Brittany and Eloise Wilkinson’s pet horse was happy to join the classroom when Helen Richards (not pictured) helped the girls with their learning on a property in Boonah, Queensland a few years ago.

Enjoying remote education

By Kerri Carr

Travelling to remote areas to help distance education students has been lots of fun for retired teacher Helen Richards.

Mrs Richards taught from 1954 to 1990 and joined Volunteers for Isolated Students' Education (VISE) in 1991.

"Since then I've visited lots of places had had lots of fun," Mrs Richards said.

She's travelled to north, west and central Queensland, the Northern Territory and in NSW to help isolated students with their school work for periods of six weeks.

"When I retired I went around Australia...and passed all these little tracks and wondered where they went to. Now I've found a few of them," Mrs Richards said.

Mrs Richards said emails are sent to VISE volunteers that advertise placements on offer in particular locations. Volunteers can then ring the family to establish whether the selected placement would be suitable.

She said parents pay for the equivalent of a bus fare to and from their property and supply accommodation. This could be in the farm house, an adjacent house or shearers' quarters, depending on the individual circumstances.

VISE volunteers assist students in completing the work sent by their distance education centre.

Mrs Richards said she finds the experience "highly interesting".

"You live it [country life] rather than drive through it.

"Quite often there's a station get-together, with a yarn at 6 o'clock until tea time, watching the sun go down. It's lovely. How many people in the city do that?"

Mrs Richards said isolated parents are very happy to have someone to talk to and are very appreciative of volunteers.

"Kids just like someone different teaching them, instead of mum," she added.

Sometimes parents take volunteers on outings.

"I was taken to Canarvon Gorge in Queensland, which I otherwise would never have seen. One family was mad-keen on ponies and we went to a gymkhana every weekend."

Contact VISE via Mike Stock on (02) 6259 3030 or (02) 6258 6002.

Volunteers for isolated students

Volunteers for Isolated Students' Education (VISE) is a volunteer service that was established in 1989 by a small group of retired teachers and the Tennant Creek Lions Club in consultation with the Isolated Children's Parents' Association (ICPA).

The aim of VISE is to support the education of students in rural areas, especially isolated outback families involved with distance education.

In 2003 VISE used over 200 tutors to assist over 350 children in remote Australia.

Parents living in remote situations frequently worry that they are not providing the right kind of help and guidance in supporting their children's education -- and positive and constructive feedback or guidance on how they are filling their role from VISE tutors is appreciated.

VISE recruits retired teachers and others with relevant experience, knowledge, and skills.

These people like to spend time helping isolated students and families.

Needs can be numerous such as:

reading and mathematics,