By Kate Davis - Casey Cardinia Libraries
Last month’s article told the story of Jack Dawson, a Beaconsfield local who fought during World War Two and was taken and died as a prisoner of war in Burma. Jack’s family had a special connection to a local Beaconsfield fundraising club, Sister Susies, which raised funds throughout the war for the benefit of those serving overseas. Jack’s two sisters, Beryl and Rena, were heavily involved in the club - something mentioned by Darla Adamson during the Adamson’s interview, in which Jack’s own story was uncovered (read more about this here). This article discusses the development and success of the club, using newspaper excerpts found on Trove.
In the Adamson’s interview, Mrs. Darla Adamson mentioned the eagerness with which all Beaconsfield residents contributed to fundraising and relief efforts for local soldiers. Darla spoke about the Sister Susies club, in which women from around the district would gather and organise functions and balls. According to Darla, these women would send parcels with all sorts of goods, including socks, balaclavas, and even Christmas cakes during the festive season! It is perhaps unsurprising then that Beryl and Rena Dawson were heavily involved in the club, on account of their experience as sisters of a serviceman.
Sister Susies clubs have been a longstanding method of organising funds and goods for soldiers overseas. The first instance of the Beaconsfield Club appears in the local newspaper, ‘The Dandenong Journal’ in 1942. Reading the article below, it becomes apparent that the Beaconsfield Sister Susies club was founded in 1941.
At that point, while the club was relatively small in membership, their fundraising efforts were nevertheless quite successful, raising £10. This is equivalent to approximately $17.50 AUD at that time, and worth around $675 AUD today. In a nation recovering from the Great Depression and experiencing another world war, this amount is quite impressive.
The next article regarding the club was published in April 1944, which has insight into the origins of the Sister Susies club. They were not a random collection of women but were formed predominantly from the Younger Set – a sub-group of the Country Women’s Association in Beaconsfield. The Younger Set themselves in Beaconsfield had been formed in 1931, and were, as the name suggests, younger CWA members (1). Clearly too, the club’s success was only growing; raising £18 at this function, equivalent to around $1,200 today.
This prosperity came in the same year as the club’s fourth birthday - a joyous affair, as noted in the article below. Undoubtedly, a sizeable amount of funds for servicemen would have been raised at this birthday ball too.
Over the next year, the club’s achievements seemed to increase tenfold. As the war effort increased, nudging ever closer to the end of the war, it seems that morale was building on the home front. This appears to have contributed to increases in donations at Sister Susie functions. The Sister Susies fifth birthday ball in August of 1945 raised £200 - equivalent to $13,500 today – quite a feat! The article also mentions Beryl Dawson’s role in the club, as the President. At this point, Jack’s death had been announced in the local newspaper, and so the Dawson family knew that he was no longer alive. It seems that the Dawson sisters, particularly Beryl, channeled their efforts into continuing to raise funds for all the remaining soldiers still fighting. For a family that had lost a member in such a tragic way, it is remarkable that the Dawson sisters continued to contribute heavily to the success of the club.
Then, in June of 1946 with the war well and truly finished, the Beaconsfield Sister Susies club dissolved. There was no longer such a pressing need for funds to support soldiers and so Sister Susies members were released from the undoubtedly huge amounts of time they had surely been contributing to the balls and functions. As the article below details, the club's Victory Night was a huge success and celebration, in which the contribution of the community was acknowledged.
The time had come for Beaconsfield to focus their efforts on rebuilding the community. This celebration would have been met with welcome feelings of relief for many of the attendees, as the end of the war and the beginning of a new chapter was marked. Beaconsfield, as with every town across the entirety of Australia, had lost fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters. The success of clubs like the Sister Susies of Beaconsfield displays the significant contributions and impact of the efforts made by those on the home front, during such difficult times. The dedication of members, alongside the generosity of the wider community demonstrates a small part of the Australian experience of war, and the strong spirit of those living through and fighting in the wars.
References
1- The Dandenong Journal, ‘Younger set formed’, The Dandenong Journal (Vic.: 1927-1954), 26 March 1931, p. 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201083127
Excerpts from articles, in order of appearance.
The Dandenong Journal, ‘Beaconsfield Sister Susies doing fine work’, The Dandenong Journal (Vic.: 1927-1954), 9 September 1942, p. 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article215710340
The Dandenong Journal, ‘£18 from Beaconsfield “Sister Susies” dance’, The Dandenong Journal (Vic.: 1927-1954), 19 April 1944, p. 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214165310
The Dandenong Journal, ‘Beaconsfield “Sister Susies” celebrate 4th birthday’, The Dandenong Journal (Vic.: 1927-1954), 30 August 1944, p. 11, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214166958
The Dandenong Journal, ‘Beaconsfield Sister Susies’ Record-breaking birthday ball’, The Dandenong Journal (Vic.: 1927-1954), 29 August 1945, p. 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page21584807
The Dandenong Journal, ‘Beaconsfield “Sister Susies” happy wind-up', The Dandenong Journal (Vic.: 1927-1954), 26 June 1946, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214794234
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