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sawmills.
    Prior
to 1939, Victoria's major sawmilling industry had been concentrated in the
mountain ash forests of the Central Highlands close to Melbourne. However, the
fires destroyed the bulk of the forests and mills in this area. The demand for
timber to service the post-war housing boom was urgent. The sawmilling industry
had to be restructured and relocated. East Gippsland, with its rich timber
resources, was the ideal choice. It was the timber industry that later provided
my father with an income that enabled him to (just) support his growing family.
    When
Myrtle and George, my mother and father, began their life together in Orbost,
Australian society was similar to that in countries like the USA and Britain at
the time. Mainstream Australia was predominately ‘white’ people descended from
the early convicts and settlers who, in the main, were from the United Kingdom.
England was considered ‘The Mother Country’.
    People
were conservative and resistant to change. New ideas, even concepts as simple
and innocent as coffee espresso machines, outdoor dining and kerbside cafes
were met with horrified opposition and legal wrangles. The resistance to any
modification of the clearly defined roles of men and women was such that
changes were inconceivable. Men were expected to fill the role of family bread
winner. Women were expected to be good wives and mothers by staying at home and
caring for their children and their husbands. Divorce was condemned as
shameful. The woman, whose job it was to keep the family together, was
considered to be at fault in the event of a marriage breakdown. There were no
support services for divorcees with or without children. Any woman on her own
whether a divorcee or a widow was viewed with suspicion. They were often
socially excluded, especially in country towns.
    Australian
society was transformed during the 1950s by thousands of new migrants from
Britain, Greece, Italy and other European countries. These were boom times for
the island continent. The national shortage of workers was filled by the new
migrants who were employed on construction projects such as the Snowy Mountains
Hydro-Electric Scheme, which diverted water from the Snowy River to make
electricity.
    With
a growing family and little money, my parents would not have had time to think
too much about the changes taking place in Australia. By this time, Orbost was
well established as a prosperous centre for forestry and agricultural
industries and a service town for the outlying areas with a population of
approximately 2000.  In the 1950s, Orbost’s local timber industry began to
expand dramatically in response to Australia’s need for timber to supply the
building trade. Dad, who trained as a butcher’s apprentice before the war and
worked on local farms immediately after the war, had now joined the timber
industry where future prospects were promising.

Chapter 5
    Sometimes,
during the school holidays and at weekends, Dad would take us all out to the
woodcutters’ camp.
    There
were men everywhere, some with axes and some with saws: strong men with the
broad shoulders and calloused hands of hard-working bushmen. White Australians
with faces tanned to mahogany brown from daily exposure to the sun were barely
discernible from Aboriginal Australians. Some men worked with shirt sleeves
rolled up, revealing their tanned forearms. Others wore blue or white singlets
fully exposing their muscled arms. They all wore long pants and boots and most
heads were covered by hats or berets.
    The
work environment of these tough men exposed them to danger at every turn. Death
could claim any one of them without notice.  Men were sometimes killed
when trapped under trees or tractors or killed in accidents with machinery. If
they were bitten by a spider or a snake they had to do the best they could
without medical expertise. Accidents with a saw or axe could result in
injuries; serious and not so serious. Men with finger tips missing, half a