The idea for the School of the Air came from a South Australian School Inspector called Adelaide Miethke who travelled to Alice Springs in 1944 as a member of the Council of the Flying Doctor Service.On a trip to remote cattle stations during this time with local teacher Les Dodd she recognized the difficulties outback families were facing with correspondence lessons, and that children were lacking in social contact. It occurred to her at the time that radio could provide a community aspect to the education of children in the bush. In 1950 she approached John Flynn seeking permission to run a trial over the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service) radio of a “School of the Air”. This trial was successful and the first School of the Air was officially opened on the 8 June 1951