Elizabeth That Was Part 2: Populate or Perish (Elizabeth Is Born) скачать в хорошем качестве

Elizabeth That Was Part 2: Populate or Perish (Elizabeth Is Born)

#tenpoundpoms #migrants #elizabeth By the end of World War II, millions of people in Europe had been forced to flee from their homes and were living in camps for refugees and displaced persons. Relief agencies called on other nations to help to resettle these people. At the same time, Australia was suffering from shortages in the work force. Its small population and isolation also increased its sense of vulnerability. To increase the number of workers available for Australia’s defence and development, then Prime Minister Ben Chifley approved an urgent recruitment campaign in Europe to attract migrants. The Australian Government also sent officers to select people from the camps to migrate to Australia, and the slogan ‘populate or perish’ was born, used to help the Australian population to accept this large intake of migrants. This decision to increase Australia’s population would mean an increase in its number of workers and families, which meant a need for an increase in industry and residential development. Both these needs would have huge consequences for South Australia’s development and its people in the years immediately following World War II – in particular, for life on the Adelaide Plains. Consequences still felt to this day. In March 1950, to meet this oncoming demand for increase in population and industry, the South Australian Housing Trust produced a report entitled ‘Land requirements for a 10-year building programme.’ Pointing out that the Trust would need to build 26,000 rental houses by 1960, and considered where all that land might be attained. The metropolitan area was ruled out, and three alternatives presented: dormitory suburbs (a suburb occupied mainly by the homes of commuters who would then travel to work in a bigger town or city), Augmented Towns (meaning the addition of suburbs to towns within easy reach of Adelaide, using existing community facilities), or Satellite Towns. From the three possibilities, the choice fell on that of the self-contained satellite town. This was cheaper since land away from the suburbs could be purchased at agricultural prices. It also would allow the Housing Trust to have full control over the whole area, without having to consider other people’s interests. The choice of a Satellite City was made at a meeting between then Premier Thomas Playford, the General Manager of the South Australian Housing Trust Alex Ramsay, and Housing Trust Chairman Jack Cartledge. Which of them suggested the building of a whole new town and so became the ‘ father of Elizabeth’ is unclear. Sir Thomas did not claim the honour, but it is certain that without his backing and determination the plan would have come to nothing, and Trust officials who remember that time were insistent that Elizabeth was ‘Thomas’ baby.’ The Playford government produced the money for the land purchases through the state government and ensured the co-operation of other State Departments, such as the Highways Department and the Electricity Trust. The housing trust itself was responsible for the actual layout of the town and its’ detailed planning, and, according to Playford, produced most of the good ideas. With action decided on, no time was wasted, and during April 1950, the Trust purchased more than 3,000 acres of farmland between Salisbury and Smithfield. The choice of site for Elizabeth was influenced by Adelaide’s restricted position between the Gulf and the hills, which meant that major development could not move east or west, while the broken landscape to the South made development too expensive. North then, beyond the Abbattoirs and Parafield Aerodrome to Salisbury was the only suitable axis for expansion. Source material: Playford's Past Recollect website ELIZABETH: the Garden City by Margaret Galbreath & Gillian Pearson National Film & Sound Archive