Those girls with grit - Strathpine

Next date: Tuesday, 22 April 2025 | 09:00 AM to 10:00 AM

During the Second World War, the Australian government recruited women for the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA), an organisation that trained and placed women in work on farms and properties, releasing men for active service.

Some of these women were as young as 16. Most were city girls, with no experience of life on the land.

Now they were expected to take over jobs that had previously been regarded as "men's work".

The girls drove tractors, mustered, sheared, milked, picked fruit and made hay – many of them weighing about seven stone, wringing wet.

The hours were long, the work hard, there was no glamour, and the girls sometimes faced prejudice and harassment from the local community. Their experiences often changed their lives forever.

Pamela Rushby discusses the history of the Queensland AWLA movement, the basis for her historical novel, Those Girls (Walker Books 2024).

Pamela will sign copies of her book after the event. Books will be available for sale at the event courtesy of QBD The Bookshop - Strathpine.

Free. Bookings required. For adults.

When

Location

Strathpine Library, 1 Station Street, Strathpine, 4500, View map