We've just got to do it, Part 1

31/3/2020

We've just got to do it, Part 1

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We’ve just got to do it, Part 1
Three months ago, like many Australians, I was ensconced in arguably the largest bushfire tragedy the world has ever experienced. Those fires focussed our attention on the safety and wellbeing of our communities and wildlife. We knew they represented the coup de grâce after an insidious and unprecedented hot dry period and we worried what the future held.

The term Covid19 and the expressions ‘social distancing’ and ‘self isolation’ had not been coined when I was battling alongside the fire crews, although we knew about a nasty new flu affecting a Chinese province.

The New Years’ eve light show at home was very different this year while battling the bushfires

Yet Covid19, not our fires, will be remembered as one of the most influential global events for generations. I can recall horrific assassinations, wars, natural disasters and genocides, along with great sporting and cultural achievements. I recall my schoolkid fears about the Cuban Missile Crisis plunging us into a nuclear holocaust which cemented the nuclear disarmament ambitions of my generation. Whilst other tragedies have undoubtedly affected families or even countries more, I doubt whether any crises have affected our global community like Covid19. The September 11 terrorist attack and subsequent wars heralded a new world order, (we still can’t carry water bottle on planes) but Covid19 looks destined to trump even that shocking event.

Sporting competitions, artistic events and even the Adelaide Zoo that have remained open for lifetimes have been suspended. National and State borders have been closed and communities and families have been isolate.

But two recent changes in my life have really driven home the magnitude of Covid-19. Last week I was unable to hug my 81 year old mother, something that I have always taken for granted and treated as a given. But the Prime Minister’s declaration last week that funerals could not be held with more than 10 mourners was the ultimate wake-up call for me. A local lad killed in a car crash and the inspirational ‘Frog Man’, Mike Tyler, who passed away last week will not receive the goodbyes that they and their families and friends deserve. Mike’s wife, Ella lamented to me “The funeral was simply five family members in a stark room at the funeral parlour. No music and no friends to help us cope. Just an identification form to sign!”

The “frog man” Mike Tyler who passed away last week without the funeral he or his family deserved. (image courtesy of Ella Tyler)

Although I have been unsettled and shocked by these new rules, there is one small glimmer of hope. Our Prime Minister prefixed his announcement with the statement “I’m really sorry but we’ve just got to do it”.

I can’t recall leaders previously making draconian (or even unpopular) decisions with such serious social and financial implications on the basis of scientific evidence or opinion. In a small way I’m buoyed by their willingness to govern for the long-term benefit of society, of restricting the liberties of one generation for the benefit of another. I wonder where strong leadership could steer (or push!) our society and the role crises have in enabling such change.

Whilst we are living through this strange new world of social isolation, I’ve decided to compile a fortnightly blog, to place this event in historic context, to learn from past crises, discuss our current situation and dream about what can be learned for the future.
This week I am reaching out to nonagenarians, yes that’s right, those aged 90 or thereabouts, who recall the grief, fears and depravations of WWII and its aftermath. I’m asking how Covid19 compares to the 1940s and how they coped back then and what they learned from the experience?

In case you aren’t 90, or haven’t got a parent or neighbour you can quiz, your opportunity will come in following weeks when I explore our current fears and frustrations, how different leaders (national, state, local or sporting) are approaching the crisis and how we can learn from this unprecedented experience.

Stay tuned here and please contribute on johnreadthepragmaticecologist Facebook site.
Questions for 90 year olds

How old were you in 1945?
Can you recall any other crises with such widespread social or economic impact since WWII?
What deprivations or restrictions in the 1940s affected you most?
How effectively did leaders explain or convey the reason for restrictions and can you recall any noteworthy leaders or announcements?
How did your war-time and post war experiences influence your life or society?
What advice do you have for younger generations experiencing this Covid19 crisis?

10 Comments

John L. Read, PhD, author-ecologist

Wakefield Press, Dear Grandpa, Why? Reflections From Kokoda to Hiroshima

Praise for Dear Grandpa, Why?

'This is a most unusual book but an insistently interesting one ... This book’s strongest virtue is in Read’s wrestling with the past and his initial desire for accountability over the death of his grandfather, giving way to something akin to forgiveness.' - ~ Christopher Bantick, Weekly Times

'This compelling book is written from the heart, and easily draws the reader in on the journey with Read seeking answers about his grandfather's sacrifice. I recommend it to all readers. It provides a personal entry-point for understanding the events that led to the war in the Pacific and raises many questions about what causes war and what we should do in the future to prevent such terrible loss and waste of life.' - ~ Helen Eddy, Read Plus

'Lovely and heart-warming story.'
~ Nic Klaassen, Flinders Ranges Research

'John L. Read's odyssey provides a historical insight into the cause of the war against Japan and a graphic portrayal of the cultural grief experienced by families who lost loved ones.' - ~ ~ Charlie Lynn, Kokoda Treks

Johanna van de Woestijne link

31/3/2020 04:36:40 am

Hi John,

This is not my experience, but my 89yo Mom's. She was born in 1931, so an early teenager at the end of the German occupation of the island Walcheren, in Zeeland, the southern part of the Netherlands. When the Germans retreated, they took her family's bicycles, which the girls used to get to school. It ended her schooling, so she never had a high school or trade education. What would seem like a small thing, had a big impact. But, she was always good at knitting and sewing, and that was super helpful when she was raising her own four children in remote areas, where clothing was tough to come by. Sure, more education would have helped her, but her own mother had useful skills to pass on, and although not well educated formally, all the children in the family did well in life anyway, with skills acquired outside of school. Not ideal, but they coped.

The British and Canadians had bombed the island to flood it and drive the Germans out. My Mom's family went to high ground in a church, Koudekerke, where she learned to cook, because it was the warmest room and and she could get a meal there. This is another skill she learned quite young, under trying circumstances, and a time of hunger, but quite good to have when she was raising her own family in remote areas later in life.

My Mom says, just try to learn a skill, get good at it, what ever it is, and appreciate when someone has something to teach new to teach you.

John Read

1/4/2020 08:57:35 am

Thanks Johanna
I was discussing with a 91 year old yesterday who also commented that like your mother, her education was interrupted during the war when she had to leave school in the second year of high school (14 or 15) to work on the farm because her brother had gone to war. A stark contrast to today's crisis when, even though the schools are closed, my girls are engaged in online learning - even wearing their school uniforms during video-linked lessons with their teachers. History puts today's challenges into perspective!

Peter Forward link

3/4/2020 08:28:52 am

Documenting some thoughts from older people is a great idea John, I had to Google nonagenarian. My parents hardship stories relate to 1930s depression with rabbit drives etc. I will interview my 94 y old aunt and get back

3/4/2020 08:51:12 am

Thanks Peter
My feedback so far suggests (unsurprisingly) that discussing with nonagenarians is likely to be more fruitful than expecting them to interact with social media etc - would be great to get some insights from your Aunt - especially whether the hardships brought any benefits and the role of political or even local leaders in helping through the crises

Brian Gibson

4/4/2020 05:18:29 am

Hi John, not quite in my nineties yet but my mother was when she died last year. I still have the ration books she showed me which were in use here in England until 1958. The link to the Covid-19 here crisis is that I have seen grown men load x10 packs of toilet rolls into a trolley which left the shelf bare! Supermarkets should have limited buying essential items at the start of this crisis. It is my overwhelming view that parents should put themselves out to bond with their children who are forced to stay at home and use this time to teach their kids skills that they would otherwise not find the time to do.

Karl Jones

4/4/2020 11:12:59 am

Hi John,
I recall talking to my Grandmother, who grew up in Dresden (Germany), and was there when it was bombed, how horrible that situation was. I also recall a few stories about my grandfather stealing potatoes and them making nettle soup because they had no food. After coming to Australia my grandmother never wanted to go back to Dresden. It seems to me that the current situation in Australia, certainty at this stage, does not compare to that. Although we can't get a few things from the supermarkets, and people are loosing their jobs, there are not people blowing up towns and the government is trying to keep people alive and well, and is much more capable of doing so than in the midst or aftermath of war. My grandmother would have been 18 in 1945.

Karl.

4/4/2020 01:39:20 pm

Thanks Brian and Karl
There does seem to be a marked difference between fearing for your life and making nettle soup to survive and our current drama of toilet roll hording - thanks for the helping place Covid19 in context - and I agree with you Brian, this creates an opportunity to take some time out (or in!) with fanilies

Brent Masters link

7/4/2020 05:54:24 pm

Hi John,

I cant believe how many years have past since we last met in the Solomon Islands. I trust you and your family. are all doing as well as can be expected in these times.

Two years ago we lost my father in law he was 93 and a bomber pilot in the Second World War. His stories were remarkable however i would not wish to presume his answers to your questions.

However his wife (my mother in -law) was. happy to share her responses as a 91. year. old English born immigrant to your questions. I forwarded her the questions and please see her answers below.

Hope you find it worthwhile

cheers

Brent

Celia Fleming
91 years old, currently residing in Cowes Philip Island Victoria

1/ I was 15yrs old.

2/ No but ii do remembe as a child the ramifications of the Great Depression and years following.

3/ I did not see my father for 4yrs. He was in the Middle East (a desert rat).He made my mother promise we would never be parted, this was soon after Dunkirk.

When I went to the station to meet him, he walked right past me, then said “I was looking for the little girl I left behind” who of course was then a teen ager. As we walked home from the station, I discovered my father knew almost everyone, most people greeted him by name & shook his hand. You could get to our home three ways he said which way we should go, this passed the “barrow boy” where we purchased our vegetables etc. they always seemed very poor & I know my mother passed my clothes to his daughter who adored her father & helped him. My father stopped & shook his hand & thanked him, my father then told me he had been a commando on the Dieppe raid,one of Churchill’s not so brilliant ideas, I think he said it was to test the waters. These men who were captured were ill treated, held in chains for many months, I never looked down on them again. When I look back the bombing raids did not affect me that much, it was part of life.

The rationing did affect us, but I can never say I went hungry, I say that is why I still have my own teeth, because our diet is what is advocated today as a healthy diet. No need to worry about fashion,my aunts gave my mother some of their coupons to outfit me when I went away to school.

4/ I remember Chamberlain saying “Peace in our time” and Churchill’s inspiring speeches, the “Fight on our beaches” sticks in my memory, as my father taught me how to fire & clean his Enfield rifle, so that I could defend my mother if the occasion arose.

5/ It taught me to be fiercely independent & to rely on no one except myself. It gave me a better education, my headmistress was a double first from Oxford, no mean feat in those days. I was made concious of the plight of others & have done much volunteer work, still am . I am a firm Christian and believe much good work can be done.I am secretary/treasurer of the Mothers Union, which when founded was to help families nothing has changed there except we help in different ways. I represented my school @ Albert Hall, the Labour Government had just been voted in. Clement Attlee promised a “Brave New World” I am still waiting for it @ age ninety.

6/ Remember Shakespeare “to thine own self be true”, try to lead a normal life, read as much as you can, you don’t have to study to become educated. It is not so difficult, all you have to do is obey the rules,perhaps play Monopoly as we did in the bomb shelters, if you are bored with being home.

8/4/2020 06:43:01 am

Great to hear from you Brent and thanks to you and Celia for her recollections and advice - I'm now a newfound Shakespeare fan and I will have to look up Clement Attlee! I will compile the responses from many informants in a week or so - I have a feeling this Covid19 episode has a while to run yet!
Her story has strong parallels with my mothers' story about her father being a bomber pilot when she was also only 3 or 4 - I documented Mum's story and the effect of the war on families from both sides of the conflict in my book Dear Grandpa Why?

Matthew Bryant link

4/11/2022 11:59:41 pm

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We've just got to do it, Part 1

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John L. Read, PhD, author-ecologist

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