Girls' Own War Stories

The documentary consists of interviews with various Australian women whose lives were changed during World War II by the necessity for women to take on jobs previously performed by men. Apart from directly replacing men on active service, many were new positions arising through the exigencies of war – production of war materiel, transcribing enemy communications, plotting ship and aircraft sightings, and so on, as well as the more traditional roles of nursing. The policy of restricting female workers to homeland duties was relaxed as the war dragged on.

It also deals with changed modes of relaxation, as the cities became the province of young females: beach-going and dancing in particular – often, during the war with Japan, accompanied by well-dressed, well-paid and handsome American servicemen.

The interviewees' words are punctuated by contemporary film clips, including much privately owned, previously unreleased, footage contributed by the Cottee family. Assoc. Professor Melanie Oppenheimer and Dr Hera Cook served as historical consultants.