CHAPTER 12 AUSTRALIA’S SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY IN
THE POST-WAR PERIOD
12.1 After the war is over
Name:
ACTIVITIES
Check your understanding
1.
Make a list of the challenges Australia faced at the end of World War II in 1945.
2.
What was the Assisted Passage Scheme? Suggest why it was important to Australia’s
future.
3.
Australia was also described as the ‘lucky country’ in the 1950s. Why do you think there
was such a mood of optimism during this decade?
Using sources
1.
Refer to source 12.1.1. What is the image of Australian government presented in this
source?
2.
Imagine that source 12.1.1 is to be used as an image representing 1950s Australia. Write
a caption for it.
3.
What qualities of migrants does Arthur Calwell emphasise in source 12.1.2? Explain why
Australia encouraged these people to migrate in the 1950s.
4.
Use source 12.1.3 as the basis for an account of the migrant experience during the 1950s.
5.
Explain the opinion expressed in source 12.1.4. Write a letter to the editor of the Age
supporting the newspaper’s stand against discrimination.
Researching and communicating
1.
Research and prepare a short presentation on one of the ethnic communities that came to
Australia in the 1950s. Research the country of origin of your chosen community. To find
out information about your chosen country, go to
www.jaconline.com.au/retroactive/retroactive2 and click on the Country Reports
weblink.
2.
Design a colourful poster to be used as part of the government’s advertising campaign to
attract migrants to work on the new building projects. For additional information about
the construction and history of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme, go to
Retroactive 2 2E Activities
© Maureen Anderson, Anne Low, Jeffrey Conroy, Ian Keese 2005
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RETROACTIVE 2 2E
www.jaconline.com.au/retroactive/retroactive2 and click on the Snowy Hydro Scheme
weblink.
Worksheets
12.1
Migrants to the Snowies
Notes:
Retroactive 2 2E Activities
© Maureen Anderson, Anne Low, Jeffrey Conroy, Ian Keese 2005
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