Perth Voice Interactive

AUSTRALIA may not be rationing food just yet, but the cost of living crisis is giving people a little taste of how frugal life was in the aftermath of World War II.

Food shortages, families living on war pensions after already going through the Great Depression, returning soldiers struggling to adapt to civilian life, women giving up their wartime jobs for men.

The post-war years were a time of great change and austerity, but also of great hope and dreams for the future, making it the perfect backdrop for the new radio play A Surprising Christmas by Jenny Davis OAM.

Held in the stunning St George’s Cathedral, the play will raise funds for St Barts, a not-for-profit providing emergency accomodation for the homeless in Perth.

“I have gathered a number of stories from seniors over the years about their childhood recollection of Christmas, at a time when the season was less commercialised than now,” Davis says.

“It’s a time when we all feel a bit nostalgic, and I was thinking how important it must have been to get a sense of normality back at the end of the war, but things were still quite difficult then. 

“It was a time of change and change is always a bit unsettling – but of course it was also a time of joy and of hope for the future.”

Set in December 1945, the play follows 17-year-old Patsy, who works in the local bakery and is looking forward to a peacetime Christmas in the Murray region after five years of war.

Patsy dreams of leaving her small country town to experience the world and become a teacher, but her family can’t afford it and back then women were expected to get a local job and then give it up when they got married.

Imagination

“Patsy is played by Natasha Fraser who has her own dreams of the future now that travel is opening up again after the pandemic,” Davis says.

“She wants to travel and also to have a career in the performing arts. She will work hard to achieve her goals – many young people with big dreams will be planning to work hard to succeed.

“I love writing for radio because the audience use their imagination so much…It’s quite liberating.” 

With wars currently raging in Ukraine and Gaza, the plays themes are still relevant some 70 years later.

“People I have interviewed who went through World War II would say how the talk was so often about ‘after the war’ and their dreams of the future,” Davis says.

“Particularly because they were young at the time with hopefully a long future ahead of them. I have no doubt that people in current war zones feel the same.”

During her 40 year theatrical career in Australia, Davis has appeared in many leading roles for all the major theatre companies in Perth, and has toured around the world.

In recent years she has worked as playwright, including a 10-year stint with ABC Radio National schools’ drama program.

Davis says she is extremely proud to write the annual fundraising play for the homeless, which has been held since 2012 and is made possible by a volunteer troupe of actors, musicians and technicians including the Perth Undergraduate Choral Society.

“We haven’t been at war, thank goodness, but we are currently once more in a time of high cost of living and economic downturn, and many are planning to have a more modest Christmas than they might otherwise have done,”  Davis says.

“Some may not even have a place to celebrate, let alone comforts.

“Fortunately, the Christmas spirit is not dependant on having wealth, but some of us in the community are suffering, and every year when we assemble in St George’s Cathedral to raise money for the homeless, the spirit of the season brings us together in a joyful fashion to give what we can.”

A Surprising Christmas is at St George’s Cathedral on Friday December 15 from 7.30pm-9.30pm.Tix at try booking.com or to donate to St Barts go to stbarts.org.au/get-involved/make-a-donation.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK