Forum –
On January 9, 1909, the NSW Government sent a train from Sydney to Broken Hill.
On board the train were NSW Police and their horses.
They were sent to break up the miner’s protest rally and to arrest any miners that broke police orders. Some miners went to jail.
During the first World War, NSW Water Police would arrest any person on Sydney Harbour after sunrise and if you were German, they would take the person to Hollsworthy Army Camp, where they would spend the next four years in detention, under house arrest, even if you were a British subject, as one had a certificate of naturalisation.
In 1919, the Spanish Flu came to Australia, maybe brought back by the men who had fought in WWI. It lasted about two years, killing about 15,000, masks were worn and were compulsory.
Then in the early 1940s, Australia was at war.
At that time, I lived at West Street Crows Nest and our front and side windows were blocked out with black paint and after sunset the area wardens would walk the streets and if they could see any light from the houses they would knock on the door and tell the occupants that they needed to paint the windows.
Looking back everyone did what they were told to do by the authorities.
Letter, Aug 20
Vic Wulf, Davistown