Our Australian Girl

by Alice Pung

  IN Australia in the 1980s, many migrant women, like Marly’s mother and Aunty Tam, worked in their garages sewing clothes for clothing companies. These women were called ‘outworkers’, because they worked outside the factories. Their bosses paid them very low wages, which was illegal, but they got away with it because most of the outworkers were recent immigrants or refugees, who did not have very good English skills and so didn’t understand they had rights at work.

  Because the newly arrived refugees were poor, the women in a family needed to work, but they needed jobs that would also allow them to look after their children at home. So families set up sewing machines in their garages, and clothing companies delivered fabric and clothing orders to them. Unlike workers in factories, who are usually paid for every hour they work, outworkers were paid for every piece of clothing they made, no matter how long it took them.

  Even though a pair of jeans at the shops might sell for $70, Marly’s mum would only have been paid a couple of dollars to make them.

  Outworking was not just a woman’s job. Whole families helped out to make sure the clothes were made on time. If they were late, the outworkers weren’t paid, and they were given no more work.

  Outworking still exists in Australia today, but the government has laws, such as the Fair Work Act 2009 and the Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award 2010, to help better protect outworkers’ rights.

  Many migrant women worked in cramped conditions in their homes, sewing clothes for little money for big textile companies. Lots of the women had children, who would often help their mums with the work.

  DING dong! went the doorbell. Marly and cousin Jackie rushed to open the door.

  Oh no! Marly thought when she saw her grandparents standing there. They’ve arrived from Vietnam wearing their pyjamas! Her grandpa was in a dark blue set with a high button-up collar and a pocket on one side of his chest, and her grandmother had on a green pair covered in small grey dots. Over that, she wore a brown, knitted cardigan. On their feet were socks and sandals. And instead of suitcases, which Marly was sure most people packed their clothes in when they were going on a plane, her grandparents were carrying large, zip-up, stripy straw bags.

  ‘Wah,’ gasped Marly’s grandpa as he greeted his family. ‘Aeroplanes are miraculous objects. Who knew that a thing made of tonnes of metal and steel could float across the sky?’

  ‘Stop saying things like that!’ protested Marly’s grandmother. ‘I felt like vomiting when the plane rose up and you, Grandpa, said such scary things.’

  ‘Grandma, why are you wearing your pyjamas?’ asked cousin Jackie.

  Marly snickered behind him.

  ‘What on earth are pyjamas?’ asked Marly’s grandma.

  ‘You know, clothes you sleep in,’ explained Marly.

  ‘These aren’t sleeping clothes!’ cried Marly’s grandma. ‘These are our best travelling suits!’

  ‘Don’t worry, Ma,’ Marly’s mum said. ‘I’ll take you to get even better things. You should see the clothes they have here in Australia!’

  Grandma peered at Marly. ‘Wah, so beautiful! But, Diep, why did you cut her hair like a boy’s?’

  A boy’s? Marly opened her mouth to protest, but her mum shot her a warning look.

  ‘She’s had a bit of a problem with head lice at school.’

  ‘I didn’t know Australian kids got head lice,’ said Marly’s grandma. ‘I thought this was one of the cleanest countries in the world.’

  ‘Was it a comfortable flight?’ Marly’s father asked her grandparents. Marly knew he was trying to change the subject, and she smiled at him.

  ‘Oh yes,’ sighed Grandpa. ‘The seat was as soft as a pillow. I slept for most of the ride, only waking up to eat. He he.’ Grandpa chuckled and turned to Marly and Jackie. ‘Do you want to know what made your grandma sick on the plane?’ he asked them.

  Marly and Jackie looked up at Grandpa.

  ‘This is so funny. There was a little yellow block on our food tray. We didn’t know what it was. We looked at the people down the aisle, and they were peeling the little block. So I started to peel the plastic away and there was a foul, sick smell.’

  Grandma shuddered. ‘It smelled like someone had vomited in our seats,’ she said. ‘But then the whole plane started to smell like that, because people were all unwrapping their little yellow blocks!’

  Grandpa reached into his shirt pocket and handed a little yellow block to Marly. ‘Your grandmother didn’t open hers. She was too busy hurling into a paper bag. But I kept it. Could you tell me what it is?’

  ‘Oh, Grandpa!’ laughed Marly, ‘That’s just COON cheese.’

  ‘What madman came up with the idea you could eat something that smelled like vomit?’ said Grandpa.

  Wow, Marly thought, my grandparents have never had cheddar cheese before! She found them very strange, but fascinating.

  5 QUESTIONS FOR ALISON LLOYD, AUTHOR OF THE LETTY BOOKS

  How are you and Letty similar, and how are you different?

  Letty loves lace and those gorgeous Victorian dresses because I do and I wanted to have them in the Our Australian Girl books! Letty is a younger sister, whereas I was a bossy older sister, but we are both trustworthy and responsible. Letty loves babies, more than I did when I was a kid. And she had a tougher childhood than I did.

  If Letty were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  I think she would lie in bed and her younger brothers and sisters would climb in and snuggle with her. She might sing songs with them. Later she might talk Lavinia into making cupcakes together.

  Alison, when you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  ‘The coachman dumped the hope chest in the street.’ I started at the beginning.

  What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  When I was a girl I always thought soccer looked like fun. But I wasn’t good at sports, I had no brothers, and there were no football teams for girls then. So I never tried. I also wish I could ride a horse properly. One day . . .

  Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

  Every Australian girl’s story is unique and precious. You are significant whether you’re in a book or not! As Abner says to Letty in the first book, ‘”He tells the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.” If the Lord God can tell the stars apart, he knows me too. And you.’

  5 QUESTIONS FOR DAVINA BELL, AUTHOR OF THE ALICE BOOKS

  How are you and Alice similar, and how are you different?

  Alice thinks she always has to be perfect – that it’s her job to make sure everyone and everything is okay – and that’s just what I was like when I was a little girl.

  But Alice has much more discipline that I do. If I could work as hard at my writing as she works at her dancing, I think I’d feel a lot better! Also, we both like chubby babies, homemade cakes and Dalmatians.

  If Alice were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  Ballet, of course! I think she’d have an extra-long class with Miss Lillibet (first barre work and then on pointe), and when they’d finished, Little would bring them a scrumptious morning tea.

  When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  ‘Papa Sir, why did the war make everyone so horrible? You weren’t there, you didn’t see, but it was awful.’

  I started right at the end of Book 4, so I knew where I had to end up.

  Davina, what’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  Stand-up comedy! And that’s not a joke!

  Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

  I’d give the same advice that Papa Sir gives Alice, which is this: Make beautiful art with everything that you do – how you live each day.

  It’s wonderful to have big dreams and goals and ambitions, but it’s how you do the small th
ings in life – how you talk to people, the effort you put into the things you do – that will shape how your life turns out.

  5 QUESTIONS FOR GABRIELLE WANG, AUTHOR OF THE POPPY BOOKS

  Gabi, how are you and Poppy similar, and how are you different?

  Poppy is much braver than I would ever be. She lived in a time where you had to be brave. In the 1860’s there were not the comforts of today and there were many dangers out on the road like bushrangers. Poppy likes to ride horses and so do I. And Poppy loves her dog Fisher, like I love my dog, Hero.

  If Poppy were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  Poppy would read a book while she’s having breakfast. She’s reading Tiger in the Bush. Then she would go outside and climb a tree. The tree looks over into her best friend, Noni’s back yard. She would call out to Noni, and together they would get on their bikes and go on an all-day adventure to the beach.

  When you sat down to start your OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  I don’t remember what my first sentence was. I plotted all the Poppy books out in one sitting so it would have been something like, ‘Poppy lives at an Aboriginal mission near Echuca’. It sounds boring doesn’t it? Of course you can’t begin a novel like that. Nobody would read past the first page. It is only after a lot of research is done and some rough drafts are complete that I begin to try and make the sentences sing.

  What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  Gliding. I would love to have the feeling of being completely free, soaring in the sky with only the wind to carry me. I have tried hang gliding and was really scared when I had to jump off the cliff. But I didn’t go very far and I was with a friend. I think gliding would be different. I could be up in the clouds for hours.

  Gabi, do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

  If you want to be really good at something you need to practise. Talent is only a small part of it. If you have a passion, then practise that passion every day.

  5 QUESTIONS FOR PENNY MATTHEWS, AUTHOR OF THE NELLIE AND RUBY BOOKS

  How are you and Nellie similar, and how are you different?

  My first reaction on reading this question was that Nellie O’Neill and I aren’t a bit alike. Nellie has experienced unbelievable hardship, and yet she is brave and optimistic and resilient – far more so than I could ever be. And she’s passionate and hot-tempered, while I am usually fairly calm. But when I thought about it some more . . . We both believe that who you are is much more important than what you are. We both hate injustice and prejudice. We both value the love of family above everything else. We are both superstitious. And we both love animals, especially cats! So perhaps we are quite similar after all.

  If Nellie were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  In 1849 Nellie’s Saturday mornings would be like every other morning. She would get out of bed and start work at about five-thirty. She would make sure the kitchen stove was well alight, and she’d start to prepare breakfast, first making bread from the bread dough she’d set to rise the night before. So if Nellie was around today, I think she’d sleep in for as long as she could. She’d read in bed until it was time for breakfast, and she’d read some more while she was eating her muesli. (She’d be reading at least three books at once.) After that her best friend Mary Connell would come around, and they’d go off together to their Irish dancing class.

  Penny, when you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  So this was South Australia! It’s hotter than a good turf fire, Nellie thought.

  What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  I’ve always wished I could speak a foreign language fluently. But I wouldn’t say I was too timid to try – just too lazy! I’d be much too timid to do bungee jumping or white-water rafting, but I don’t think I’d want to do these things even if I could . . .

  Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

  Be true to yourself, and never give up. You just don’t know what wonderful thing might be waiting for you around the corner.

  5 QUESTIONS FOR SHERRYL CLARK, AUTHOR OF THE ROSE BOOKS

  How are you and Rose similar, and how are you different?

  I think Rose and I are alike in that we both like to think things through and make a decision, rather than putting it off. I suspect Rose is braver than me, and she is definitely better at sport than me. We both love reading, though.

  If Rose were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  She’d be playing cricket in the summer! In the winter, I think she would be eating a large breakfast and looking forward to going to the footy.

  When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  I can’t remember! It’s lost in the drafting somewhere, but I am pretty sure it was Rose wondering what she would get for her birthday.

  Sherryl, what’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  I wish I could play a musical instrument, maybe the piano. I know Rose hates her piano lessons but that’s because the teacher is horrible.

  Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

  Be brave, stand up for what you know is right, follow your dreams.

  5 QUESTIONS FOR SOFIE LAGUNA, AUTHOR OF THE GRACE BOOKS

  How are you and Grace similar, and how are you different?

  Just like Grace, I loved horses when I was a girl. I have always found them so mysterious and beautiful and graceful. Horses remind Grace that the world is a good and magical place full of possibility and adventure. Maybe horses reminded me of the same thing when I was growing up. I am different to Grace too, though. I am outgoing, I have always loved to laugh and share things with my friends. I am confident in ways that Grace isn’t; I love to put on plays and perform and pretend to be other characters. Grace doesn’t get a chance to discover that side of her personality until she meets Hannah.

  Sofie, if Grace were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  Go to a horse-riding lesson with her best friend! And Grace would love picnics – where she can look at the trees and the water and the sky and feel free. Freedom is very important to Grace, as is family. I would hope that if Grace were around today she would find herself in a loving family with brothers and sisters to share her life with.

  When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  I better get back to the shore before the tide comes in or I’ll be drowned like poor Annie.

  What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  Surfing. I am scared of the waves and of sharks and of being that out of control. But I envy the surfers riding the waves, being away from the streets and buildings and shops and feeling peaceful, feeling brave, feeling powerful and close to nature.

  Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere, Sofie?

  Advice? Find creative ways to express anything that feels difficult or scary. Write, draw, make things, perform, play music. Being creative can change the hardest things into wonderful things.

  5 QUESTIONS FOR SALLY RIPPIN, AUTHOR OF THE LINA BOOKS

  Sally, how are you and Lina similar, and how are you different?

  Lina and I are similar in that we both love books and longed to be writers from a very young age. I loved writing stories in English and at Lina’s age, I had a teacher who would often read my work out in class. Also, like Lina, I had a father who was hoping I would go on to university to study to be a doctor or a lawyer, but instead I went to China to study traditional Chinese painting. He was disappointed for a while, but my father is proud of what I do now.

  If Lina were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?

  She’d probably lie in bed til midday and read!

  Whe
n you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?

  Before I began writing the first book, I planned out what was going to happen in the four books in a detailed synopsis. The first paragraph was: ‘Carmelina (Lina) was born in Melbourne of an Italian migrant family. She has two bossy older brothers and one younger brother who she complains about having to look after but secretly adores. The only advantage of being the only daughter in the family is that she doesn’t have to share a room with her brothers, but she does have to share a room with Nonna who is hardy and fierce and doesn’t think twice about giving a wayward child a slap to keep them in line.’

  The first line I wrote for Book One made it into the final version: “Lina woke to the sound of the rooster crowing in the back yard.”

  What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?

  Sing on stage with a band. In another life I would have loved to be a musician.

  Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?

  I love this Oscar Wilde quote: ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken’. I think it’s a perfect piece of advice for an OAG.

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  First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2015