Floods fail to dampen learning

AUSTRALIA – Media interest in the floods may have receded, but staff and students of Lightning Ridge Central School in the northern part of New South Wales are far from high and dry.

In scenes reminiscent of movies, staff have been commandeering all sorts of vehicles to get themselves to class.

Helicopters, boats, quad bikes and four-wheel drives have helped ferry staff across swollen rivers to ensure the school opened, despite the outback town being almost cut off by an inland sea.

For some students, home schooling has been the only option with NSW State Emergency Services (SES) personnel helping deliver lessons around the outlying areas. The school also used internet, email, fax to get lessons to students who were cut off.

Three teachers were ferried to work by helicopter. They had been picked up by helicopter for work on Monday, housed during the week in town by the Teacher Housing Authority and then flown home on Friday.

“I can’t praise the SES enough, they were really good in terms of getting lessons to isolated kids and getting staff here,” said the school’s principal, Chris Tome.