E06 – The Mallee, mice and underground mutton
Produced by David Ward on July 22, 2017
Tags - Barry Neylon - Great Depression - Interviewed by Barry Neylon - Janette Menhennet - Mallee - Murray River - The Gate - Underground Mutton
Author, poet, photographer, podcaster, mum – is there anything Janette Menhennet can’t do?
Janette joins GOHP’s Barry Neylon to talk about “The Gate”, a fictionalised account of a family in the Mallee region during the Great Depression. Loosely based on, and drawing inspiration from, her own family history, Janette’s novel “The Gate” focuses on the life and experiences of a young girl named Mags. Backgrounded by painstaking research, the novel gives the reader a fascinating glimpse at life on the edge during those depression years, and Janette and Barry discuss the trials and challenges of families in the era – homelessness, family break-up, mouse plagues and government policy! Click on the link below to hear Barry and Janette explore the real life stories behind the ficionalised ones in “The Gate”.
Mallee School
A very young Janette stands outside her Mallee school, where hundreds of children have learnt over the years while the rain and sun beat down on the hot tin roof.
The Traveler
Between high school and university, Janette spent nearly four years travelling around the country and the world.
La Perouse, Happy Valley
During the depression, homeless families set up shanty towns like those in Happy Valley at La Perouse in Sydney, where this image was taken in 1932
Mouse plague
Before silos were used, the huge wheat stacks built up after harvest attracted mice in plague proportions
The Swaggies
All across the country, thousands of men set out only with what they could carry in the search for work. Many of them never returned hope to their families
Underground Mutton
During the depression years there was no shortage of rabbits, or “underground mutton” as they were known, and eating rabbits kept many people from starvation
Janette Menhennet
In between writing, podcasting and being a mum, Janette is also a keen historian who has published her novel, The Gate, about life in the Mallee during the Great Depression
Cheek Avenue Cemetery
During History Month 2016, Janette took a series of photos in and around Gawler cemeteries for the Gawler Broadcasting Association, including this one of a gravestone at the Cheek Ave Anglican Cemetery
Gravestone Angel
Another in the series of cemetery photos taken by Janette, this one of a gravestone angel in the Willaston cemetery
Bread and Cheese
Janette is also an exceptionally good food photographer
Cupcake
Another of Janette’s excellent food shots
But Janette’s not just an accomplished author, she’s also deeply involved in the local community with such groups as the Adelaide Plains Poets, and our own GBA. She’s also a keen photographer, and you can find some of her photos in the gallery above.
Production Notes
Title: E06 – The Mallee, mice and underground Mutton
Guest: Janette Menhennet
Host: Barry Neylon
Editor: Ian McDonnell
Producer: Barry Neylon
Transcript: Barry Neylon
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GOHP E06 – The Mallee, mice, and underground mutton by Gawler Oral History Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
