The Great Depression (1929–32)
NOT IN THE TEST This part is worth reading, but the citizenship test never asks about it.
The Great Depression was a time of extreme hardship for the Australian people. It started at the same time as the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929. Other factors that contributed to the Depression in Australia included falls in the prices of Australian commodities and industrial unrest as employers cut jobs and wages. By the middle of 1932, almost 32 per cent of Australians were out of work.
The Depression’s impact on Australian society was devastating. Without work and a steady income, many people lost their homes. They were forced to live in makeshift shelters with no heating or sanitation. Some fathers deserted their families or turned to alcohol. Many working-class children left school at 13 or 14 years of age. Many women worked in basic jobs as well as looking after their children and homes on their own.
At the time leading up to the Depression, the government did not have a central unemployment program. Apart from charities and some private organisations, poor people had to rely on public works and employment projects. The economy started to improve in 1932, but in many cases, the damage to families could not be repaired.
During the Great Depression, the vital role of Australian charities and volunteers was emphasised.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (1897–1935)
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was an early Australian aviator. In World War I, he fought at Gallipoli and flew with Britain’s Royal Flying Corps.
His greatest achievement was making the first crossing over the Pacific Ocean from California to Queensland in 1928. His plane, the Southern Cross, arrived in Australia to 25,000 adoring people cheering for their hero ‘Smithy’. In 1932, he was knighted for his services to aviation.
In 1935, he tragically went down with his plane on a flight from England to Australia and was never found.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith has been called the world’s greatest aviator and is remembered for giving the people, in the midst of the Depression, a true Australian hero to look up to.
From Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, the official booklet