What can a 72-year-old flyer tell us about mid-century life at Carey?

Joanne Horsley

Archivist

The seemingly innocuous flyer pictured opposite right had until recently resided in the Preshil school archives for 72 years. At first glance it has little to reveal about the fete held at Carey in 1948. But look closer and you will find some insight into life as it was here in post–World War II Australia.

From one document it is possible to extract a fascinating snapshot of life in Australia in 1948. New foods, like the American hot dog, were introduced, while the sale of fresh rabbits would have attracted many families. We can see that coupons and rationing from the war years were still in use, and old English games like Aunt Sally, reminiscent of a Punch and Judy show, were still commonplace. The fete was opened by a man who served in both WWI and WWII, and would go on to chair the Melbourne Olympic Organising Committee, heralding an era of change and migration into Melbourne.

It’s amazing how much can be deduced from a simple flyer for a school fete.

Flyer for Carey’s Silver Jubilee Fete, 1948, donated by Preshil.

Fresh rabbits, anyone?

The stalls at the fete selling cakes, garden plants, toys, sweets, ice cream and a lucky dip would not seem out of place at a school fete today. In 1948, however, meat rationing was still in place and the sale of fresh rabbits not subject to rationing would have been a significant drawcard!

The inclusion of hot dogs reflects the large numbers of US servicemen on leave in Australia during the war and the changing diet of Australians.

Just a bit of fun?

The entertainment provided for the fete were a merry-go-round, pony rides and something called Aunt Sally. This game, where players throw sticks or batons at a model of an old women’s head, originated in British pubs and gardens. The object of the game is to score the most hits to the head. Deemed innocent at the time, by today’s standards, it carries a more misogynistic tone. Leagues still play the game today – but with a skittle rather than a head.

Aunt Sally

Wikimedia Commons

Food parcels for our allies

Many foodstuffs such as tea, sugar, beef and chocolate were rationed during WWII, with severe restrictions enforced in Britain. During these austere years, Australian and New Zealand families were encouraged to send food parcels to Britain. This campaign signified the deep connection between Australasia and Britain. When Australian cricketers arrived in Britain to defend the Ashes in 1948, they were accompanied by more than 17,000 parcels, gifts from the state of Victoria.

Coupons as currency

The brochure lists the attractions of the fete and mentions ‘Workstall (no coupons)’. A workstall sold homemade goods and the mention of coupons here refers to the government practice of issuing coupons to ration goods such as clothing and food.

Rationing was the practice during WWII in Australia, Britain and New Zealand for all civilians. Shortages caused by the war, which ended in 1945, meant that supplies had to be controlled to curb consumption and limit inflation. Goods such as butter, tea, sugar and clothing were distributed using coupons. While the war had finished three years prior to this fete, it seems that coupons were still used as currency.

Wikimedia Commons

A gallant MC

The fete was opened by The Hon. Wilfred Selwyn Kent Hughes. He won a Rhodes Scholarship in 1914 but decided to defer his studies to join the Australian Army. After WWI, he studied at Oxford and represented Australia at the 1920 Olympics in Belgium. He returned home to work in the family business, was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly and joined the United Australia Party. He was a minister and deputy leader in the government of Stanley Argyle. He reenlisted for WWII

but was captured by the Japanese in Singapore and spent three years as a prisoner of war. Back in Australia after the war, he joined the Liberal party, and at the time of the Carey fete was the Deputy Premier of Victoria. He resigned the following year, before being elected to the House of Representatives and appointed to the cabinet of the Robert Menzies government as the Minister for the Interior and Minister for Housing and Works. He was chair of the Organising Committee of Melbourne Olympics and secured the rights to televise the Olympics. He was knighted in 1957.

The Hon. Wilfred Selwyn Kent Hughes

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