Remote students celebrate life in the outback with music video for Station Life
In short:
Remote School of the Air students have worked for almost a year to showcase station life in music and a video.
The creative project overcame glitch-filled video meetings and livestock mustering ahead of a special screening in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
What's next?
Some students graduated this week but say the promise of music will not pull them away from life in the country.
While their classroom experience is often associated with the crackling sounds of shortwave radio, a group of remote students has put their lives on the land to music.
Children from Carnarvon's School of the Air collaborated for almost a year to compose, produce and record a special music video, Station Life.
From riding on horseback to evenings in front of the bonfire, many of the scenes span thousands of kilometres between some of Australia's most remote pastoral leases.
The song and video for Station Life took almost a year to write and record. (Supplied)
Nine-year-old Hazel McTaggart of Bidgemia Station was proud to showcase a lifestyle she would not trade for anything else.
"The station is where I grew up. It's my home, it's where all of my animals live," she said.
"Sometimes it's hard and challenging because you have to do a lot more work than if you lived in a town.
"But I'm really enjoying it."
Hazel McTaggart was inspired by horses most of all. (ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates)
Most of all, Hazel wanted to pay tribute to her greatest muse.
"My love of horses inspired quite a lot of it," she said.
Music and mustering
Students living in isolated communities can access education remotely through School of the Air, which has five campuses operating across WA.
School of the Air teacher Donna Goodman said it was not easy coordinating 41 remote students for the musical project.
The early stages of the project were conducted online and "terrible" internet connections made practice a challenge.
"You're only hearing where you are, everyone's on mute. We don't even hear the guitar," she said.
Ms Goodman secured a state government grant to help cover travel costs, online lessons and the hiring of local artists.
The budding songwriters regularly met with musician Moanna Mayatrix to pen the lyrics, imbued with descriptions of red desert landscapes.
When the writing was done, four different residencies at Yinnetharra, Edaggee, Bidgemia, and Winning stations were welcome opportunities to get the kids together.
Videographer Anton Blume was called in to help realise their vision on screen.
The music video was specially screened in Carnarvon for the students' graduation. (ABC Rural: Sophia Alston)
Creative needs, however, frequently crossed swords with the hectic rhythms of agriculture.
"We did one [session] at Bidgemia and Yinnetharra … during mustering time," Ms Goodman said.
"The parents, the families, and the stations were extremely gracious with hosting us during those times because it's very busy for them.
"Even during that process ... they were really able to help us out to make sure we got the right shots."
After such a long road, Ms Goodman said watching family and friends "feel it" at a special live performance and video screening in Carnarvon was the ultimate reward.
The kids had to balance mustering duties with filming. (Supplied)
'Not always rainbows and butterflies'
Danielle Ackroyd has three daughters attending the School of the Air from purpose-built classrooms on Edaggee Station.
Watching the project unfold was "pretty bloody special," she said.
"[Station life is] hard and not always rainbows and butterflies, but it's definitely worth it.
"I want to shout it from the rooftops and share [the video] far and wide."
Lachlan Wright (right) says he enjoyed the experience but not enough to leave his family station for the big smoke. (Supplied)
Despite the "pretty fun" experience, 12-year-old Lachlan Wright of Yinnetharra Station said it would take more than a career in music to drag him away from the outback.
"I don't know what it is, I just like the life out there on the station where you can just be free," he said.
"It's very different ... in town, I'll tell you that.
"You've got like nearly a million of acres of land to do whatever you want on."