The Great Depression

The Great Depression spanned most of Bertha's childhood and didn't end until she was married.

During that time there was also a seven year drought, which hit the Darling Downs farming region hard.

Bertha recalls what it was like living through those times.

"Terrible, just terrible," she says.

"You've got no idea unless you lived through it.

"You had no money for clothes.

"A lot of kids came to school in their father's pants just cut off at the knees, held up by a belt.

"They didn't have any underwear… shoes were a rarity too, everyone was barefoot.

"Food was the most important so that's what you spent your money on and you didn't get a lot of that.

"We were lucky we were on a farm.

"When you're on the farm you have your own milk, your own butter, your own eggs, your own chickens to knock over on Sunday if you've got no meat.

"Only had to buy rolled oats for breakfast… and through the week you'd buy a big piece of corned beef because the other meat wouldn't keep, there were no fridges.

Bertha says the situation was much worse for the people who lived in town, because they didn't grow their own food and had to wait for the farmers to bring their produce into town.

"Mum used to get about sixpence a dozen for the eggs," says Bertha.

But times were also tough on the land, especially through the drought.

Bertha says her parents lost a lot of cattle and horses but managed to keep their farm.

"Mum used to take the cattle to water three times a week, that had to do them.

"I think she had to drive them about six miles to the nearest water.

"They'd get near it and they'd rush, they'd be so thirsty.

"By the time they got home again I think they needed another drink."

New York Stock Prices 1926-1934

(Image: Rjensen, reproduced under creative

commons licence)