Anne Haines

Today we remember Anne Haines, a past State President of the War Widows’ Guild. She reflects on the profound and lasting impact the war had on our culture and way of life.

Anne Haines audio file (MP4 23.98 MB)

Anne Haines audio script

75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War

Audio actuality

“Fellow Citizens, the War is over” — (The Hon J B Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia)

On the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, Australia remembers Anne Haines, a past State President of the War Widows’ Guild.

Like so many people on the home front, she saw firsthand the profound and lasting impact the war had on our culture and way of life. Anne particularly remembered the beginning of this movement — one that saw more women taking up a role in the workforce.

Anne Haines

When the war started, and because so many men left their occupations, it was essential for women to step into the breach — working in munitions factories, driving public transport, and things like this that had never been done by women before.

After the war, many women felt that they could no longer just stick to a so-called “woman’s role.” Of course, there were other women who had to go out of necessity, because if they had become war widows, for example, the pension was so small that you couldn’t have lived on it. And then some women whose husbands did come home, the men were unable to work, so a lot of women just went on working anyway.

That really was the beginning of women’s role changing so vastly in the community.

Saturday, August 15 marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War. Let’s pay our respects to that amazing generation of Australians.