1920's and 1930's
The years of the 1920-30’s greatly influenced Australia. With the end of WW1 immigrants and refugees from other countries decided to take up residence in Australia. Of those who came most were woman and children. And with them came a whole new variety of skills, education and culture. In the beginning it was a time of great optimism and progress. Australia was seen as a land of opportunity and many came for the chance at a better life with the promise of better wages and employment.
Immigrants from Ireland, the Adriatic and the Mediterranean and many came from Britain which helped to solidify the bond with the ‘Mother Country’. Young men were encouraged to come and work as farm boys. Many widows and children came to Australian. Servants were in high demand; the women who took the jobs would usually marry and have children. In the time from 1920-30 around 3000 ‘orphans’ from poor or neglected backgrounds arrived to find work in Australia.
Many aspects of Australian society began to change. A larger variety of foods were available in cafes and different leisure activities. The Greeks set up many café’s which put a different style of food out to the people. There were also skilled Italian stonemasons, mosaic and terrazzo workers who contributed significantly to the development of Australian cities, public buildings and also residential homes.
It was also a time of empowerment for the women. When many jobs were left unattended during the war the women stood up to fulfil them. This lead to a growing sense of independence in the women who started to take the jobs previous seen as men’s jobs. They had more expression of speech and began to were shorter skirts and hair, smoke and go out to clubs.
Along with this came the most popular music of those years, jazz. It was reported that Australian’s film industry was being overshadowed by US films. There were new inventions such as radios and automobiles that became common acquisitions for the ordinary family. Going to the cinema was also a popular form of entertainment.
In the 1930’s a stock market crash on Wall St lead the world straight into the Depression. Many lost their jobs and were forced into poverty. It was a hard time for everyone. Labouring jobs that were taken during the Depression contributed to the construction of Australia's rural industries and transport systems, building roads and railways19 including across the Nullabor. Australians became unaccepting and unwelcoming of immigrants and racism surfaced as Australian’s desired to protect their jobs and businesses. It was mainly seen in films or picture shows, the audience were deliberately separated.
The workers unions became more forceful in protecting workers rights. Strikes were held in demand of employment for Australian-born workers.
At the time Christianity was the main religion in Australia and religion was very important. Priests and Nuns came from Ireland to reinforce Irish Catholicism. The great cultural division in that time was between Catholics and Protestants. It even divided the Labour Party. European churches such as the Lutheran Greek Orthodox churches were established.
Indigenous People
It was a hard time for the Indigenous People of Australia; they were viewed as a ‘dying race’. The government took it upon themselves to remove the Indigenous children from their homes and families and place then into large reserves. In this time fights between them and the settlers of Australia broke out, one to be remember was the Coniston massacre of 1926. The Aboriginals faced many hardships and any soldiers were refused the benefits that the white men received.
Immigrants from Ireland, the Adriatic and the Mediterranean and many came from Britain which helped to solidify the bond with the ‘Mother Country’. Young men were encouraged to come and work as farm boys. Many widows and children came to Australian. Servants were in high demand; the women who took the jobs would usually marry and have children. In the time from 1920-30 around 3000 ‘orphans’ from poor or neglected backgrounds arrived to find work in Australia.
Many aspects of Australian society began to change. A larger variety of foods were available in cafes and different leisure activities. The Greeks set up many café’s which put a different style of food out to the people. There were also skilled Italian stonemasons, mosaic and terrazzo workers who contributed significantly to the development of Australian cities, public buildings and also residential homes.
It was also a time of empowerment for the women. When many jobs were left unattended during the war the women stood up to fulfil them. This lead to a growing sense of independence in the women who started to take the jobs previous seen as men’s jobs. They had more expression of speech and began to were shorter skirts and hair, smoke and go out to clubs.
Along with this came the most popular music of those years, jazz. It was reported that Australian’s film industry was being overshadowed by US films. There were new inventions such as radios and automobiles that became common acquisitions for the ordinary family. Going to the cinema was also a popular form of entertainment.
In the 1930’s a stock market crash on Wall St lead the world straight into the Depression. Many lost their jobs and were forced into poverty. It was a hard time for everyone. Labouring jobs that were taken during the Depression contributed to the construction of Australia's rural industries and transport systems, building roads and railways19 including across the Nullabor. Australians became unaccepting and unwelcoming of immigrants and racism surfaced as Australian’s desired to protect their jobs and businesses. It was mainly seen in films or picture shows, the audience were deliberately separated.
The workers unions became more forceful in protecting workers rights. Strikes were held in demand of employment for Australian-born workers.
At the time Christianity was the main religion in Australia and religion was very important. Priests and Nuns came from Ireland to reinforce Irish Catholicism. The great cultural division in that time was between Catholics and Protestants. It even divided the Labour Party. European churches such as the Lutheran Greek Orthodox churches were established.
Indigenous People
It was a hard time for the Indigenous People of Australia; they were viewed as a ‘dying race’. The government took it upon themselves to remove the Indigenous children from their homes and families and place then into large reserves. In this time fights between them and the settlers of Australia broke out, one to be remember was the Coniston massacre of 1926. The Aboriginals faced many hardships and any soldiers were refused the benefits that the white men received.