moving the masses...

i was 'transported' back in time the other evening when i read kitty's post ‘ding, ding’ - it brought back memories of the time i spent on the trams as a connie… it wasn’t a long stint, 12 months – but it was an interesting and stimulating time… it was 'world's away' from working life in an office (or a library) - my mother was horrified when i told her i was leaving the 'security and prestige' of a government typing job to become a connie; she actually told me i needed to see a psychiatrist - it really was seen as much lower down the rungs of the working class ladder! - perhaps that was partly the reason i did it... to 'erk' my mother (mother-daughter relationships and all that!!!)

it was the end of the 70s, and the w-class trams were the mode of public transport on melbourne streets – safety was somewhat questionable – note the only ‘safety feature' on the doorways was a drop down bar… in winter there were canvas blinds to pull down to keep the weather out (ha ha ha) – unfortunately the 'getting on and off side' was always open to the elements… and that could be pretty dangerous if you were in the wrong place going around a corner with a bad driver!!!! the commercial road turn into st kilda road was deadly – i almost fell out the tram a few times at that one (i learnt to make sure i was hanging on)!!!! they had started to 'incorporate' sliding doors into the design but it took years to fully implement the 'upgraded' model...

us connies came kitted out with bag, tickets, thumb (or finger) rubber, small cash tin and ticket-clipper – i loved my ticket clipper – did you know that each one had a different hole-punch pattern? i was quite fascinated by that when i found out (but i don't know if it was always the case)... and kids just loved the stubs of the tickets – such simple pleasures just don't do it for them these days!!!

the bags got really heavy though – we had a number of different priced tickets and most commuters had the ‘exact change’ – and that included 1 and 2 cent pieces - some paid their whole fares with these pesky coins!!! (of course there were always those that 'tried it on' for a free ride by getting on with a big-denomination note hoping you wouldn't be able to change it - guess what, coinage was something we had plenty of - and if you really pissed us off that's all you got back for change!!!)




it was around 4 hours before you got back to the depot for your meal break (where you could empty the first half's takings into your locker) so you had to carry the weight for a long time - you could empty some into your tin, but they were only small (and then there was nowhere safe to put that - the drivers compartments weren't safe and enclosed like they are today) so roaming the trams meant you had to carry everything...

doing the early shift – the shifts ranged from a 5am start to a 1am finish – was always interesting… you had to give two bells to let the driver know it was safe to move off, so on those freezy-cold mornings you had to unwrap your hunched up body to stand up - well, i did anyway being one of the shorter connies (5'2") - and it didn’t matter how empty the tram was – if it was a cold morning some fucker would come and steal your warm seat - they’d just slip in right behind you!!! of course i always felt compelled to acknowledge "it's cold, hey" and they never ceased to amaze me by replying "yes, lucky there's a warm spot to sit in"!!! so off you would wander to warm up another spot for the next passenger!!!

unlike some connies i didn’t mind pension days  – i loved the elderly people who’d chat away and tell you about their lives, and conspiratorially utter to you how "i wouldn’t want your job for quids love, having to cart that heavy bag around" - yes, the older folk understood!!!

there was heavy lifting involved in a connie's job - helping people with jeeps and prams - mind you, people with jeeps or prams weren't supposed to be stopped for during peak hour, because the whole point of 'peak hour' was to get the factory and office 'fodder' to work on time!!! fortunately not many workers took notice of this 'directive' (although if you hurt your back in the 'pursuit' of this non-sanctioned assistance you could well have a fight on your hands!!!)

there were characters like the ‘shopping jeep womon’ – the first time I tried to help her up with her heavy jeep I got majorly verbally abused – her standard reaction apparently so needless to say I quickly learnt she didn’t like to be helped…

there were the homeless people who spent their days riding the trams (sadly a capitalist society will always produce poverty-stricken people) - the derelict alcoholics were sad sights (and some smelled so bad but of course insisted on standing right next to you!!!) but they were (usually) harmless.. unfortunately some drunks (not necessarily the derelict) would drink on the tram and become downright aggressive and violent - booze wasn't meant to be consumed but ever tried telling a drunk that they can't drink on the tram? ever tried getting a drunk off a tram because they were threatening the passengers? (we're talking drunk people with glass bottles - deadly weapons - in their hands here!!)

'drug-addicts' (why doesn't that include alcoholics???) didn't pose the same problem as they do today because chemically altered 'designer' drugs weren't widespread then - smack and speed were the 'heavy' drugs, lsd was still quite popular, along with the prescription drug mandrax... home-grown dope was the most used and pretty much socially acceptable - what can i say, it was the 70s... marijuana was 'safe' then... until the 'scientists' got hold of it and decided to chemically alter seeds which made certain strains so toxic that their crops were possibly deadly and couldn't be smoked until a couple of 'generational strains' down the track!!!! these days there are way too many 'entrepeneurs' and way too many dangerous (if not lethal) chemical combinations!!!!

there were the lovely little kids from struggling families on their way to school – funny how they were the ones that always offered to pay their fares (unlike the little shits from the rich private schools!!!) – there were times you'd ask, to be told a child had nothing for lunch so, like many connies, i would give them a ticket (inspectors were routinely rostered on most routes so a ticket was a must) and tell them to buy something to eat for lunch (or breakfast!) with their fare (and perhaps a little bit extra thrown in out of my own pocket) - of course the ticket shortfall had to be made up… tickets were all accounted for at the start of each shift, and connies had to maintain a daily running sheet, so when you paid in at the end of the day tickets and money needed to balance - of course if you were under, it came out of your wage - if you were over, well you never saw that...

it was still a politically volatile time in the tramways - the management and union were extremely conservative - they didn't like strong, politically active people in 'their' ranks - i'd joined the tramways along with 4 other friends and we were all 'quite political'... hey, this was just 4 years after womyn had gained the right to drive trams in 1975...
 
"After an attempt in 1956 by the M&MTB to train two conductresses to drive, the ATMOEA went on a snap strike, and passed a resolution banning women drivers.

With the development of the women’s rights movement in the late 1960s, female tramway employees gained new hope and began a concerted push to become drivers. Joyce Barry played an integral part in this campaign. In May 1973, the M&MTB attempted to train Joyce and a colleague, Catherine Stone, as drivers, but the union immediately declared the Wattle Park line black, withdrawing services and forcing the M&MTB to stop their training."

this wasn't to stop joyce barry though...

"Much rancorous discussion was held at this union meeting, until Joyce Barry stood up and uttered the immortal line, “I don’t need a penis to drive a bloody tram!” This single statement swept away all union opposition to the proposal by exposing the moral bankruptcy of the status quo and opening it to ridicule. This enabled the M&MTB to implement an equal opportunity employment policy, and she became the first female tram driver in Melbourne.

Ms Barry’s action in overcoming this barrier (in somewhat startling fashion) enabled women to aspire to fill any role in Melbourne’s tramway system, and publicly advanced the cause of sexual equality in the workplace in Australia – particularly as female tram drivers were highly visible to the general populace."

there was still a lot of resentment towards womyn (and male 'sympathisers') in the 'old boy network' ranks - believe me they could make your life very difficult - and some managers and union delegates continued to 'stymie'  applications by womyn to become drivers - however some depots were more 'accepting' than others...

friends of hawthorn tram depot (the 'training' depot for connies) have some wonderful articles if you're interested in reading more...

there were many heartwarming (and some heartwrenching) sights and happenings on the trams - it was a valuable experience - you really were working amongst the public... i'm definitely a 'bring back connies' supporter...

i was surprised at how hard it has been to find pictures of connies over the decades – i would have liked to show a timeline of the changes in uniform – i was around at the time of the brown uniform – yellow shirt, brown tie, brown trousers or skirt (another hard fought and fairly recent battle for womyn - the right to wear trousers!) and brown jacket...

here are some pictures of female connies during ww2… "It was not until 1941 that the first conductresses were employed by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board to relieve the manpower shortages experienced during the Second World War. However, women were banned from driving trams, as it was thought that it was an unsuitable occupation for the more delicate sex, and thus were not eligible for the higher status and pay awarded to tram drivers."