Literary

Not Fit to be Seen

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Story: This rather cringeworthy poem and illustration (Argus, 16 May 1938, p. 14) takes the frequent Mallee duststorms of the 1930s as an opportunity to reinforce gender stereotypes.  The girl child’s fruitless attempts to dust her doll’s house mirror her mother’s battle with duststorms, but the diminutive poem, like the toy house, minimise the global […]

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Droughts and Floods

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Nature often goes to extremes, And after years of blighting droughts, As flood descends and lightning gleams Midst thunder’s roars, as though our thoughts Were realised. But what of that? We don’t prepare for what we sought. Wisdom resolves to store what’s sent To catch the torrents from the sky, It is the place of

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