The 1950s in Australia are often described as the decade of materialism, a decade when women were confined to home duties, church going was a ritual, and life was uncomplicated. Melbourne has been portrayed as a very dull and conservative city. Indeed some of this is true to a degree, but it is by no means the full story. Those of us who grew up in Melbourne as teenagers in the 50s are looking down the barrel of death and looking back at the Melbourne we knew. This web site hopes to show what Melbourne was really like in those days and just what sort of lives we lived.

Our parents had grown up in the roaring 2os, most of them in large families. They lived through the hardships of the great depression and did not enjoy the luxury of being ‘teenagers’ because they needed to be in the workforce at an early age. Many of our fathers served in the war and some died. There was nothing in life which would surprise these seemingly ordinary people as they guided their teenage children through the 50s. They gave us remarkable freedom in the expectation that we would become responsible adults within the safe confines of  social standards of the decade.

The sixties brought such dramatic changes to Australian society that it is hard for most people to assess the fifties without judging them by later standards. Our generation lived through the deprivations of war as young children and we were able to appreciate the stability and luxuries which the fifties offered. Yes, women did step aside for the men who were lucky enough to come home from war fit for work. Yes, they did not enjoy anything like equality in the terms we now take for granted. However the spirit of community effort of the war years lived on, and many women were very active in voluntary organisations. Post traumatic stress must have affected many families, but it was never discussed openly then, and later commentary has largely ignored it. People in the 50s were trying hard to get on with their lives as best as possible.

There were double standards in sexual matters and a deathly silence on matters of domestic violence and child abuse. Sex education extended only to discussion about menstruation for girls and ejaculation for boys in strictly separate groups. The contraceptive pill was not available and intercourse outside of marriage was fraught with danger. There was no government assistance for single women who had children, and so most women thought twice about engaging in intercourse, resulting in a pre-occupation with female frigidity. ‘Shot gun weddings’ as they were called were common.

Expatriots who left Australia in the early sixties have told us how restrictive and boring Australia was. However most of us stayed, and we feel proud that we are part of a vibrant society which was able to grow from the solid foundation of the 50s.