Madeleine Fewster
During my university placement at the Millicent Museum, I have been told many interesting stories about objects in the museum’s possession.
Some objects tell stories of their own, such as a copy of L. M. Montgomery’s book, ‘Emily of New Moon’.
The book, which was gifted to Isabel Schulz of ‘Pine Park’, Millicent, by her aunt in 1926, was found to contain a collection of pressed flowers, scattered throughout the pages.
While imagining the young reader collecting flowers as she enjoyed the story, I wondered about what life would have been like for her.
As a young woman living in the 2020s, I was inspired to compare my experiences of living in the Millicent area with those of the young people of 100 years ago.
A young woman of the 1920’s might have had the opportunity to attend a dance on occasion, held at places such as the Institute Hall in Millicent.
The introduction of electric street lamps in 1920 would have improved the experience of going to night time events, although they probably weren’t very bright.
Despite a 6pm cutoff for the sale of alcohol and the presence of the temperance movement, some parties are reported to have lasted until 2am.
As many people lived outside of the town, travelling to events may have been difficult.
Motor cars were in use in Millicent, but many people still used horse drawn vehicles for their transportation needs.
Interviewed in 1991, Win Hart spoke of the journey from Nangula to Rendelsham, and then to Millicent that her husband-to-be had to take by horse and carriage when taking her to a dance.
Local train lines could get you to Beachport or Mount Gambier, and a bus took travellers to the station for the train to Adelaide. The timetables for these were published in The South Eastern Times regularly.
Residents of Millicent in search of entertainment could attend the Globe Picture Theatre, which showed several silent films throughout each week.
One of the first Australian-made full length films, ‘For the Term of His Natural Life’, was shown here in 1927.
Films would have been one of the few avenues for young people to see the most fashionable clothing of the time in rural towns such as Millicent.
A woman living in Millicent in the 1920s would have likely worn homemade clothing.
Clothes were often passed down through a family, slowing the progression of trends.
Photos taken in Millicent and other rural towns in South Australia show women wearing plain dresses, often hemmed just below the knee, with a jacket, Mary-Jane shoes and stockings.
Some of the women’s more elaborate dresses had fashionable dropped waists and most wore the contemporary cropped hair style with a cloche hat.
Men’s clothing ranged from sturdy work pants with a button up shirt and suspenders to 3-piece suits, topped with a fedora.
Many of the people that lived in the region worked as farmers or in family-owned businesses.
The Millicent Butter Factory opened in late 1924, which sourced milk and cream from local dairy farmers.
Children and young people were often responsible for jobs like milking cows, which contributed to the family’s income.
Although some women were employed in paid jobs, many women were occupied by home duties.
The Mount Gambier Technical School offered classes in dressmaking and millinery in Millicent.
Training in these subjects may have provided a form of income for some women.
Although many things have changed here in the last 100 years, some things have stayed the same, like the importance of farming in the community, and Millicent’s three George Street hotels, which remain popular.
What fascinates me about looking into the past is that the girl who pressed flowers in her book likely did not know that they would last so long.
She probably couldn’t have predicted that someone 100 years into the future would be thinking of her and imagining her life.
What simple things are we doing today that will interest historians of the future?
