Real Life Stories of South Australia

The way people thought in the early 1930's.

Part of the appeal of this project was to gain an understanding of the issues concerning people and of the way people thought at that time. The attitudes, mores and prevalent culture are revealed in the readers' (mainly S.A. country people's) contributions.

First up: the attitude towards Australian Aborigines at that time was generally disgraceful, causing me to often cringe, and I was torn as to whether I should even republish some of the language used. Or at least redact certain words. But for the purposes of historical accuracy, and with a clear disclaimer at the head of the page, the articles are faithfully reproduced on this site "as is."

Then there were the macho deeds where the miscreant was "taught a lesson", through fights, stockwhips or guns, much to the delight of onlookers. Men would challenge each other over the smallest things, perhaps to prove their masculinity. Jokers getting their come-uppance or else successfully pricking pomposity. Practical jokes played on the newcomer, particularly "pommies". Or more disappointingly, on those with a disability.

Other themes seem to revolve around man versus nature, which is hardly surprising for stories of pioneers eking out a living in the outback. So killing snakes and other wildlife that were considered to be a pest, or just for sport (which can be hard reading); bullock teamsters, the breaking in of wild horses, with the thrill of the horseback chase, country race meetings, are recurrent themes.

Superstition abounded - with plenty of ghost stories. Isolation, with mental health problems, bush medicine, heroic surgical interventions, and tales of getting lost, often perishing in the harsh environment. Drought and dust permeate the articles. Swamp draining (especially in the S.E.), well sinking, mishaps with people falling down wells, shearing, railway navvies. Several interesting detailed accounts of various shipwrecks.

Women hardly featured, but were generally respectfully regarded, with their role to look after the house while their men were out working. Several stories of women being threatened by aborigines and how they coped are harrowing.

Most contributors used a pen-name, which is a pity, and there seemed to be a general concern to de-identify people in the stories. This might have been the sub-editor's decision to avoid libel. And of course, no article has been sourced. A few stories have nothing to do with South Australia. The requirement that the story be true seems to often have been ignored. So please don't believe everything you read !