Ten pound Pomx

Callistemon21

Aveline

Its interesting and a nice change from crime dramas and police procedurals. I'm enjoying the setting and costumes. I wonder how exaggerated the attitudes are? Were they really so racist and sexist?

The interesting thing is that the working class British immigrants are being portrayed as horrified at how the Aborigines (the term used then) were treated, their lack of rights and were sympathetic towards them.
Yet those people had come from a Britain where many people held racist attitudes, particularly towards those from the West Indies who had come over to help rebuild post-war Britain.
It didn't ring true.

agree with this. It stuck me as imposing modern thoughts instead of historic ones, when she wanted to complain about the Aboriginal lady being pushed to the back of the queue.

In England at that time, it was normal to see signs saying 'No Blacks, No Dogs' Etc. Any Pom would have accepted that sort of treatment of someone else due to skin colour as absolutely normal.

It’s complicated though.

There was undoubtedly racism in the UK too, but the general push back against the Jim Crow laws applying to black GIs in Britain in WW2 shows that there were plenty of people who didn’t go along with it. So I don’t agree that any Pom would have accepted it. Would any Australian either? Surely there are always some people who speak out?

Surely there are always some people who speak out?

I don’t think the newly arrived British lady would have challenged the ‘go to the back of the queue’ on her first day out at her new destination, no way.


But I think we tend to forget we are talking about nearly 70 years ago. Attitudes have changed so much in regards to racism, homophobia, single mothers.

Back in the 50’s, the vast majority would have had a more narrow minded take on these things, as opposed to now.

My ideas have changed and I imagine others have too.

I don’t think the newly arrived British lady would have challenged the ‘go to the back of the queue’ on her first day out at her new destination, no way.

Oh, I know some who certainly would!

volver3

Sorry nanna8, my husband and in laws lived there in the sixties, I lived there in the 2000s.

It wasn't all sweetness and light.

You are right Volver and the British men's attitude was often different from the Australians to the native people to start with.
My father was in the navy during the war and had been in Burma and India with Australians. He never thought of the native people as different to the Australians.
It was muttered but said by the native chap "I was treated as one of the lads during the war when I came back it all went back to normal."
Really just like the blacks in the US and England when they came over from the Caribean. We didn't mind them fighting for us but seemed to quickly forget the part they had played.
I hope my relations change of attitude was to help them settle in and not out of pure prejudice.
If you stick up for the minority you isolate yourself and the British were having a hard enough time themselves to get accepted. What the Australian Government wanted wasn't always what the people wanted.

I've watched three episodes now and don't plan to watch any more. There's something about the tone of the drama that I find unpleasant. I'm sorry about this. I've loved some of the newer Australian dramas such as Offspring and obviously, Colin from Accounts but Ten Pound Poms hits clunking notes. You can see what's going to happen all the time. The transposition of modern attitudes and values to people back then always irritated me.

That's interesting Aveline. I've still only watched one of them so we'll see how it goes.

I’ve watched the whole thing and really enjoyed it, believing it to be a drama and not a documentary.

Normally a lurker, simply had to respond to this. We were not 10£ poms, but went to Oz in 1986 after leaving SA. Worst thing we ever did. We were appalled at the racism towards Asians [called derogatory names], Aboriginal people [ditto]. We were desperately unhappy there and spent the next five years trying to go elsewhere which we finally achieved.
Personal example : every morning, a friend ex-SA and I boarded the same bus to go to work. Whereas there were many white locals strap-hanging daily as the bus was full, there was always one place empty, and this was next to a "full blood" aboriginal as they are termed. As we noted this on a daily basis, said friend and I determined to take turns in sitting next to him, which we did. He never spoke to us, but after ca. one month half-turned with a very shy smile. Strap-hangers smirked and looked down their noses at us. This is from personal experience of living in Perth - perhaps it is better "over east" as it is termed there.

Sounds bad CountessFosco and you'd already be quite used to racism in SA. Good on you for trying though.

If I had to rate this drama I’d give it a 5 out of ten.. Although the acting is good I found the storyline at times quite unrealistic and not at all gritty, more like a B side on a 45 record

I do like the setting though. Probably because I like Australia.

And still today.

Don't be aboriginal. Don't be anti-monarchy.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-65642975

It was a cruel country and has made hard and brusque australians

Not all are hard and brusque. Some are lovely, just like anywhere.

It isn’t true, playing into stereotypes that people like to think are true

I agree that it is playing into stereotypes.

Don't be aboriginal. Don't be anti-monarchy
I know a lot of republicans, few monarchists.
I know some aboriginals too, neighbours of family, school Mums, friends of the family.
😲

Callistemon,

Did you look at the link?

Do you ever?

Aveline

I do like the setting though. Probably because I like Australia.

I think the Australia I know is perhaps not Atypical, not "city" Australia populated by British immigrants, Aveline.

I've only been to Sydney and Melbourne cities but have also been to the Dandenongs and Hunter Valley. Loved it all.

Oo forgot the Blue Mountains. Wonderful place.

May I just point out that visiting or going on holiday is not at all akin to actually living in a place - Oz or anywhere else. One tends to view the country through tourists eyes, whereas the daily living experience is vastly different.
Our 5 years, 8 months and 14 days were the unhappiest of our lives.

I’ve watched all of the episodes and saw it as a mildly entertaining piece of entertainment.

I didn’t like it at all and will not be watching it again. I would have found a documentary far more interesting - a few years ago I read a really good book on the subject. My aunt, uncle and two cousins and my mum’s best school friend were ten pound poms in 1963/4. All went on to lead happy lives down under.

Just finished episode 1. Didn't enjoy it and wondered for whom it was meant to be entertaining. Or educating.

CountessFosco

May I just point out that visiting or going on holiday is not at all akin to actually living in a place - Oz or anywhere else. One tends to view the country through tourists eyes, whereas the daily living experience is vastly different.
Our 5 years, 8 months and 14 days were the unhappiest of our lives.

Yes of course you may, it's an interesting observation.

Visiting for a quarter of the year every year for nearly 20 years is not the same as living and working there full-time, of course, but it does give an insight, especially if you become part of the local community.

I'm sorry you didn't like it CountessFosco and hope you managed to settle back here. Some people find they're unsettled if they stay, unsettled if they return, torn between both places.

Like Musicgirl, I think I'd have preferred a documentary on the subject. Likely to be very interesting. I think the BBC have missed a trick here.