Australian Battlers Remember: The Great Depression

From prophylactic teeth extractions, to tracking square and jumping trains, ordinary and renowned Australians share their stories of surviving the Great Depression.

In 1929 a world depression hit Australia with the speed of an express train. Its effects on the national economy were devastating and resulted in massive unemployment for hundreds of thousands of Australian workers and their families. There were no signs of future recovery and soon the susso, with its meagre handouts, became an accepted part of Australian life. By 1933 two-thirds of the male workforce and one-third of the female workforce were either unemployed or earning less than the basic wage. The personalities and future professions of many Australians including June Dally-Watkins, Sir Roden Cutler and Smoky Dawson all attest to the influence of growing up during the Great Depression Keith Smith made his name in Australian radio as a comedy writer, broadcaster and designer of original radio programs. In AUSTRALIAN BATTLERS REMEMBER- The Great Depression he has unearthed humorous, touching and horrifying stories from across Australia of the deprivations and hardships borne by a generation of Australians. These oral histories provide an intimate and compelling picture of family life during the most poverty-stricken period in Australia’s history.