But this booming industry does have a dark side. Last month, some video footage emerged of about 64 thousand sheep on their way to the Middle East, and it wasn't a pretty sight. The boat was overcrowded, many of the sheep were starving and dehydrated, and it was reported that more than two thousand had died on the journey. The vision made a lot of people upset and angry, including Australia's Agriculture Minister.
DAVID LITTLEPROUD: I've seen that footage and I was absolutely shocked and gutted.
The Government decided to look into the way we send farm animals overseas, and earlier this month it announced some big changes to the industry. Now, there won't be as many sheep allowed onto ships in summer. If more than 1 in every hundred sheep dies, there'll be an investigation, and the penalties for companies who break the rules are tougher than before.
©ABC 2018
But some people want to go a step further and see the industry shut down altogether. That's already happened in some countries, like our neighbour New Zealand. Live exports from there stopped back in 2003. Here in Australia, there have been big protests around the country.
PROTESTER: We think it's a cruel, horrendous industry and these animals are suffering for no reason.
And there are politicians from both sides of politics who agree.
SUSSAN LEY: The case for continuing long-haul live sheep exports fails on both economic and animal welfare grounds.
But there are also plenty of people who disagree. Aussie farmers who export their animals say shutting the industry down would be a big blow to business. And they've got support from politicians.
BARNABY JOYCE: If you shut down the live sheep trade, you're gonna make people poorer. That's what's gonna happen.
They say the new rules are enough to keep the animals comfortable and protect a big Aussie industry.
This Week in News
Some enormous bushfires have destroyed farmland and one home near Albany in Western Australia. The fires started on Thursday night. Fire Authorities were doing a prescribed burn. But it got out control because of some strong winds and burnt 10's of thousands of hectares of land.
An historic meeting between the President of the United States and the leader of North Korea is back on. For a while it didn't look like it was going to happen.
Last Friday just as the White House started selling coins to commemorate the meeting Mr Trump called it off. He said North Korea had been angry and hostile towards the US and that the meeting was inappropriate. But over the weekend he changed his mind. And now he says he's looking forward to meeting Kim Jong-Un in Singapore next month.
Australia’s famous big empty lake has started filling up with water. It's pretty rare to see Lake Eyre like this but a couple of months ago North Queensland had lots of rain and big floods. And that waters been slowly making its way inland.
Lava from the Kilauea volcano is continuing its spectacular but destructive path across Hawaii. Since it started erupting 50 homes have been destroyed and more than 2000 people have been evacuated.
©ABC 2018 But there are worries more locals might have to leave. The lava has now reached a geothermal power station where it could release toxic gas. That's not happened so far, and authorities are keeping an eye on the situation.
And if you were one the thousands of Aussies staring at the sky last week, congratulations because you're a record breaker. Organisers of the ABC's Stargazing Live event say more than 40 thousand people right across the country looked at the moon at the same time for a total of 10 minutes.
And that’s not all. Stargazing viewers have helped to discover a couple of supernova. They're exploding stars and this one is 1 point 1 billion light years away from Earth.
What is a treaty? Reporter: Jack Evans
INTRO: Well, this week is Reconciliation Week, which is all about celebrating the first Australians and working towards equality. But to do that there's something that a lot of people say Australia needs - a treaty. So, what is a treaty? And why do a lot of people think it's an important thing to have? Let's find out.
Throughout history, they've stopped enemies from fighting and got them working together. They've helped establish borders and break them down. They've even set rules in outer space. Yup, treaties are pretty important things. So, what are they exactly? A treaty is an agreement between two parties. They could be countries, or groups of people. It's kinda like a contract with a list of responsibilities and duties. Oh, and it's legally binding. That's why treaties have played a really important part in history, whether its ending wars or establishing rights for Indigenous people.
Take the treaty of Waitangi for example. It's a really famous treaty from just across the ditch in New Zealand. It was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and about 540 Maori Chiefs who agreed that New Zealand would become a British colony as long as they got to keep certain rights. And many consider it to be the founding document of New Zealand.
Many other Indigenous people were part of similar treaties when their lands were colonised. But not in Australia. In fact, when the British arrived here it was declared Terra Nullius, meaning land belonging to no one. Of course, that wasn't true, and for decades Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fought to be recognised and treated equally. Many said that Australia needed a treaty to recognise that Indigenous people owned the land before it was colonised and to protect their rights. They said it would be a huge step towards reconciliation between Indigenous and Non- Indigenous people. In 1987 the push for a treaty in Australia became a national debate, with lots of Aussies speaking out in support.
In 1988 the Prime Minister at the time, Bob Hawke, was presented with 'The Barunga Statement'. It was written on bark, and called for a treaty, which he promised would be delivered by 1990.
BOB HAWKE: There shall be a treaty.
At the time it seemed like everyone was talking about a treaty. But a lot of politicians didn't support the idea. Some didn't think it was necessary or that it could be divisive and lead to legal disputes
©ABC 2018 and to this day there is no treaty. But the treaty debate isn't over, and a lot of Aussies are hoping that it will happen soon. Last year there was a big meeting at Uluru between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders. They called for several big changes, including a Makarrata, or a treaty. While that hasn't happened yet, a few state governments have started working with Indigenous community leaders on their own treaties. And many are still hoping that one day there'll be a national agreement that will set us on the road to reconciliation.
Brumby Control Reporter: Olivia Mason
INTRO: Now to a story about Brumbies. They're wild horses which can be found in the Aussie bush. But they've been causing some problems in Kosciusko National Park in New South Wales. And there's a bit of debate about what should be done about them. Let’s find out why.
There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around That the colt from old Regret had got away, And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound, So, all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
Is there anything more iconically Aussie than Banjo Paterson? There's stockmen, stations, and of course brumbies. They're the wild horses that inspired stories like The Man from Snowy River.
He was hard and tough and wiry - just the sort that won't say die - There was courage in his quick impatient tread; And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye, And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.
Sounds like you Red.
Horses arrived in Australia back in 1788 with the First Fleet and by the early 1800s some had escaped or were abandoned. Eventually wild populations began to pop up around the country. But while they became a part of Australian culture, they also became a bit of a problem. Horses hooves damage our delicate soils. They cause erosion, spread weeds and damage waterways. Horses also compete with native animals for food, and there are a lot of them. In fact, it's thought there are around 400 thousand brumbies roaming around Australia, including more than 6 thousand at Kosciuszko National Park here in the Snowy Mountains, home to the man from Snowy River that Banjo mentioned earlier.
Where a horse's hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
Red, are you still listening?
And those brumbies have been causing a bit of controversy because of the damage they've been doing to the environment. The New South Wales Government made a plan to control numbers back in 20-16 by sterilising, trapping, and culling the brumbies. But that made some people really angry. So now the Government's changed its mind. Instead of getting rid of the horses it wants to find a way to manage their numbers without killing them.
©ABC 2018 JOHN BARILARO, NSW DEPUTY PREMIER: But we for the first time will have legislation in place that says the brumby has a place to play in Kosciusko. Finding a balance between protecting some of the sensitive wilderness areas of Kozi but at the same time accepting that the brumbies are part of the landscape in this region.
They want to do another count of the population and organise re-homing and adoption if they need to get numbers down. But environmentalists say that would be a big step backwards for the national park.
DON DRISCOLL, ECOLOGIST: This is really dangerously reckless policy from Mr Barilaro. To say that we're now going to turn the enormous Kosciusko National Park over for raising horses is a real slap in the face for biodiversity protection.
They want people to remember that horses are an introduced species, and they're having a big impact on the sensitive native ecosystem. They say that because of the brumbies, some species of plants and animals are in danger of extinction. The Government will be debating the changes this week and we'll soon find out more about the future of these famous horses and their delicate home.
Quiz
What Aussie sports code has a team named the Brumbies? Is it…
Aussie Rules
Rugby League
or Rugby Union
It's Rugby Union. The Brumbies is a team based in Canberra. There's also an NRL team called the Broncos which is what Americans call wild horses.
Ask a Reporter
Do you have a question about brumbies? Ask me live on Friday during Ask a Reporter. Just head to our website for the details.
Sport
Aussie Daniel Ricciardo has defied the odds and won his second F1 race of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix. 28 laps in he had some engine problems. But he managed to push through and with help from his team brought home an amazing win.
Real Madrid are basking in glory after beating Liverpool 3-1 in the Champions League final. Liverpool had some bad luck early on losing star player Mo Salah to a shoulder injury. Real scored its first goal thanks to this error from the Liverpool keeper.
©ABC 2018 Liverpool levelled the score to 1-all but Gareth Bale swooped in with an unbelievable goal to once again put Real Madrid in the lead. It's Real's third straight Champion’s League title and their fourth in five years. No other team has managed more than one in a row.
The Hockeyroos have had a Tri-Nations final triumph after defeating New Zealand in the final over the weekend. The team smashed the Kiwis 4-1 which was sweet revenge after losing to New Zealand in the gold medal match of the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
And one of Australia's biggest sports stadiums is becoming a super stadium. Right now, the Melbourne Docklands venue is known as the Etihad Stadium after the Middle Eastern airline. But the naming rights have just been bought by Disney which is going call it Marvel Stadium after its world-famous superhero brand.
It's going to sell merch to match at the stadium's own marvel shop and there could be some costumed heroes hanging around at future footy games.
Royal Flying Doctors Reporter: Amelia Moseley
INTRO: Imagine what it would be like living far away from any doctors or hospitals. What would you do if you needed a check-up or even had a serious medical emergency? Well, that's a real situation for people living in remote parts of Australia including some of you. Luckily there's an organisation that's been looking out for outback Aussies for the past 90 years. Check it out.
It's a big old country we live in. Stretching from Cape York to Wilsons Prom, Cape Byron to Steep Point, and all the thousands of kilometres in between. And that's what these guys look down on as they take to the skies to take care of people in Australia's most remote locations. They're part of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It helps hundreds of thousands of Australians every year by sending planes, as sort of air ambulances, to collect people in medical emergencies, and by setting up clinics in remote areas so locals can see doctors on a regular basis.
The story of the Royal Flying Doctor Service started in 1912. Back then, when people in the outback got sick they'd have to travel sometimes hundreds of kilometres by horse, cart or even camel to reach a doctor, and they often died before they got there. That's when a reverend called John Flynn decided something had to be done. He started an experiment using planes as a fast way of transporting doctors to people and the other way around. But of course, to get help, people had to contact the Flying Doctors first.
So, Flynn teamed up with an inventor named Alfred Traeger, who came up with a pedal powered radio, which allowed people in outback stations to send messages. At first in Morse code and later like this.
RADIO: Emergency medical from HTR to HSK, are you receiving us?
The first Flying Doctor took to the sky over Queensland in 1928 in a single engine plane borrowed from Qantas. Many of the early planes had open cockpits, which meant pilots were exposed to the
©ABC 2018 weather. Their only navigational device was a compass, and they used whatever they could find to mark the runways. 90 years on things are a lot more high tech, but the Flying Doctors' mission has stayed the same. The RFDS now has 69 planes and helps someone on average every 2 minutes.
Last year its pilots flew the equivalent distance of going to the moon and back 34 times. The organisation has bases right across the country and it's even added flying dentists to its service. Even if you don't live in outback Australia the legacy of the Royal Flying Doctor Service can be found right in your pocket. Yup, that's its creator Reverend Flynn right there on the $20 note, commemorated for all the good work he did. And if you look closely you'll see Victory, the plane that flew the first flying doctors, the pedal radio, and a chart invented by an Australian nurse, so outback patients could tell doctors where their pain was.
So, there's no doubt the Royal Flying Doctor Service has played a big part in Australia's history, and to all the people who live out here in the bush it's an essential part of its future.
Did you know?
Did you know that the School of the Air was started by a member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service? The first lesson was broadcast from the RFDS in Alice Springs in 1951.
Bee Business
Reporter: Jack Evans
INTRO: Now to the Gold Coast where a 10-year-old has saved up all his pocket money to start a pretty sweet business. Finn is making honey. Well, actually, it's the bees making the honey, but Finn's worked hard to learn how to keep the bees and collect his product. Let's find out how he does it.
FINN: My name's Finn, I live in the Gold Coast and I'm a bee keeper.
For Finn one pet just wasn't enough.
FINN: I own a dog and a couple of thousand bees.
Finn bought his own hive on his 10th birthday after a lot of saving and some very welcome birthday money.
FINN: Lots of my friends and family blessed me with money instead of presents so I could buy my own things. And I saved up all of that money, saving and saving, looking for the goal of that hive.
He even had some money left over to make the whole garden bee friendly.
FINN: I bought practically most of these flowers and planted them. Flowers please my dad because he loves gardens he practically loves any plants except for weeds and his dad did my granddad loved them, so I guess it runs in the blood.
But while gardening might run in the family, Finn was the first to try bee-keeping. He had to learn all of the tricks of the trade and get some special protective clothing. Of course, these little guys
©ABC 2018 can sting so you have to know what you're doing and you need to get a permit to keep them. Still, in the past few years there's been a boom in backyard beekeeping. Bee experts say you don't need a lot of land to keep bees and it's great for the environment, because bees help to pollinate plants to help them grow. And while keeping a hive takes a lot of work, for the bee keepers there's this reward - sweet, tasty honey.
FINN: We are doing my first harvest, which I am pumped for.
Finn's now selling his honey and plans to grow his business.
FINN: My goal is to get five hives before uni but my biggest goal is to get a car before my brother does. Wait, let me rephrase that. I’m GOING to get a car before my brother does.
But he also wanted his bees to help others. So, he decided to auction off his very first litre of honey and give the money to a charity in the East African country of Malawi
FINN: This project will help families get their own bee hive so they can generate an income.
All up he’s raised more than 3000 dollars and he says he'll keep donating 10 percent of his honey profits to charity.
FINN: I believe me, my bees and my flow hive can change the world.
Closer
How good is honey. Well that's it for now but we'll be back next week. And it's a very special week for BTN because it's our 50th birthday. We'll be celebrating with a special episode looking back at the history of BTN. There'll also be some special events happening on radio, TV and online. So that's something to look forward to. Until then have a great week and I'll see you next time.
©ABC 2018