machinery

St Helena is located in Moreton Bay 5 km from the mouth of the Brisbane River and about 8km northeast of Manly. The Island has a fascinating history. Its most significant period was when it functioned as a high-security colonial prison from 1867. The limited area of St Helena Island (166 hectares) and the increasing needs of the settlement, resulted in the extensive clearing of the natural vegetation for agricultural and other development. The native vegetation was regarded as having little or no financial value as timber, or aesthetic value as shade or garden trees. The Superintendent of the prison had extensive gardens surrounding his house and, for many years these gardens were considered the best in Queensland, but they consisted almost entirely of plants introduced into Australia. Crocus and White Allysum continue to thrive on the Island to this day. The Superintendent and the warders ran the prison in a highly efficient manner. For most of the prison’s 65 years; self-sufficiency was a necessity and profit was the product of that efficiency. The St Helena Island Penal Establishment, at one stage of its operation, was considered to be the best prison of its kind in the world. The St Helena Island Penal Establishment had prize Ayreshire dairy cattle that constantly won awards at the RNA show and the island’s olive groves yielded prize-winning oil at shows in Italy, the country of their origin. The entire establishment had been kept with an eye for perfection. Source: www.sthelenaisland.com.au/history/

In the early 1940s a number of factories opened, staffed mainly by women. These included a munitions factory at Rocklea and 12 textile factories in Brisbane. At one textile factory in Roma Street an incredible 19,000 garments were produced each week by only 200 women. Their work was grueling, poorly paid and it demanded long hours. World War II was important symbolically because it was the first time women could join the armed services. Their participation in the war effort did improve their rights as citizens. This was very different to World War I where the war effort was not compulsory. Women's responsibility as citizens was crucial in redefining their more elevated status after World War II. A positive effect of the war has been the close friendships between women, borne of shared experience, that have endured. Most of the women who worked in World War II are now in their eighties and nineties and find the ex-service clubs and associations they belong to an immense source of support. Source: www.couriermail.com.au/extras/ww2/women.htm

Queensland Woollen Manufacturing Company mill is a heritage-listed mill at 42 & 42B The Terrace, North Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Australian Fabric Manufacturers Ltd and Boral Hancock Plywood. The Second World War saw the woollen mill playing a similar role to that of the First, making blankets and cloth for the armed services. During the war years, the Federal Government declared dismissals forbidden from vital or "protected industries" such as the cloth manufacturing industry; prices and wages were pegged. For the workers, this was a favourable climate to demand improvements. A larger number of females were employed in the mill during the war due to decreased male employment. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Woollen_Manufacturing_Co...

The Women’s Australian National Service (WANS) was inaugurated in 1940. Training for members of the WANS included air raid drills, first aid, basic military drills, and even shooting, signalling, and mechanics. In the period leading up to the formation of the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS), the WANS demonstrated that women were capable of filling roles traditionally filled by men. Sir Percy Spender, Australia’s Minister for the Army, considered women to be an underutilised resource in Australia’s war effort. Consequently, he approved the formation of the AWAS on 13 August 1941 with the objective of releasing more men into forward areas. Source: www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/awas

And work of high merit has been carried out by women members of AEME. Hundreds of AWAS are in the corps, and they are very proud of their AEME colour patch. Some are University graduates. The Army has to rely on many complicated optical instruments for sighting long range artillery, field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, and coast artillery. These instruments range from ordinary binoculars to complex construction. In all-optical predictors of most work the AWAS has shown extraordinary skill. The girls have also been especially useful in instrument making, armature winding, and other work requiring delicacy of touch, quickness of movement, and perseverance. Source: The Arguse, 20 Jan 1945 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1108145