Australian Land Army, 1942
This photograph was taken in 1942 and depicts an Australian Women's Land Army woman driving a tractor through the field and harvesting wheat. Before WW2, women would not be permitted to work in agricultural jobs or in the industry. Any thought women were not fit for those tasks:
The suggestion to form an army of women to do the hard work of farms is ridiculous. Our women are wonderful, but is it fair to ask them to shear or crutch sheep, to plough the land?
- The Argus, 1941
At first, the government discouraged those who wanted to but soon came to realise that many jobs needed to be filled while the men were at war. Auxiliary corps were formed from branches of armed services like the AWAS (Australian Women's Army Service) , WRANS for the navy, and the air force also had a WAAAF. A volunteer Women's Land Army was also formed in 1942, as farms needed to keep running. Their aim was to replace the labour of male workers who had gone to war. Many of the Land Army women came from cities and had to learn how to manage animals, operate machines and do physical labour. They were essential in keeping up the food supply of Australia.
The suggestion to form an army of women to do the hard work of farms is ridiculous. Our women are wonderful, but is it fair to ask them to shear or crutch sheep, to plough the land?
- The Argus, 1941
At first, the government discouraged those who wanted to but soon came to realise that many jobs needed to be filled while the men were at war. Auxiliary corps were formed from branches of armed services like the AWAS (Australian Women's Army Service) , WRANS for the navy, and the air force also had a WAAAF. A volunteer Women's Land Army was also formed in 1942, as farms needed to keep running. Their aim was to replace the labour of male workers who had gone to war. Many of the Land Army women came from cities and had to learn how to manage animals, operate machines and do physical labour. They were essential in keeping up the food supply of Australia.