Alfred Hermann Traeger (2 August 1895 – 31 July 1980), known as Alf Traeger, was an Australian engineer and inventor, chiefly known for the development of the pedal radio. Early life and education Traeger was born at Glenlee, near Dimboola, Victoria, and raised near and in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of South Australian-born parents. His paternal grandparents had been German migrants to the young colony in 1848. Traeger attended Balaklava Public School, about north of Adelaide, then Martin Luther School in Flinders Street, Adelaide, followed by two years at Adelaide Technical High School (now Glenunga International High School). From 1912, aged 16, he spent three years at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries, studying mechanical and electrical engineering, earning an Associate Diploma. At the age of 12, he built a telephone from the farmhouse to a shed, making all of the components himself. He had built his own radio transmitter before graduation from college. Early career He first worked for the Metropolitan Tramways Trust and the Postmaster-General's Department, but his application to join the Australian Flying Corps in World War I was refused. Around 1923 Traeger joined Hannan Bros, repairing motor vehicle generators and other electrical goods. He developed an interest in radio, and obtained an amateur radio operator's licence and built his first pedal transmitter-receiver. Inventions and business success He was instrumental in the establishment and early success of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. During the 1920s, he was contacted by Rev John Flynn to assist in experiments which were to enable remote families access to medical treatment by using radio equipment, on the way to setting up his Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service. From 1926 Traeger worked for Flynn. Northern Territory radio experiments and the first official flight for the service took place in 1928. Traeger returned to Adelaide and worked on a transceiver for the network, which had to be small, cheap, durable and easy to operate. He found that a person could drive the generator using bicycle pedals, and he built his transceiver into a box. His famous "pedal wireless" was a pedal-operated generator which provided power for a transceiver. He divided his time between his workshop and the outback, where he also taught radio operating and Morse code. The first pedal sets were introduced in Queensland in 1929, which had an immediate impact on the isolation felt by people