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The Contribution of High Frequency Radio to the Social and Economic Development of the Northern Territory

This paper examines the relationship between the use of High Frequency (HF) radio and the development of social capital in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Social capital is an elusive concept. It has its origin in a number of disciplines and, as a consequence, it is a mix of disparate and intangible concepts such as trust, reciprocity, norms and cooperation. It has been argued that there is a strong positive correlation between the acquisition of social capital and social and economic wellbeing. In order to determine if the use of HF radio promoted the development of social capital, qualitative data was collected from 32 NT selfidentified HF radio users. Although manned operations of the Darwin-based HF coastal radio service ceased on 30 June 2002, the evidence indicates that HF radio was instrumental in the development of a sense of community amongst its widely dispersed and isolated users. The social capital outcomes of HF radio use that included social and economic well-being, engagement in participatory democracy and the acquisition of human capital were precipitated by the shared community concept of trust, informal and formal networks and cross-cutting ties.


Introduction
The now obsolete Darwin Coastal Radio Service (DCRS) was, for many years, the only form of telecommunications access in the remote and very remote regions of the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia (Bandias & Mason, 2017;Bandias & Vemuri, 2005;IMG, 1980). It was initially established for the purpose of safeguarding the lives of seafarers and to guard the northern coastline of Australia (Hewitson, 2012). It eventually evolved into a service that not only met the commercial needs of the outback but also provided a mantle of physical, social of the Territory remained isolated from the mainstream (Bandias, 2008;IMG, 1980;Moyle, 1984). Both distance and lack of telecommunications access contributed to the isolation.
In the ensuing years the Coastal Radio Service evolved into Darwin Costal Radio Service (DCRS), and eventually the Outpost Radio Service. i At the height of its operation, the DCRS was one of the busiest stations in the Coastal Radio Service and employed a staff of ten (Hewitson, 2012). Victor Juliet Yankee (VJY) was the call sign for the dedicated radio service

Social Capital a Theoretical Perspective
Both the ABS and the OECD define social capital as "…networks, together with shared norms, values and understandings which facilitate cooperation within or among groups" (ABS, 2002, p. 4;OECD, 2002). The concept has its origin in a number of disciplines and, as a consequence, it is a mix of disparate ideas such as trust, reciprocity, norms and cooperation. It has been argued that there is a strong positive correlation between the acquisition of social capital and social and economic wellbeing at both the individual and community level (ABS, 2004;Coleman, 1988;Grootaert, 1998;OECD, 2002;Woolcock, 2000). Stone (2001) states that influential social capital theorists perceive the outcomes of social capital are concerned with "…social and economic well-being, democracy at the nation state level and the acquisition of human capital..." (p. 4).
The dimensions of social capital that emerged in the data gathering phase of the research were closely linked to the theoretical constructs that underpin the concept. Trust, networks, reciprocity and cross-cutting ties are common themes in the social capital literature. These themes correlate with the OECD recommended indicators of social capital (OECD, 2002). The indicators include community participation through organised groups, informal networks, trust, cross-cutting ties such as bonding (within groups) and bridging (across groups) and indicators of ICT-based networks.

Methodology
The research question, 'Did High Frequency radio use contribute to the social capital of the process as a means of production, created through the discourse of groups and individuals that is produced within particular political, historical, and cultural contexts" (p. 16).
The data was collected through a process of recording discreet interviews from 32 selfidentified HF radio users. A request for volunteers to participate in the project was circulated via Charles Darwin University eNews letter, the NT Branch of the Australian Computer Society and Darwin's ABC radio. A number of participants also recommended other potential interviewees. All participants were self-identified HF radio users in the period between 1950 and 1990. Ethics approval was sought and obtained from the Charles Darwin University Human Ethics Committee in August 2016.
Fifteen of the participants were former nurses; three were medical practitioners; three were teachers; three were school boarders; two were wives/mothers; and the remainder included a construction worker, a pilot, a radio technician, a VJY operator, a tourist operator and a surveyor. Twenty-four of the thirty-two participants were female. This gender bias is a reflection of the then demographic of the HF radio users.
In the period between August 2016 and June 2017 two experienced researchers conducted face-to-face and telephone interviews. In order to provide a focus for the interviews, the participants were asked a number of stimulus questions. The interviews were subsequently transcribed and returned to the interviewees for verification and correction where necessary.
In analysing the data a number of consistent themes emerged. The themes are discussed in the following section.

Consistent Themes
The vital role of HF radio In recoding recollections of the interviewees, the vital role HF radio played in the lives of the outback inhabitants became apparent. In the absence of any other form of communication, DCRS was an essential means of accessing health and education services, maintaining social contact and facilitating commercial transactions. However, transmission and reception over HF radio was not without its vulnerabilities.
A core group of people worked behind the scenes to keep DCRS operational. They included technicians, telegraph operators and, in some instances, indigenous telegraph boys. They were, as one interviewee stated, the 'life blood' of the radio service. They monitored the three radio frequencies utilised by the DCRS and they kept VJY on air twenty-four hours a day, seven Whilst many interviewees lamented the lack of privacy over HF radio, they also acknowledged the vital role it played in building a sense of community. The pastoral care, medical support, social interaction and community engagement delivered over HF radio was a collective experience that enriched the lives of those who lived and worked in the isolation of the outback. As one interviewee recounted: I was always within earshot of the radio whilst at camp and I would listen to the morning chatter. People, all strangers ordering Vegemite, flour, beer and stores. I would listen to … the local mob from outstations talking to … the VJY Darwin operator, to the shop and to each other. Sometimes in Kriol, sometimes in that wonderful Arnhem Land accented English and often full local language. It filled my mornings and made me feel a part of the Northern Territory and this big community.
In the physical absence of immediate neighbours, extended family and access to essential services, radio users bonded over their shared experience lived through their 'life in radio land'. The depth of the bond was illustrated by one of the interviewees who, in 1988, was asked to make the final call on VJY on its transfer to St John Ambulance -a narrower more medically focused radio service. She emotionally described the final call as: "[It] was like saying goodbye to my family".

Informal and formal networks
The coastal radio service was a 'community' in every sense of the word. As the use of the DCRS For the women of the outback the DCRS filled a huge social void. Of an evening, after the business of the day had been transacted and children had completed their school-of-the-air sessions, the women would use the radio for social contact and to participate in clubs, groups and associations that had formed over the radio.
One club, a public speaking group for women, commenced in the early 1980s and fulfilled such an important social need that it continued until 2003 when the Internet had made HF radio all but redundant. Participants used the School-of-the-Air frequency and conducted their meeting from radios in Darwin, Humpty Doo and Katherine as well as pastoral stations in the remote areas of the Territory. The 'venue' covered a geographical area of over 800,000 square understanding of living in the outback and they provided a form of security for those living in remote locations".

Discussion and Conclusion
As evidenced by the qualitative data, HF radio had a significant role in building the social capital of the Northern Territory. From its initial operation in 1913 until its closure in 2002, the DCRS was indispensable in developing the community of the outback. HF radio brought education to the children of the bush; it serviced the commercial, medical, social and spiritual needs of its inhabitants; and it gave comfort, solace and companionship to those isolated by distance and remoteness. HF radio was the glue that held the community together.
The VJY 'girls', technicians, medical staff, wives, mothers, entrepreneurs, teachers, missionaries and government employees shared their lives via the radio. They bonded over their collective experience. They formed groups, shared gossip, attended religious services and built a community based on trust, reciprocity and cooperation. They also endured the vagaries and problems inherent in using HF radio. Medical emergencies, cyclones, love, births, deaths -all the major life events occurred and were shared in the public domain of the DCRS.
HF radio was also instrumental in ensuring that isolated residents were part of the participatory democracy process. It enabled them to access and share information, to join community groups, to become effective advocates and to participate in the events that shaped their existence. The human capital of the outback was similarly enhanced through the provision of education, training and the opportunity for improved individual capability. These intangible social capital outcomes created economic and social value for individuals and the broader community. They also enabled the inhabitants of the outback to thrive in an otherwise harsh and isolated existence.
Although the researchers endeavoured to interview a cross-section of HF radio users there are a number of omissions and limitations to this study. The experience of indigenous people is notably absent from the data. However, photographic and anecdotal evidence indicates that indigenous people living in remote and very remote regions of the NT did use HF radio on a regular basis and for a variety of purposes. Similarly, the experience of male cattle station owners and managers is also missing from the data. Further research that incorporates a broader cross-section of HF radio users in the NT would enrich our understanding of the HF radio-social capital nexus.
The available evidence indicates that fifty years after these events the memories of life lived via the DCRS are still vivid and that the sense of 'community' has not diminished. The interview participants spoke fondly, with affection and admiration for their on-air