Then Artie wanted to know if that meant he didn’t have to go to school no more, only Ma said it meant nothing of the sort and he and Fred and Maisie and me’d keep going to school till she said. And Artie said, ‘Aw Ma,’ but under his breath cos he could see how cross she were.
10th March, Saturday
Pa and Mr Higgs and Mr Paine and others are going up Macquarie Street Monday to see Mr Hughes. He’s the member of parliament for Rocks. All the grown-ups round are worried what’s going to happen if they can’t get work and no money coming in.
We had rabbit stew for tea last night, only Ma says there won’t be much of that or anything else for that matter if she don’t get no washing to do and Pa got no work neither. We’ll be living on thin air she says and that’s for sure. Then Maisie wanted to know how you could live on air but Ma told her to shush up. She’d find out soon enough.
There’s a boy from Redfern got it now, 16, and the Dovey’s baby, Frederick’s died of it. Only 2. They took him to Sydney Hospital. Now the hospital’s closed and nobody can visit and all the Dovey family’s gone off to quarantine.
11th March, Sunday
Ma and me caught up with the ironing this arvo. Just in case she don’t get no work when barricades go up. She heats the flat irons next the stove so one’s heating while the other’s cooling down. I sprinkle everything with water so the creases come out then she irons and once it’s all aired I fold it neat into piles for Pa to deliver. After a day’s ironing Ma’s arms are worn out. The irons are real heavy. Maisie can hardly lift them but you still got to press down to make them work. Ma’s got strong arms, only not like a wharfie’s but then she don’t do wheelies and windmills with her irons neither.
12th March, Monday
Pa went up to the Herald building today to read the latest news from South Africa. There’s Mounted Rifles been fighting somewhere called Driefontein and a trooper named Abrahams killed. Bertie probably knew him too. It were sad, Pa said. He were shot from a Boer farmhouse flying a white flag to show they’d surrendered. That’s cheating but. Then they checked his pockets. They found a letter from his ma he got that morning and hadn’t had time to read. I hope they buried it with him. Pa said he were just nineteen, younger than Bertie even.
I’ve written a letter to Bertie and told him all about our time at North Head and about being back at school again and how there’s talk of cleaning up all the streets round here and getting rid of the rats and all. He won’t have got it yet but.
Mr Oliver’s been to Orange and seen that for a capital city. And Moore Park tip’s been closed.
13th March, Tuesday
Pa and the other men saw Mr Hughes today. They waited outside Parliament House and demanded to see him till, in the end, some guard went and got him. Mr Hughes were in the middle of this big argument with the Premier, Mr Lyne, about The Rocks and said it’s Mr Lyne wants to put barricades up and send in clean-up gangs. Only Mr Hughes told him it weren’t fair to people with jobs outside. All they can do now is wait.
All over Sydney there’s talk of cleaning up, in Annandale, out Vaucluse way, even over in Manly.
14th March, Wednesday
The barricades went up this morning real early before anyone was up and there’s a curfew put on anyone that really has to go out to get back before dark. Ma said, ‘What we going to do if you can’t get out to look for work and I can’t get out to pick up my washing?’
And later on, Mr Hughes hisself come round to see Pa and the others. All these people are shouting at him and Mr Hughes, who’s real little, has to shout to get heard above the din. Seems he’s told Mr Lyne to pay 6 shillings a day to them as can’t get out, only so far Mr Lyne’s said no. All he’ll do is go see the rats for hisself, if they’re as bad as Mr Hughes says. Not from close up but, from a boat out on the water.
There’s a notice gone up now about stray dogs. Any seen’ll be put down painless. Maybe they’re worried about dogs’ fleas now?
Anthony Hordern, the big toff shop up Brickfield Hill, got this sale on for mourning black. Must be a lot of people expecting to go to funerals. People round here just wear what they got.
15th March, Thursday
There’s been rats found in street sweepings way out at Wentworthville and Ma said, ‘Fancy that! Rats in the sweepings. They should come over here and see how many we got.’ Mr Lyne now says we do have a rat problem. Only we could have told him that. He saw thousands running up and down the wharf piles and swarming all over. Fair makes me flesh crawl to think of it.
There were a riot down Bates Lane this morning when Mr Lyne sent his clean-up gang in from outside, without so much as a by-your-leave and they start pouring lime all over a cottage. The people as lived there got real angry and a scuffle broke out and all the neighbours joined in. Only it must have got back to parliament because Mr Hughes has made the Premier promise there’ll be jobs on gangs for all the men round here, not just from outside. And they’ll get paid 8 shillings a day so Pa and Mr Higgs and Mr Paine and anybody that wants can have a job. Elsie’s and Reggie’s pas can’t work since the wharves all closed, so they’ll be joining. And Pa’s that pleased to be working again, he’s got this grin on his face, ear to ear, like his head’s split.
Now but, Ma’s got no work. None of her old customers want her doing their wash since barricades gone up. Only Ma just shrugged and said it were Pa’s turn to bring in some money for a change and she don’t mind who does it, so long as someone does.
The paper says New South Mounteds done splendid service trying to capture a Boer gun. They didn’t get the gun but the Herald said it were a gallant attempt all the same.
Another Dovey’s come down with bubonic now, the boy, 7. That makes it four in that family’s had it so far.
16th March, Friday
Pa says there’s something been killing all the fish lately, thousands of them are floating on the surface, bream and mullet, whiting, even flathead. It can’t be plague that’s killed them but, cos fish don’t have fleas do they?
If they put the capital city in Monaro, they could have a harbour at Twofold Bay and a train going there and back. But Pa says it’ll mean buying all the land between from the farmers and that’ll cost more even than Ma’s got on her ship.
When you read about people getting plague and they got names and how old they are it makes it seem like you know them almost. Now just two more today and one yesterday. Today there’s a John Butler, 24, who’s got it and an Alexander Bell, 18. That’s the same age as Ethel.
17th March, Saturday
It was St Patrick’s Day today and Ma said it’s a pity he’s not still around. If he could get rid of the snakes out of Ireland, then maybe he could do something about the rats in Sydney.
Lord Roberts has captured Bloemfontein. The paper says the crowds when he led the army in were that excited they ran a white flag up and the Mayor gave him the keys to the town. Only the paper said the men were done in. They’d been marching a whole month on short rations and no tents. It’s boiling hot of a day and freezing at nights, and they got wet through when it rained. Ma’s hopping mad about it. She says she’s never heard of an army this bad organised, that one of them fancy ladies’ committees could have done better and would have. At this rate she says Bertie’ll be nothing more’n a scarecrow when he gets back and she’ll have her hands full just nursing him back to normal.
Lord Roberts says there’s not much fighting left to do now, only President Kruger don’t agree. He says the burghers, that’s what Boer men are called, will fight to the death and the British’ll never get as far as Pretoria. Ma said we’ll see about that.
18th March, Sunday
Dolly’s birthday today. She’s 17 and taller now than Ethel.
Saw Reggie and his parents at Mass and got to say hello after. He were real nice and polite and didn’t sound up hisself at all. In fact on the way back he held Eddy and Maisie’s hand and swung their arms forwards and back like a game till they tell him to stop.
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br /> 19th March, Monday
Pa met George today in Kent Street with his black cart. He says they’re run off their feet at the coffin shop, not just from plague neither. There’s old people dropping off the perch with the heat and their hearts giving in and apoplexy. Only now there’s bubonic as well and George says he’s never known it this busy. But he says none of his friends’ll see him, on account of he’s round bodies all day long, and they think he’ll maybe pass something on. Even Lily, the girl he’s been stepping out with, won’t have nothing to do with him, which is sad.
George says there’s doctors and nurses getting the same. People are scared they’ll catch something now the hospitals are full. One doctor George knows, every time he walks along the street with his black bag, people stand back against the wall to let him pass or else step off on the road.
20th March, Tuesday
There’s plague victims popping up all over Sydney now. Paddington and Surry Hills. Not all dead mind, but catched it. Marrickville and Burwood, even over Canterbury and as far down as Botany. And it’s not just poor parts either. There’s just as likely to be bad privies over Milson’s Point and Kirribilli as there are this side of the harbour.
Pa says it’s become real nasty down the markets. People are saying the Chinese brung the plague in and it’s all their fault. But that’s not fair. The rats brung it. Poor Mr Ah Han hasn’t been round for ages now and Pa says coppers have gone up Chinatown and barricaded people in proper and they’re not allowed out at all. He says it’s because they won’t have needles like us. Mr Ah Han and his family did in quarantine but his neighbours haven’t. It’s not their sort of medicine so they’re frightened.
22nd March, Thursday
Two more deaths today and a crowd of people stormed up the Health Department in Macquarie Street to get their needles. Right out across the pavement they were and the doctors tried to keep them out only they kept demanding them same as the people at North Head. The doctors ended up giving a thousand people needles which makes more than three thousand’s had them so far, only the doctors say they can’t give them in the office any more. They’ll have to find somewhere else.
23rd March, Friday
They’ve set up a needle place in Prince Alfred Park. at the Exhibition Building, and Ethel and Dolly got theirs today. George’s had his already on account of he’s dealing with bodies all day. There was twelve hundred got them today and Dolly said they waited in line for ages with their sleeves rolled till they got to the doctor.
There’s lots of people haven’t had them but, and just as many left the city, if they haven’t died already. Any houses that’s got plague they put a fence right round, outside its own and onto the roadway so people got to walk right round the outside. And there’s notices gone up everywhere saying what streets is to be cleaned from Darling Harbour up Kent and Erskine and along Sussex, then street by street almost to Waterloo. Down the bottom the Premier’s put his name, William John Lyne, then GOD SAVE THE QUEEN! I can’t think why but. How’s she going to catch it in England?
24th March, Saturday
There’s a thousand men on clean-up now and Reggie’s fibbed and told them he’s 16 so’s he’s on a gang with his dad. It’s not just clean-up either, they’re pulling down houses as well. The noise all day is something terrible, what with sledgehammers banging and walls crashing down. And carts and wagons rumbling down the wharf the whole time and steam engines spraying the walls and yards. Fire engines are parked in Kent Street every day now and there’s big hoses lying all over the road. Every now and then they start blasting. The public still goes about their business the other side of the barricades but, while the men clean up our side.
Another one, over in Balmain this time.
The people in Albury are cranky that Mr Oliver didn’t choose there for a capital city. They say they’ve got a nice river and soil and even a butter factory. But you don’t have to have a butter factory, do you?
26th March, Monday
Ragged School’s been closed for a week now. All the schools round have. That’s how Reggie got on clean-up. All the wharves and warehouses and factories are closed too. It’s funny Ma and Ethel and Dolly got no jobs, but George and Pa never worked so hard.
Dolly and Ethel come to the barricades to see us today. They say Sydney’s a ghost town further up with lots of places shuttered up. Theatres and hotels, shops and markets are just not opening for a while. Ethel says it’s like Sunday only all the time. There’s no word from Mabel. I expect she’s up the Blue Mountains still.
Ma says me and Maisie got to stay indoors more now, keep out the way of the gangs, only she can’t stop Fred and Artie. They’re used to being out and about and barefoot too, only now she makes them wear their boots, on account of they’re out and about with the rat-catchers. Some places that gets opened up, rats shoot out like mice from a barn and no time to see where they went almost.
Fred and Artie come home so excited first day. They said the men got baits and cages with cats and ferrets. Only the foxies were best and Maisie said, ‘What foxies?’ And Fred said fox-terriers and Artie said Jack Russells. Catchers keep them on leads till they’re ready. Then soon as they let them off, they’re down the drains before you can blink and next thing, they’re struggling back out with a huge rat, maybe half as big as themselves. Artie said the catchers say there’s tunnels pretty well under every backyard like a honeycomb. That give Ma and me the shudders just to think of it. I’ve got to finish now and go to bed, the noise starts that early of a morning and I’m dog tired.
27th March, Tuesday
No-one knows if their house is coming down or just getting cleaned. Gangs come into a street, nose round, and next thing, the roof’s off and the walls are left standing pink and blue, like their unwhisperables. Some got pictures pasted on or stencils to make them look nice only it’s like going into a stranger’s house without being asked still. It’s odd but, before a house come down, there’s a man goes round and takes its picture first. I can’t think why he wants a picture of it if it’s coming down anyway. Still it don’t matter on account of sometimes me and Maisie get to get in the picture too and most of the kids round here do, on account of we’ve never had our picture taken before.
Only yesterday I’m standing there waiting for him to take it and suddenly I hears someone yelling, ‘Kitty. Kitty! Hey, Carrot Top!’ and I turn and look just as the flash goes. And there’s Reggie, coming over to say hello. He said he couldn’t help seeing the red hair. I were that cross because now the photo’ll have me with me face all blurred on account of him. And I told him so and he said he were sorry, only he just wanted to say hello but.
Maisie and me got to be ever so careful where we walk now. My boots are almost through and there’s that much broken bricks and nails about you could easily get something sticking in. Maisie’s the same. She’s almost out the end of her boots now. Artie’s old ones are still too big on her so she’s got to make do for a bit longer.
When you go out, there’s this smell all the time. Ma says it’s carbolic they’re using to disinfect everything and limewash for painting the walls and WCs. Only now it’s mixed with privy smell and dead rats and meat gone off and it fair makes you feel like chucking up.
I’m still cross with Reggie Cook for making me photo blurred.
28th March, Wednesday
Ma read that Mr Barton and Mr Deakin and them got to have lunch at Windsor Castle and meet the Queen and Ma said, ‘Maybe they should ask her where she thinks we should put the capital city.’
There’s been more people come down with it now. Over Darlington and Glebe.
29th March, Thursday
Something happened today that give me a terrible fright. I had this gut ache and next thing I think I’ve wet me drawers. So I go down the back to the privy. Only I find there’s blood on them and I get such a shock I think I’m dying, that somehow I’ve come down with bubonic even with the needle. And next thing I’ll have black lumps on me neck and
fever and the shakes and I’ll come on delirious and then the whole family’ll get it.
I sit there for a bit, scared stiff and shaking, not knowing what to do I’m that upset. I think of burying them somewhere only Ma will want to know what happened to them so I got to wash it off before she finds out. So I open the door real careful so’s it don’t creak and run across to the washhouse.
And I’m standing there scrubbing me drawers with Ma’s special soap, only the blood won’t come out and now I’m starting to feel hot and I’m sure it’s fever starting and suddenly there’s Ma standing behind me.
‘Here, what you doing?’ she says and I burst into tears.
‘I’ve got bubonic,’ I tells her, ‘Don’t come no nearer.’
Only she says, ‘You got nothing of the sort, Kitty.’ Then she sees me trying to wash my knickers and says, ‘What you’ve got’s perfectly natural, my girl, and from now on you’ll get it every month till you’re older than me even.’
Well I just stood there staring at her only she says, ‘You stay right there, lovey, and I’ll show you what to do about it.’ And next thing she’s back again with this little towel she folds in an oblong and a clean pair of drawers for me. ‘Now you pins the towel inside your knickers like this, before you put them on.’
Plagues and Federation Page 5