Born in 1945?

Ron Williams

This is the fifth of the 1940s and the sixth book overall to be released in a series of 32 about life in Australia – one for each year from 1939 to 1970. They describe happenings that affected people, real people. The whole series, to coin a modern phrase, is designed to push your buttons, to make you remember and wonder at things forgotten. The books might just let nostalgia see the light of day, so that oldies and youngies will talk about the past and re-discover a heritage otherwise forgotten.

Hopefully, they will spark discussions between generations, and foster the asking and answering of questions that should not remain unanswered. In 1945, the Japs gave up and the Germans gave up. In Oz, every Jap was hated for the next twenty years at least. Bulldogging and buckjumping were quite popular, and the distinction between Communism and Socialism was not all the clear. Our servicemen had been promised their jobs back when they returned to civvies, but this presented lots of problems.

Anyway, getting transport for them to return home to Oz was not easy. The Brits were starving, and our own Bundles for Britain helped a lot. Rubber tyres for cars and bikes will be on sale next year, rationing of silk stockings will be abolished. Could the world get any better?