19th August, Sunday
Bertie’s written to Pa now. He says over there they don’t think of themselves as New South Welsh or Victorians or Tasmanians. They’re just Australians, fighting in the British army.
Miss Nunn’s sick with flu. I don’t know how Miss Collins is going to cope with her class as well as her own.
20th August, Monday
Miss Collins asked Ma to help today with the little kids, just keep them busy she said, reading them stories and helping them with writing. Ma loved it. She gets on well with little kids and is ever so patient when she has to be and, with their reading, she knows how hard it is now.
There’s been no plague at all since the 9th of August and people are finally starting to say it’s over.
25th August, Saturday
George’s birthday today, only he couldn’t come round to see us on account of he’s not had chicken pox and don’t want to get it now. Ma says he somehow missed out getting it between Bertie and Ethel and if a grown-up gets it they come down a lot worse. So he and Lily have gone over to her parents’ for his birthday tea.
27th August, Monday
There’s only three people sick left at North Head now.
I’ve finally said yes to Reggie that I’ll be his valentine. Only it’s a secret. Fred and Artie would only go blurting it out to Ma and she’ll probably say I wasn’t to be anyone’s valentine. I’m still too young. But I don’t think I am.
28th August, Tuesday
The rat-catchers are still finding some to catch but not near so many. They used to get 900 a day when things were really bad, only now they get about 350. That’s still a lot of rats when you see them piled up only we don’t see them lying around dead any more.
The paper says there’s been 71 000 disposed of since the start, and 103 humans dead from plague.
29th August, Wednesday
Dolly’s had a letter back from the matron saying if she’s still keen at the end of the year then the matron will have her starting next year. Dolly’s not given notice at the factory yet. Pa says November’s time enough for that.
30th August, Thursday
Pa’s told Ma they can afford a two-up two-downer this time. They’ll start building first thing Monday morning. He’ll help too now clean-up’s finished. He’s not a carpenter so he’ll only get labourer’s wages, but that’s still 7 shillings a day and, as Ma says, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick. This way Pa says it’ll get done much faster and any time Fred’s not in school and weekends he can help too.
31st August, Friday
No cases for a whole month and no more rats round either and there’s new houses going up in the streets that’s cleared. And only 122 days to Federation!
3rd September, Monday
They’ve started! Not that there’s much to see yet. They only measured up the ground and marked it out. Reggie and his family will still be living next door. I’m so glad.
5th September, Wednesday
Artie asked Pa today what difference will it make when we get Federation and Pa said there’ll be things like postage stamps all being same, not different for each colony. And there’ll be one army, not six. And Fred asked will the railway lines be all the same size only Pa weren’t sure about that. Not at first anyway, maybe one day.
7th September, Friday
Ma took herself off to St Mary’s today to see it dedicated. She said there were bishops from other colonies there, looking ever so splendid, even from as far away as New Zealand. She just sat up the back and watched them all and listened to all the lovely music. Fred’s studied all the measurements and he’s told Pa the tower is 127 foot high and when they build the ones down the far end, they’ll be 232 feet. Only Pa said it’ll be a long while before they have the money to build them.
9th September, Sunday
Artie wants to know if we’ll be getting a new flag for Federation and Pa scratched his head and said he didn’t know. He says we’ll have the Union Jack to start with but after that maybe they’ll hold a competition to get a new one.
We can see the foundations now and the carpenters’ll start tomorrow. Then come the brickies. Every afternoon as soon as school’s finished Fred’s round there helping Pa.
12th September, Wednesday
There’s more horses waiting down at Darling Harbour ready for shipping to South Africa. It’s because there’ve been so many die I expect. It’s just don’t seem fair.
14th September, Friday
Pa’s birthday today. He’s been that happy this year what with clean-up and now the house going up and being able to put a bit of money aside. Last night I heard him telling Ma he should have enough to put a deposit on another cart and horse if they’re not too dear and he can find somewhere to stable the horse. Ma says he’s done so well for himself that, first chance she gets, she’s going to buy him a set of them £2.10 teeth they had advertised. That’ll be his birthday present from her and he deserves them.
15th September, Saturday
There’s nothing been done about celebrations yet for Federation. There’s not even a committee set up and Ma says they’d better get a move on otherwise there’ll be nothing ready. Only 107 days to go.
17th September, Monday
The Queen’s going to give us the table and inkstand she used to sign the paper. She’s sending them out as a present, only they’re on show now in England for people to look at before they come out. There’s been two thousand seen them so far.
18th September, Tuesday
There’s been another meeting to get women the vote and Sir William Lyne has promised he’ll do everything he can to get the bill through. The women say it’s all right for them to send their sons off to war only they can’t vote any more than criminals or people in asylums can. What’s the good of having Federation, they say, if women can’t vote in it?
I don’t know why the Premier’s been made Sir William. It’s not as if he’s done anything special, only Pa says members of parliament often get made Sirs.
19th September, Wednesday
Mr Kruger’s going to leave South Africa in a warship and go and live in Holland where they’ve said he can stay.
The Queen’s sending her grandson, the Duke of York, out to Australia to open up the new parliament next year. And she’s put a notice in the London Gazette saying, ‘On or after January 1, 1901 the six Federating Colonies of Australia will be united under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia.’ New Zealand’s been invited to be part of Federation but they’re not sure they want to be.
22nd September, Saturday
Ma was reading out the adverts today and come across one for a kangaroo. Female and perfectly tame and going cheap. ‘Well I never,’ says Ma. ‘Fancy anyone keeping a kangaroo in Bondi.’ Only straightaway Maisie wants to know if she can have it.
‘No Maisie,’ Ma says real firm. ‘No horses, no dogs and NO kangaroos. The poor thing’d have to jump up and down on the spot.’
Then Maisie starts to sniff and the tears start coming and Ma gives her a cuddle and says, ‘I tell you what. I’ll take you and Artie up town to Victoria Markets to see the birds. Would you like that?’
Maisie stops sniffing and it looks like it’s on the tip of her tongue to ask if she can have one, when Ma says, ‘No you can’t but soon as we get our new house, I’ll let you have a kitten. Will that do?’
Maisie give Ma this big smile. Maybe when it’s bigger it’ll be a help to keep any rats away.
24th September, Monday
I went for a walk with Reggie yesterday. We had to take Maise and Eddy with us. We headed up Observatory Hill and let them run round while we sat on the bench and held hands. Only every time Maisie or Eddy come near us we had to let go in case they told at home.
Mr Ah Han come round today for the first time since plague broke out. Ma happened to spot him in Kent Street with his dray all loaded up and said she were real pleased to see him again. They chatted for a bit and he said the plague a
lmost ruined him. He lost all his customers when he couldn’t get to them, and now he’s having to start all over again. He said some had come back but there’s others won’t have nothing to do with him on account of he’s Chinese. Ma said they weren’t worth having, and she’d spread the word he’s back and make sure he gets plenty of customers. And Mr Han grinned and said, ‘Thank you, Missy.’ He always calls her Missy. I think she rather likes it. It makes her feel young again.
26th September, Wednesday
They’re thinking of holding a competition for a Commonwealth ode and all the colonies will put in £50 pounds to make up a decent prize.
The new parliament is going to meet in Melbourne till we get a federal capital site and a parliament house built on it, only Pa says that could take years. In the meantime but Melbourne says we can have their Exhibition Buildings once they’ve fixed them up.
27th September, Thursday
Lord Roberts has just turned 68. That really is old. I expect he’s looking forward to finishing the war and going home.
28th September, Friday
Ma and me went up town today to see what beds and tables and chairs cost since ours were all smashed during clean-up.
I love going up town. Not that our part of town isn’t busy, that’s when things are normal, what with wharves and ships and all. But up town there’s always carts and drays and wagons and men in waistcoats with their shirt-sleeves rolled up like they’re trying to look even busier. And the fancy gents’ carriages going past and ladies stepping across the road in their smart hats. Only my favourites are hansom cabs lined up on the side waiting for passengers, while the drivers have a bit of a kip and the horses get to feed from their nosebags. It always seems somehow quiet, coming back home again.
Most of the toffs’ shops had furniture too dear but Ma’s says there’s plenty of places over Glebe and Surry Hills got furniture and she’ll find something. This time she’s determined we’ll have beds to sleep in even if we have to share for a bit longer.
29th September, Saturday
The French and Germans have been trying out motor cars to use in their armies. That means they wouldn’t need to use horses and I think that’s a very good idea and somebody should tell the British.
Only 92 days left to Federation now.
1st October, Monday
The Minister for Education’s thinking of giving every school child a medal for Federation. I’d like that and Reggie can’t wait. He says it’ll be the first medal he’s ever had. Specially since I wouldn’t let him join up.
2nd October, Tuesday
Mr Oliver says a hundred and twenty-five square miles won’t be big enough for a capital city after all so that ruled out some places he’s looked at. And there’s other things, like enough water. You don’t have to have a butter factory but.
They’ve brung in this new rule in the war. Any Boers found wearing British uniforms will be shot straightaway. I asked Pa why would they want to wear our uniforms when they’ve got their own clothes. Only he said they could be pretending to be British soldiers or maybe their own clothes have just worn out.
8th October, Monday
Pa says it’s not up to Mr Oliver to say where to put the capital city. He just has to tell the government places worth looking at. Now it’s up to the members of parliament to decide. So he says they’re fixing up a couple of railways carriages for eating and sleeping in because there’s nowhere out in the middle of the country for the MPs to stay.
9th October, Tuesday
Reggie and me are getting worried now there won’t be anything organised for Federation. There’s still not even a committee and nobody knows where the Governor-General’s going to land. Reggie thinks maybe we should get all the kids we know from round here to put up streamers at least otherwise there won’t be anything on the day.
10th October, Wednesday
Pa says wherever they decide to put the capital city, they’ll have to buy the land from the farmers.
Artie said, ‘Why? The farmers didn’t buy it from the Aborigines.’
Pa said that were different. Only Artie can’t see why but.
Fred’s back molars are coming through. His mouth’s that sore he can hardly eat and, given how much he eats, that must be hard. He has to wait till his soup cools down before he eats it. He’s a good kid but. You never hear him complain about it.
11th October, Thursday
Pa says there’s a grasshopper plague way out west. Condobolin.
Maisie says, ‘What’s a grasshopper?’
Pa says, ‘You mean to tell me you don’t know what a grasshopper is?’
Ma reminded him all us kids was born in the Rocks and there aren’t that many grasshoppers round. So Pa tells Maisie that thousands and thousands of little hoppers get on the farmers’ crops and eat everything, right down to the stalks till there’s nothing left.
Then he says how come she knows what a kangaroo is, only she don’t know what a grasshopper is. There aren’t many roos round the Rocks neither. Only Maisie says Miss Nunn’s showed them a picture of a kangaroo and lion on the New South Wales crest.
12th October, Friday
There’s other women holding meetings now because they don’t want the vote. Ma says they should make up their mind. They say it’ll mean families won’t agree and women should stick to the things they know like homes and babies. Ma’s as mad as a snake over it. ‘I got just as much right to say what I think as Pa does. And if I ever get to vote I will.’
13th October, Saturday
Someone’s written to The Herald to say Sir Henry Parkes’ grave is all run down and overgrown. That’s a real shame Pa said. He started the whole idea of Federation and even thought up the name ‘Commonwealth’. I hope they get it fixed up in time.
Only 79 days still to go.
14th October, Sunday
Ma says there’s all these adverts in for French millinery and I said, ‘You mean to wear with your heliotrope blouse from Paris and the Princess pearl clasp?’
‘Something like that,’ says Ma. Then Maisie wants to know what millinery is.
‘Hats,’ Ma tells her, ‘for ladies to wear to the races. The Melbourne Cup’ll be on soon. The adverts say you can get parasols for the sun and lace capes and dust capes and gloves and lisse ruffles for skirts, even artistic underwear.’
And straightaway Artie pipes up, ‘What’s artistic underwear, Ma?’
And Ma says that’s none of his business.
16th October, Tuesday
There’s lots of artists and architects have designed things for decorations only nobody knows if we’ll be having one even. The government can’t even decide where to hold the official ceremony. If they make it Circular Quay they can maybe put up a couple of thousand seats. If they have it in front of Government House they could put up a pavilion. And if they hold it in Centennial Park they can easily fit in a hundred thousand people. That’s the best idea by far, Pa says.
But how’s the Governor-General going to arrive? That’s what I want to know. If he comes in at Circular Quay, it could be on a barge. If it’s at Government House, he’s only got to step out of his front door. Only at Centennial Park he could arrive in a fancy carriage and at least that way all the people would get to see him.
Ma says if they don’t get a move on his Lordship won’t be going nowhere on the day and all he’ll get is a cup of tea and a biscuit if he’s lucky.
18th October, Thursday
It were a heatwave today after days and days of really cold weather. I hope if it goes on like this the rats don’t come back. Maybe they won’t know it’s all been cleaned up.
Reggie and me been round to all the school kids we know and we think we could each make about fifty decorations each. Just cut up paper, painted and glued together. Still if all of us made fifty and we stuck it all together it’d maybe spread out for quite a bit round Dawes Point.
20th October, Saturday
New Zealand still don’t know about Federa
tion. Their Premier’s putting it to the parliament to get them to decide. They’d better make up their minds soon but.
22nd October, Monday
The army says it wants 300,000 pounds of jam sent to South Africa. How can anyone eat that much? Pa says there’ll have to be more than one factory supplies it so I hope Dolly’s gets to, specially their dark plum.
23rd October, Tuesday
Now the army says it wants 100,000 tons of potatoes as well and they’re willing to pay £9 a ton for them.
‘That’s a lot of spuds, Pa,’ says Artie. ‘How many baked taters would that be?’
Pa says, ‘No idea, but how much does it come to?’
Fred says, ‘£900,000. Only how many rats would you have to find to get that much.’
Plagues and Federation Page 10