This is the story of a working class man who gives flashbacks of life back in Australia in the period of 1901 - 1914. I will fill in the footsteps of that man to talk you through how life was then and its contrasts to now. There is also a poem going on in the presentation.

1. Story of the Australian life back in
1901 – 1914.
By Balkaran Mann

2. WHAT IS THIS STORY?
Ever wondered what life was like in Australia back in the 20th Century?
Well join me as we explore life back then from 1901 – 1914 in the eyes
of a working class man. I will fill the footsteps of an old man who will
provide flashbacks to the time back then. Trust me – this is really
entertaining, educational and fun.

3. Life back then was quite different to now, you name it. It was harsh it was
tough and it was rough. There was quite a danger and health scare
around, and I have to say with today’s standard we were quite stranded.

4. I Myself was a manual labourer and boy was work tough. I worked in uncomfortable conditions
and it was hard stuff. I used to work my but off – earning a measly $5.50 in an intense 50 hour
week and compared to today’s hundred’s of dollars it was quite bleak. You see it wasn’t like
today where you earn a near thousand in a week by working off a chair, we worked like dogs to
put food on the table and it was quite unfair. My wife earned in a week a dollar but most of the
time she was a housewife and it wasn’t long till our kids started working in strife. Nowadays the
workers take it easy to earn big but it wouldn’t be possible if we hadn’t stepped in. You see we
pushed for higher pay and better work rights and although it did it took many years.

5. Speaking more of being a working class I had it even more tough. My house was quite small,
dangerous and unsanitary. We working class fellows had poor health and with poor sanitation
there was these diseases here and there and it was not exemplary. Since we fellows worked all
day we had little time to leisure and those of working class would resort to crime, prostitution
and drunkenness, and I got to say life was no pleasure.

6. Australia used to be of 6 separate colonies all independent but in 1901 came Federation or in
other words the colonies became governed by one. We were now the Commonwealth of
Australia. The constitution took effect in 1901 and it outlined how Federation would be run. In
the same year the Australian Federal Parliament was opened and you see this Federation was
the uniting of our nation.

7. It was a great move this Federation and sure thing it was the start of a beauty of a nation.
Celebration was across the nation and me and mates hand a grand time out – sipping a beer and
enjoying the night out at Centennial Park. So you see this period sorta was the building blocks to
what we have now.

8. We weren’t our multicultural society back then. You wouldn’t see Asians or your Africans here
and there. The population was mainly from the British Isles or Australian born white lads. Many
a man saw Britain as their home and even education was influenced by British Beliefs and worst
of the beliefs targeted Aboriginals as villains. Sad it was they even had this Immigration
Restriction Act which stopped non – European immigration to back the belief of having a white
populated nation.

9. Going on the Immigration Restriction Act I have to say was to eliminate the hard working
Chinese who were thought to be an inassimilable bunch o’ people who were a threat to
European standard of living. And the Aboriginal people too were grieving.

10. Well the Aboriginals – boy they were doing it tough. The Aboriginals were treated poor and it was
like it was their land no more. The Aboriginals had no rights, couldn’t own a house, couldn’t vote,
nor could they become an Aussie Citizen and you see Whites and Aboriginals had all these fights.
Being a Brit I was lucky but I felt for the Aboriginals – you know them being regarded as criminals.

11. I myself when I occasionally had a beer with me mates, it wasn’t as if there’d be men of different
cultures but just pure British was all. Quite a change it is now – where you have your Indian, Chinese,
Asian and Aussie in town.

12. Women at the time were quite different – not today’s free and high earning females. Then it
was males who brought in the money and the dear honey wife stayed at home as a typical
housewife. Another thing about women was that until early 1900’s they couldn’t vote. After
Federation in 1902 since there was a strong belief it was granted that women could vote. My
wife was so gleeful and next elections cast her vote being very joyful. But not all women could
vote – kicks in racism now since Indigenous Australians and those of Asian, African and Pacific
Islander descent couldn’t.

13. Speaking more on the lifestyle back then it wasn’t easy then. We had no electricity to light up the
lights nor did we even have such appliances – now a days all this technology is a necessity. Cars
were not driven and good ridden we had to walk many a distance. We had no Television nor
movies and to entertain (of time there was little) we had to resort to other sort of recreation.
Quite a dull life you would say, not as advanced and easy as the one we have today. Life was
tough and life was rough but we had to have the guts to go by and quite a back breaker it was oh
my.

14. So you see – that was me good ol’ story of the time back then. From then to now many a change
has occurred and thankful we can be such times are gone. We can take life easy through the
technology, we can earn big through many an opportunity but most of all we can embrace a life
of multiculture where white people do not dominate the whole structure. Embrace the life you
have lads and when you think life is hard just take a flashback to how tough we had it back then.

15. Thanks for watching
Hope you’ve learnt a thing or
two of life then and now!