Arabic version: كتاب طبخ يوثّق 70 عاماً لمدرسة الهواء

According to ABC News, Dust Off and Dish Up was published earlier this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the Broken Hill School of the Air. The fundraising cookbook brings together recipes, stories and practical bush advice from families on remote stations across Far West New South Wales.

The School of the Air Parents and Citizens Association produced the book, the fifth cookbook in a Broken Hill tradition that began in the 1980s. Money raised through sales will support bus trips, school camps and supplies for students learning through distance education.

Bessie Thomas of Burragan Station, whose three children attend Broken Hill School of the Air online, said food helps sustain connections across a region where visiting neighbours can take hours of travel. She said families, station staff and friends gather for smoko, barbecues, verandah nibbles and drinks by the dam.

Its pages trace remote schooling from radio, mailed lessons and tape recorders to internet-based classes. Former student Anny O’Connor recalled studying from Connulpie Downs Station near Tibooburra in the late 1960s, when lessons arrived weekly by mail and teaching was delivered through a transceiver.

Recipes include sausage rolls, quiche, brownie, sponge cake and pumpkin soup, alongside guidance on catching and cooking yabbies. The book has repeatedly sold out at the Broken Hill Bookshop since its March release. The P&C has restocked retailers and hopes to sell further copies at next week’s Mundi Mundi Bash.