AUSTRALIA HISTORY

There was a time in Perth and across the dusty stretches of Western Australia when the clink of coins in a pocket meant everything. The Great Depression hit like a dry wind, relentless, hollowing out hopes and stomachs alike. Men queued along Barrack Street and outside the Treasury building, hats in hand, for a day’s labour or a warm bowl of soup. Some walked miles from the outer suburbs, boots worn thin or barefoot, chasing rumoured jobs that had already gone by the time they arrived.

Out in the Wheatbelt, crops failed, and debts mounted. Many farmers turned to trapping rabbits, not as pests, but as dinner. In the city, rabbit meat became a staple. Cheap, plentiful, and sold from carts by blokes with sacks slung over their shoulders, shouting, “Two for a shilling!” Mothers stewed them with onions and what few vegetables they could find, stretching the pot to feed a family of seven.

Unemployment in Western Australia soared to over 30%. Thousands of men, many with families, were out of work and turned to government “sustenance” or “relief” jobs, which paid a bare minimum in exchange for hard manual labour. These jobs often involved building roads, clearing bushland, and digging drains. Men were sometimes given pick-and-shovel work far from home, staying in makeshift camps or tents and returning only occasionally.

Kids played barefoot in Subiaco, Victoria Park, and Fremantle streets, fashioning toys from scraps—old tins, bits of string, and fence wire twisted into hoops. They’d share a slice of dripping on toast if they were lucky. The few who had bikes or marbles were the kings of the neighbourhood. Boans and Foy & Gibson’s still stood proud in the city, but few could afford even the simplest treat from their shelves.

Yet somehow, despite the hardship, people shared what little they had. Neighbours helped neighbours. The backyard chook pen became a lifeline, and community halls echoed with the sounds of secondhand dances and the odd bit of laughter.

It wasn’t easy, but those years carved out a quiet strength in the hearts of Western Australians—a resilience that would carry them through droughts, wars, and boomtown dreams yet to come.

“We had nothing—but we had each other. And we had rabbit.”