ABSTRACT
Community education has existed in Australia for forty millennia: the aboriginal heritage and culture were maintained by means of educational practices very similar to those implied in our use of the term. More recently, the early white settlers, like those on other continents facing the challenge to conquer vast areas of untamed land, turned to each other for support and education. These pioneers assisted each other to build their homes, fight bush fires, nurse the sick and provide social and educational experiences. When the nearest neighbour of a cattle station was anything up to two hundred miles away and professionals were not readily available to provide support, then each station became a community in itself.
