Second World War has just ended and men arrive home to their families to pick up where they left off. Although a lot of men went back to work, there was a dramatic amount of men who stayed with the military. It became a way of life for these soldiers. There was a considerable amount of soldiers who had also brought home post-traumatic stress disorder after what they had witnessed. But most men wanted to get their minds off what they had seen and get back into what they had left behind. Lives had changed and it was time for an adjustment, this brought on an increase in local pub attendances and a huge increase of Booze consumption. It had become part of Australia’s culture to go down after work for a ‘6 O’clock Swill’, this trend had set it in stone that this was going to be a way of life for the average Australian bloke. As society started to change and ‘the way of life’ got more relaxed, Questions were asked, if this culture had been here all along? Was it brought with the European settlement? How have these introductions influenced the change of Australian Society over the time? How has Alcohol affected the service men and army in general? How has Alcohol influenced the Native people of Australia? These questions have led to many claims about where this trend really came from. But these questions also lead to questions on, how do women fit into this role and what depiction do we have of women in pubs and being in posters advertising alcohol. Many assumptions have been made, particularly by women who see this as destroying domestic security and damaging women’s lives which further led to attempts at prohibition. All these questions have been answered through various historians who have found this topic very interesting and a vital part of Australian history.
Australia is known for its rich variety of food and wide range of alcohol adopted and adapted by the colonisation. This fashion has become part of multicultural society. Alcohol was introduced during the European invasion of Australia and now has become part of Australian culture. The consumption of alcohol was not the only thing it was used for during the invasion, spirits were used to barter and convicts were paid in rum and this became currency throughout the colonies. This gave huge political power to the controller of the alcohol1. As time went on the culture of a man going down to the pub for a ‘Six O’clock Swill’ was growing enormously. This culture had led to some concerns about what was going to happen to the future of the country, hence the temperance organisations was created and was been enforced in the mid 1830’si. This movement was a success to a point but was later left in the rear view mirror once service men started to arrive back in Australia after the Second World War.
Australia as a nation has a very cultured aspect when it comes to the consumption of alcohol and the scene that alcohol is consumed in. During Australia’s invasion from the European settlement, rum was very popular drink. In order to come into contact with this alcohol, convicts would have to work for it. It was the currency of the era. It was calculated that the convicts drank more alcohol per capita than at any point in time throughout history. It was not seen as good form for a man to drink on his own but drink in a social scene. Over time, names for people who drank copious amounts of alcohol were give different names, with one final sticking, alcohol connoisseurs, which was seen more appropriate then the term drunkard.
The main reason for Australian’s to drink is to be social with mates and interact with each other, but as a famous writer, Finch Hatton wrote in 1887:
"All through Australia, in every class, it is not considered good form for a man to drink by himself. Very few even of the most hopeless drunkards ever do so. The consequence is, that when a man feels inclined to drink, he immediately looks out for someone to drink with...At whatever hour of the day a man’s meets