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Essay:

Retro-assimilation

Author:Anna Haebich

ostalgiaforanassimilatednationhauntspublicdebateonnationalidentity

andnationhood,aswellasrelatedissuesofrace,ethnicity,indigenousrights

andimmigration.CommentatorsonbothsidesofAustralianpoliticsdeny

thatthePrimeMinisteristurningthepagesofgovernmentbacktotheassimilation

policiesof

the

1950s.

They

are

right,

of

course.

We

celebrate

cultural

diversity

and

acknowledge indigenous rights, cultures and histories. Yet, although the word

assimilationisrarelymentioned,thereismorethanahintofitsessenceinofficial

pronouncements on national values, citizenship and the practical integration of

Aboriginal communities.Theparadoxofpublicdenialofassimilationandhidden

allegiancetoitstenetscanbeexplainedasretroassimilation.

N

From thisperspective, currentvisionsof thenation canbe seenasyetanother

exampleofnostalgiaandclevermarketing.Retroassimilationmixes1950sdreamsof

anassimilatednationwithcurrentideasofnationhoodusingtodaysspintocreatea

newvision

based

on

shared

values,

visions

and

agreements.

Like

other

retro

products,

ituncriticallyexploitsthesurfaceofthepastwithoutregardfororiginalmeaningsand

significance.Retroassimilationhasstrongappealintodaysclimateofsocialturmoil,

transformationandglobal threats;weare irresistiblydrawn to its retroscapes,and

nostalgicmemoriesofsaferandsimplertimes.

Aswe respond to the rosyglowof thispast, few recognise in the scenesof

happy Australian families, responsible citizens and the bogeymen of war,

terrorismandalienismsthedeliberatetacticsofgovernmentcampaigns.Likeall

qualityretroproducts,retroassimilationhasatimetestedlineage.Thisdatesback

tothe

1950s

when

the

Menzies

government

avidly

promoted

the

vision

of

an

assimilated nation of Australian families living the AustralianWay of Life.

Manyseniorconservativepoliticiansgrewupsurroundedby these images,and

fiftyyears latersomeremain in their thrall. Inaworldofretroassimilation, the

past isagrabbagofclichsusedtosellthepresent.Nostalgicmemoriespeddle

solutionsforcurrentissuesorcamouflageunpalatablepoliticalagendas.Whilethis

maybe ethical for designers andmarketers, itmakes for dodgy politics.Our

nationalhistorydeservestoberespectedasmorethanamarketingployfortheuse

oflatergenerations.Theretropastneverreallyhappened.

From Griffith REVIEW Edition 15: Divided NationCopyright 2007 Griffith University & the author.

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eelingbackthelayersofretroclichstofindthereal1950sisadifficulttask.

Thepopularviewalsoespousedbyretromarketers isofagoldentimeof

prosperitywhen each familyhada comfortable income,a carandahouse in the

suburbsfilledwithallthetrappingsofmodernliving.Thisdovetailswithmemories

ofadecade

of

normality

wedged

between

the

violence

of

the

1940s

and

the

political

protestsofthe1960satimeofstability,conservatism,peace,circumscribedgender

roles,restrainedsexualityandaconservativemassmedia.Somecommentatorslike

Richard Bessel and Dirk Schumann in theirbook Life After Death (Cambridge

UniversityPress,2003)arguethatthiswasastrangenormality:shockwavesfrom

thewarforcedadesperateflightintonormalcyanddeterminationtomoveonand

notlookback.1Manypeoplesoughtsecurityandstabilityinthefamily,popularised

in imagery around theworld at the time.Others see thedecade as a social and

psychological turning point,2 a pivotal period of global upheaval and dramatic

change

that

transformed

the

world

and

determined

the

shape

of

events

for

the

remainderofthecentury.

P

ForpoetW.H.Auden,the1950swastheageofanxiety.Belowitsshinyveneerof

complacencyandconformitylaythevelvetydarknessofanxietyandfear.Thedecade

wasapeculiarmixofcontrastsofrapidchangeandconformityandexhilarationand

fear thatresonateswith todays turmoiland transformation.TheUnitedNations

and theblockbuster exhibitionFamilyofManwhich toured theworld in the

1950s,withacomfortingmessageofuniversalbrotherhoodandequalitypromoted

theidealofaninternationalfamilyofnations,butthepoliticalandeconomicrealities

weredifferent.

That decade had unprecedented global migration, extraordinary economic

development, undreamt of prosperity, and a new world of consumerism and

advertisingandpolitical spin.Despite the creationof theUnitedNations,with its

promiseofworldpeace,reportsescalatedofnewtheatresofwar,politicalterrorismin

decolonising nations and racial conflict in thewake of the emerging civil rights

movement.Overshadowingeverythingelsewasthespectreofaworldsplitbythe

competitionbetween capitalism and communism and the terror of atomic global

annihilationthroughtheircompetingwilltopower.FannedbyUSdoctrineathome

andabroad,

this

created

ascenario

of

fear

and

delusion,

and

the

Janus

faced

paranoia

aboutenemiesathomeandabroad.

Todaywegrapplewiththeblackdogofdepression,butthepersonaldevilinthe

1950swasanxiety.ThedrugsofchoicetodayareProzacandZoloft,butbackthenthe

miracle cure for anxietywasMiltown (meprobamate) a tranquilliser known

popularlyasthehappypilloremotionalaspirin.Withinayearofitslaunchin

1955,one in twentyAmericanswasprescribedMiltown,overabillion tabletshad

beensoldandthemonthlyproductionoffiftytonscouldnotkeepupwithmarket

demand. The drug was widely prescribed for mothers to bolster their role of

maintainingpeace

and

stability

within

the

haven

of

the

family.

Miltown

became

the


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panaceafortheanxietiesofAmericanlife,itscalmingeffectshelpingtopropupthe

increasinglyprecariousvisionofanationofhappyfamilies.3

InAustralia,mothersreliedontheanalgesicpropertiesoftheaspirin,phenacetin

andcaffeinecontained inBexandVincentsPowderstogetthemthroughtheday.

Theseproducts

could

be

purchased

across

the

counter

at

any

corner

store,

and

their

widespreadusegaverisetotheiconic1950shousewivesremedyofacupoftea,a

Bexandagood liedown.According toHughMackay, the anxietyof the times

penetratedtheheartoftheAustralianfamilytoshapethenihilisticviewoftheBaby

Boomergeneration:eat,drinkandbemerrybecause,withthepressofabutton,the

worldcouldbeannihilated.4

Australia, likemanyothernations,was inastateofhighanxietyasour leaders

struggledtocarveoutarespectableplace inthenewworldorderasboundariesof

empires,nationsandalliancesofpowerwere redrawn.During theColdWar,we

followedour

new

ally

the

United

States,

joining

its

war

in

Korea

and

exhibiting

extremehostilitytowardscommunistsathomeandabroad.Aswerenegotiatedties

with Britain,we even volunteered territory to test twelve British nuclearbombs

between1952and1956.

Yetourleadersseriouslymisjudgedworldopinionwhentheytookaconservative

standoncolonialismandraceininternationaldebates,andAustraliawascondemned

bynearneighboursinAsiaandAfrica.Weresentedthelossofwhitedominancein

theCommonwealthand then sulkedwhenwewere excluded from theBandung

ConferenceoftwentyninenonalignedAsian,AfricanandMiddleEasternnationsin

1955,billed

as

the

first

intercontinental

meeting

of

coloured

people

in

the

history

of

mankind.5Wetriedtokeepourracebasedimmigrationpoliciesanddiscriminatory

treatmentofindigenouspeoplehiddenfromworldscrutiny,butwerecriticisedinthe

UNandtheworldmedialedbycommunistRussiaandChinaandnewnationsin

Africa andAsia.The criticismswere couched in race terms,butUNdebates also

addressed the rights of indigenous peoples and at one point threatened the

sovereignty of settler colonies like Australia. Instead, the International Labor

Organisationpassedthe1957IndigenousandTribalPopulationsConvention,which

advocatedassimilationof indigenouspeople intonationstatesascitizenswith full

rightsof

citizenship,

while

retaining

some

traditional

rights

to

land

and

culture.

ThesepressuresandanxietiespushedAustraliatowardsaformofdemocracythat

would satisfy new global expectations ofmodern nationhood. The vision of an

assimilatedAustraliareflectedtheinternationaldiscourseofequalityandantiracism,

promised a shield from criticism and kept the nation abreast of international

responsibilities. This vision also gave hope to an increasinglyjittery and anxious

public,whosawinitrealisationofsomeoftheprinciplestheyhadfoughtforduring

thewar.Nonetheless,thewhitenationstatusquocontinued,andexistingpatterns

of cultural, political and economic dominance and Australian sovereignty went

largelyunchallenged.


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f course, assimilationbrought change. The entry of one and a halfmillion

immigrantsbetween1947and1961twothirdsofthemfromEuropeandthe

governmentsattackonracialsegregationinevitablyaltereddemographic,socialand

culturallandscapes.

While

the

pressure

to

assimilate

rested

heavily

on

Aboriginal

people and immigrants, successful assimilation depended on more enlightened

attitudesandbehavioursathome.Thefederalgovernmentembarkedonacampaign

ofnationbuildingdirectedatAustralianaudiences,butwithaneye toconvincing

critics overseas of its commitment to change. In developing the campaign, the

governmentdrewonthesuccessfuluseofpropagandatoforgenationalunityduring

thewaryearsandnewUS techniquesofnationbuilding,whichused the toolsof

masspersuasionpublicopinionpolls,advertisingandpublicrelationstobeefup

the nation through optimistic messages of material progress and assurances of

citizens

security

from

threats

from

within

and

without.

O

Thecampaignsweremiredingovernmentrulesandredtape,andtheresulting

pamphletsand films lookeddullanduninterestingcomparedwith thesensational

reports on Aborigines and migrants in popular magazines such as PIX and

Australasian Post.CampaignmaterialswereproducedinhousethroughtheAustralian

NationalInformationBureauandtheAustralianGovernmentFilmUnit,survivorsof

the carveup of the governments powerful wartime propaganda machine. The

DepartmentofImmigrationhadisownpublicitysection,andworkedcollaboratively

withthesetwoagencies.Aboriginalcampaignmaterialsweretheproductofoften

fraughtnegotiations

between

the

federal

Departments

of

the

Interior,

Territories

and

ExternalAffairsandstateDepartmentsofAboriginalAffairs.

TheofficialcampaignpresentedimagesofthefamilyandtheAustralianwayof

life.Thisisanotoriouslyslipperyconcept:aspirationalandmutable,looselydefined

intermsofanoutdoorlifestyle,thenuclearfamily,homeownership,suburbanliving,

mateship and a fairgo for all.The campaign film The Way We Live,pitched the

Australianwayof life toaspiringmigrants through imagesofsuburbanhousing,

leisure,work, consumer goods, and services such as transport, health, education,

financialassistance,culturalinstitutionsandsocialorganisations.Designedtocounter

imagesof

bush

and

billabongs,

the

film

focused

on

urban

living

and

Australias

growthpotential.

If theAustralianwayof life expressed the style of thenation, the suburban

middleclassfamilywasitsheart.Thiswasboththegoalofanassimilatednationand

the vehicle to achieve it central to theprocesses of nationhood. This idealwas

represented in thegovernmentpamphletAn Everyday Australian,which showeda

youngsuburbanfamily:theirbrickhomeanditsgardensetting,modernfurnishings

andappliances,thefamilycar,thehusbandleavingforworkinthecity,thewifeather

housework,and the family enjoying theweekend cleaning the carandpicnicking

withfriends.

Without

any

distinction

of

class,

race

or

ethnicity,

this

unit

male

bread


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winneranddependentspouseandchildrenwasthefocusofdomesticlife,work,

education,security,personalhappinessandcitizenshiparoundthenation.Thedream

wasembracedbymanyAustraliancoupleswhomarriedyoungandquicklystarted

familiesoftwotothreechildren,thensetaboutbuyingtheirownhomes.

Considerableeffort

was

devoted

to

promoting

the

immigration

program

to

Australians,andtoattractingimmigrantsandinformingoverseasagenciessuchasthe

International Refugee Organisation. Just as Arthur Calwell promised, when

introducingtheprogram in1947,thatourpopulationshallremainpredominantly

British,sothecampaignreassuredAustraliansthatimmigrantswouldbeBritishor

readily assimilable Europeans and there wouldbe no competition forjobs and

housing or lowering of living standards andworking conditions. In short, the

Australianwayoflifewouldbemaintained.

ThecampaignassuredAustraliansthatimmigrationwouldbenefitthenationby

providingmuch

needed

labour

for

postwar

reconstruction,

industrial

development

andresourceexploitation,andthatnationaldefencewouldbeimprovedbybuilding

up thepopulation in thenorthwithmigrant families.Results fromopinionpolls,

introducedtoAustraliafromtheUnitedStatesduringthewar,showedconsiderable

bipartisansupport for the immigrationprogramas longasnationalstandardsof

economic development, employment, and law and orderweremaintained, and

migrantswerenottoovisible.

AsRowenaMacDonalddemonstrated inher 1996 exhibition at theAustralian

Archives

Gallery

in

Canberra,

Selling a Dream: Promoting Australia to Postwar Migrants,

thecampaignusedimagesoffamilylife,thebeachandboundlessprosperitytolure

migrantstoAustralia.Onarrival,migrantswerehandedpamphletsthatoutlinedthe

benefits of Australian citizenship and, for migrants from Europe, the special

qualifyingconditions fornaturalisation fiveyearsresidency, therenouncingof

allegiance to their home nation and the ability to speak English. Australian

governments placed great importance on naturalisation, seeing it as proof of

successfulassimilationandamarkerofmigrantloyaltyandcommitment.But,despite

governmentefforts,manymigrantsremainedambivalentandin1957only32percent

ofthoseeligiblehadoptedforAustraliancitizenship.

Mostof thecampaignwasdirectedatconvincingAustralianaudiences.They

weretargetedinthefilmNo Strangers Here (1950)basedona1945Americanfilm,

The Cummington Story,whichdepicted the experiencesof a refugee family ina

typicalAustraliantownandprofferedtheadvice:Theseareordinarypeoplelike

ourselvesyousawhowa friendlyhelpinghandhelpedthemsettle inall the

fastersothenewcomerneedneverfeelastranger.DuringtheCommonwealth

JubileeYear in1951, theJubileeTraincrisscrossedVictoriaandSouthAustralia

distributing15,000copiesofthepamphletWhy Migration is Vital for Australia.Four

years

later,

Australia

celebrated

the

arrival

of

its

millionth

postwar

migrant,

an


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attractive young British housewife. However, such a reassuring symbol of

Australianimmigrationwasnotamatterofchance:theyoungwomanhadbeen

chosen carefullyby theChiefMigrationOfficer inLondonaccording to criteria

drawnupbytheDepartmentofImmigrationinAustralia.6

Thecentrepiece

of

the

campaign

was

the

prestigious

annual

Citizenship

Convention,

whichwas attendedby up to four hundred prominent political and community

leaders.Theconventionswereapublicdemonstrationofconsensusaboutimmigration

anditscoredoctrineofassimilation.Atthelaunchingceremonyin1950,PrimeMinister

SirRobertMenziesproclaimedthataman,womanorchildwhocomesheretosettleis

eithernotacceptedandisthereforenotadmitted,orheorshebecomesanAustraliana

member of this community, a member of our nationality, a member of our

brotherhood, and in thebest sense of theword, amember of our family.7 The

gatheringswerealsoachannelforinformationandarallyingplaceforcitizensupport.

Migrantsplayed

only

aminor

role

at

the

conventions

prior

to

the

1960s,

but

were

invitedeachyear tostageculturalperformancesoncediscussionshadclosed. In the

Conventions1961tableauWe the People,immigrantswerewovenintoitsnarrativeof

the nation,which progressedby stages from the first settlers to the gold rushes,

Federation,thetwoworldwars,pioneersofaviation,sportstars,andfinallymigrant

contributions toAustraliandevelopment.Aboriginalpeoplewerenotmentioned at

all.8

TheGoodNeighbourCouncilalsoplayedakeyroleinthecampaignthroughits

nationalnetworkof300localbranchesand10,000volunteerworkersthemajorityof

themmiddle

class

white

Australians.

The

branches

sponsored

naturalisation

ceremonies, film evenings andpublic lectures, andprovided an exampleof good

citizenship to their fellow Australiansby offering practical assistance tomigrant

familiesthatwaswellmeantbutoftenpatronising.

ConsiderablylessgovernmenttimeandmoneywasspentpromotingAboriginal

assimilation. There was no funding to set up a national infrastructure of

prominentcommunityleadersandlocalcitizens;thefederalgovernmentdemurred

onthegroundsthatAboriginalaffairswasastateresponsibilityandthestatescried

poor.Of

course,

the

Aboriginal

population,

estimated

in

1950

at

80,000

1per

cent

of

thenationaltotal9wastinycomparedwiththenumbersofmigrants,buttherewere

importantinternationalsensitivitiestobeconsidered.Changingentrenchedracismto

facilitateassimilationwasahugechallenge.ThisAboriginalassimilationcampaign

was the first of its kind in Australia, and the only concerted effort before the

reconciliationmovementofthe1990s.Campaignmaterialsincludedpamphletsand

filmswith the telling titlesOur Aborigines,Assimilation of Our Aborigines,End of the

Walkabout,Fringe Dwellers,The Skills of Our Aborigines,One People andAborigines and

You.Thegovernmentalsoendorsed in1955 thecelebrationofanannualNational

AboriginesDay,

and

two

years

later

appointed

agroup

of

senior

Protestant

church


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officialstoheadupthefirstNationalAboriginesDayObservanceCommittee.

HundredsofthousandsofpamphletsweredistributedoverseasandinAustralia.

In1959,some80,000copiesofFringe Dwellers weresentout,andbetween1961and

1963, around 135,000 copies of Our Aborigines were distributed to government

departments,church

organisations,

schools

and

universities,

businesses,

trade

unions

and communitygroups aroundAustralia.Thepamphletspresented anoptimistic

narrativeofassimilationthatbeganwithanaccountoftraditionalAboriginallife,then

moved to the beneficial influence of government policy and legislation for

dispossessedcommunities,andcametorestwithimagessurprisingforthetimes

of Aboriginal suburban citizens and families participating in a new, modern

Australia. The message was that, with a helping hand from other Australians,

Aboriginalassimilationwaspossible.

The pamphlets also explained the steps being undertaken to extend full

citizenshiprights

to

Aboriginal

people

and

highlighted

the

significance

of

Aboriginalchildren inachieving thegoalsofassimilation. InFringe Dwellers,two

thirdsoftheimageswereofchildrenwithcaptionsthatreinforcedthemessagethat

theprogrammeofassimilationthroughoutAustraliaconcentratesparticularlyon

children. For many of them and in due course, for their children, hopes of

assimilation are high.10

Rather than the governments dull lectures, it was

probably the dramatic reports of civil rights protest in the United States and

AboriginalactivismathomethatdrovepopularsupportforAboriginalcitizenship

whichculminatedinthe1967federalreferendumwhen91percentoftheelectorate

votedyes

the

highest

ever

recorded

for

areferendum

in

Australia

and

endorsed

therepealoftheracebasedclausesoftheConstitution.

Ironically,thepamphletswereriddledwiththesameparadigmsandlanguage

of race that they setout toerase.This ishardlysurprisingafteryearsof forced

segregation, countlessmyths andmisinformation aboutAboriginalpeople and

widespreadblindnesstothedepthofracisminAustralia.Thislanguagemadethe

pamphletscomfortableandfamiliarfor localaudiences,andcommunity interest

ensuredtheywereputtogooduse.ThepamphletFringe Dwellers,issuedin1959,

wasaddedtotheUniversityofQueenslandslibrarycollection;itwasdisplayedin

theGlenrayTechnicalCollegesaborigineroom;atBingarainNewSouthWales,the localnewsagentput twentyfive copies inhis shopwindow; and theNSW

DepartmentofRailwaysbus tour toTareedistributed them topassengerswho

later attended anAboriginal corroboree. The Kogarah Presbyterian Church in

Sydney included thepamphlets inacourseonassimilation for teenagers,along

with a display of photos, leaflets, artworks, artefacts and school books from

ErnabellaMissionandscreeningsofslidesandsuch filmsasMen of the Mulgas,

Children of the Musgraves,Namatjira the PainterandEnd of the Walkabout.Thesenior

classatUlverstoneHighSchoolinTasmaniawroteessaysthatfocusedonthenew

factsthey

had

learned

and

overlooked

the

message

of

assimilation:

Aboriginal


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peoplewere the original owners of the continent;white settlementhaddriven

them intoremotearid landsand fringecamps; they lived in terribleconditions,

sufferedfrompoorhealthanddiedyoung;andtheyweregenerallyworseoffthan

blackpeopleintheUSA,BritainandAfrica,despiteAustraliabeingarichcountry

andsignatory

to

the

UN

Declaration

of

Human

Rights.

11

eadersoverseaspickedupontheracialistcontent,paradigmsandlanguage.At

theUnitedNationsin1959,SovietPresidentNikitaKhrushchevusedanimage

ofanAboriginalcampinFringe Dwellers toattackAustralia.TheChinesepressquoted

directlyfromthesamepamphlettodescribehowAboriginalpeoplewereremoved

from their homelands tomakeway for economic development and dumped on

wastelandswheretheysurvivedonlyonthefringeofhopeandoftenonthefringeof

despair.ThephotographofanAboriginal camp in One People in1961prompted

criticismof

Australia

in

the

Moscow

newspaper

New Times,

which

was

published

in

eightlanguages.Then,in1963,MoscowaccusedBritishcolonistsinAustraliaofthe

near totalannihilationof theAboriginalpeople. In1961,AustraliasDepartmentof

External Affairs ruled that One People was thoroughly unsuitable for overseas

readers, as itwas riddledwith inaccuracies, contradictions, stereotypes, negative

impressions and poor editing, and failed to adequately answer questions raised

overseasconcerningAboriginallegalandpoliticalrights.12

R

Materials to promote assimilation toAboriginal peoplewere producedby the

relevant state government agencies, since Aboriginal affairs was by law their

responsibility.Compared

to

the

rather

benign

tone

of

the

information

booklets

distributedtomigrants, thesematerialswereaggressivelydidactic,patronisingand

racist. Dawn magazine, launchedby theNSWAboriginalWelfareBoard in 1952,

relentlesslypushedthemessageofAboriginalassimilationfromitscoverimageofan

AboriginalStoneAgemanjuxtaposedagainstamoderncity,throughtothetextand

imagesofitsfeaturepagesandeditorials.By1965Dawn hadacirculationof15,000,

butbythisstageAboriginalreaderswerefindingtheirownusesforthemagazine

identifying lost relatives in itspages ofphotographs,writing letters critical of the

governmentthatweresometimespublishedand, inthecaseoffutureactivistsand

writerslike

Kevin

Gilbert,

honing

their

writing

skills

in

the

pages

for

young

Aboriginalwriters.

MaterialsproducedbytheDepartmentofNativeWelfareinWesternAustralia

wereriddledwithracistandpatronisingassumptionsthatdemonstratedjusthow

outoftouchtheircreatorswerewithAboriginalopinion.Theinstructionalprimer

Citizens (1964) contained cartoon drawings depicting Aboriginal families in

conventional suburbanhomesandparticipatingas citizensbyvoting,havinga

drinkinahotel,andseekingpoliceassistanceinupholdingtheirrights.Dubbed

theHowtodrinkbookletbygovernmentofficials,Citizens wasusedtolaunch

thecampaign

to

introduce

drinking

rights

in

the

south

of

the

state

in

1964.


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Departmentaltrainingfilmsseriouslyunderestimatedthevisualliteracyskillsof

Aboriginalaudiencesaccustomedtowatchingtelevisionandcommercialfeature

films.One short film included a cartoon segmentwhere stick figures carrying

flagonsofwinetumbledoutofcarsintoasuburbanhousethatsuddenlyexploded

whileaprim

voice

warned:

Loud

parties

will

cause

trouble.

The

several

films

about domestic work and infant care simply ignored Aboriginal womens

accumulatedknowledgeandskills.ThefilmsGood Food Good Health andA House

in Town producedin1969forthedepartmentsHomemakerServiceaggressively

instructedAboriginalviewersintheroutinesofsuburbandomesticlifeandroles

ofthenuclearfamily.

Thegovernmentsoptimisticmessageofassimilationalsoappearedinthepopular

press, sometimes in articlesby Special correspondents written in distinctively

governmentstyles.However,therewereotherstoriesthatcontradictedtheofficialline

bydepicting

the

hardships

and

even

the

impossibility

of

assimilation.

During

the

1950s, thepopularPIXmagazinepublishedsomesurprisingarticlesaboutmigrant

andAboriginalexperiencesinbetweenitstitillatingpicturesofbikinicladgirlsand

quirkyhumanintereststories.

The hardwork and sacrifices ofmigrantswere recounted through stories of

families living in selfbuilt garages on suburban lotswhile husbands andwives

workedlonghoursatmindnumbingfactoryandindustrialjobstomakeendsmeet.

A moving article in 1957 described the tragic plight of casualties of migrant

assimilationvagrantmigrantsalostraceofdespondent,neuroticmisfitswho

hadgambled

their

lives

in

anew

world

and

lost.

Maladjusted,

beset

by

language

problems,burdenedbyhorriblememoriesthattheyjustcantforget.13

Eventheself

congratulatorystoriesofAustraliaasahavenfromthehorrorsofwarandcommunist

life and the patronising accounts ofAustralians tryingmigrant coffee and foods

differedfromgovernmentpublicationsinacknowledgingthememoriesandcultures

thatmigrantsbroughtwiththem.

PIXalsocarriedarangeofstoriesthatdrewattentiontotheplaceofAboriginal

peopleinamodernAustralia.Thereweretheidiosyncraticweeklycartoonscreated

byEricJoliffethatdepictedAboriginalpeopleasprimitivedesertdwellerswhomade

surprisinglymodernandthereforehumorouscommentsabouttopicaleventssuchas thedrudgeryofhousework, theHbomb,domesticdisputesand thevanityof

women.TraditionalAboriginallifewasrepresentedinstoriesofexoticsavageryfrom

adistantStoneAgepast,andwassometimeslinkedthroughoutmodedexplanations

ofracialandculturaldeclinetoAboriginalfringecampsofthe1950s.Therewerealso

storiesofoutstandingAboriginalpeople,notablytheartistAlbertNamatjira,whose

decliningfortuneswererecounted,liketheintertwinedlivesofthestarstrucklovers

inthemovieJedda,withinthefamiliarnarrativeframeworkofthetragiclifeofpeople

forced to livebetween two culturesanarrative thatwasprofoundlypessimistic

aboutthe

possibility

of

assimilation.


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ThesestoriesofmigrantandAboriginalpeoplewerefilteredthroughthelensof

mainstream journalism, but there were alternative newspapers and publications

wheretheirvoicesspokemoredirectlytoreaders.Ethniclanguagenewspaperscould

beseenascountering thegoalsofassimilationorprovidingapassage intoanew

assimilatedway

of

life.

They

were

usually

business

oriented,

containing

useful

informationonethnicownedservicesandethnicprofessionalsfornewarrivalsand

thegrowingethniccommunities.

TheprosandconsofAboriginalassimilationwerediscussedinaplethoraofsmall

pamphletspublishedbychurches,missionsocieties,studentgroupsandAboriginal

politicalorganisations.TheCoolbarooClub,aPerthbasedAboriginalpoliticaland

cultural organisation, published Coolbaroo News (later Westralian Aborigine), a

broadsheet that showed Aboriginal people participating as modern citizens

selectivelynegotiatingtheirwaythroughthechallengesofassimilation.TheFederal

Councilof

the

Aboriginal

Advancement

(later

the

Federal

Council

for

the

Advancement ofAboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) supported a program of

Aboriginalrightswhileitattackedassimilationpolicy.In1963,CouncilSecretaryStan

DaveypublishedapamphletentitledGenesis or Genocide? The Aboriginal Assimilation

Policy,whichcriticisedthepolicyforendeavouringtodestroyAboriginalidentityand

forfailingtoachieveequallegalstatusforAboriginalpeopleortomeetinternational

standards.Hechallengedreaderswhocondemnedeliminationbyexterminationin

NaziGermanyandcommunistRussia,askingwhethertheythoughtthisshouldbe

condoned in Australia because of a different method of achieving the (same)

objective.14

Assimilationwasaseductivesolutiontothethreatposedbyglobalchallengeto

white Australia. While the imagery and rhetoric of assimilation created the

impressionofanewnationofequalcitizens,themechanicsofassimilationreinforced

theinequalitiesofthestatusquo.Themarketingofassimilationthroughthepowerful

imagesofAustralianlifeandAustralianfamiliesdistractedthepublicfromthefact

thattherewasnolevelplayingfield,onlyplayerswhoalwayswonandthosewho

rarelycould.Confrontedbyourownglobalfearsandanxieties,weremainsusceptible

totherepackagingofthisphoneydreamasasolutiontotodaysdilemmas.Butwhere

willthis

leave

us?

Ifnations

who

do

not

know

their

history

are

destined

to

repeat

the

past,whathappenstothosewhopintheirhopestotheretromarketingofaphoney

dream?

1Bessell, R. and Schumann, D., Life After Death: Approaches to a Cultural and Social History of

Europe During the 1940s and 50s, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003, pp. 23.2

Bessell and Schumann, Life After Death, p. 73

Metzl, J .M., Prozac on the Couch: Prescribing Gender in the Era of Wonder Drugs, North Carolina,

Duke University Press, Durham, 2003, p. 73.


7/30/2019 haebich_ ed15

11/11

4

Mackay, Hugh, Generations: Baby Boomers, Their Parents and Their Children, Pan Macmillan,

Melbourne, 1997, p. 61.5

Historic summit, commemoration by Asian-African leaders in Bandung, 26 April 2005, Wikinews.6

Murphy, J ohn, Imagining the Fifties: Private Sentiment and Political Culture in Menzies Australia,

UNSW Press, Sydney, 2000, pp. 15152.7

Vlahonasiou, Thelma 1983, Annual Citizenship Conventions 19501963, unpublished Master of

Education thesis, University of Melbourne, p. 1.8

Vlahonasiou, Annual Citizenship Conventions, p. 352.9

Broome, Richard, Aboriginal Australians Black Response to White Dominance 17881980, George

Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1982, p. 174.10

Fringe Dwellers, 1959, p. 29.11

National Archives of Australia, Canberra, A452 1957/2672.12

National Archives of Australia, Canberra, A1838 557/2 Part 1; A1838 557/2 Part 4.13

PIX 11 April 1957, p. 11.14

Cited in Haebich, Anna, Broken Circles: Fragmenting Aboriginal Families 18002000, FremantleArts Centre Press, Fremantle, 2000, pp. 43637.


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