Land Army Song (1942)
DINKI DI. We joined the Land Army, the enemy to kick,We came to Home Hill, some cotton to pick;
We got off the tram and marched up the street,
Just to give the poor locals a bit of a treat. Chorus :
Dinky Di, Dinky Di, and I hope you don't think we are telling a lie. Our bunks, made of canvas, have all fallen flat.
Of course we don't moan about small things like that ;
But when Weeksie's sure we're asleep peacefully,
She blows that darn whistle at .523. Dinky Di, etc. So we're up before daylight and doing our chores,
Making beds, cutting lunches and sweeping the floors;
Then bolting our breakfast and catching the bus,
There's no other army works harder than us. Dinky Di, etc. We pick all the cotton into great empty sacks,
And think we've at least 60 pounds on our backs,
But the man when he weighs them just gives us a look,
And says "ten on the scales," but puts eight in the book. Dinky Di, etc. All weary and sunburnt we come home at night,
You can't just tell whether we're red, black or white
As we stand there in line for a bath or a shower;
But if we had seats we could sit for an hour. Dinky Di, etc. The whistle blows shrill, and we grab cup and plate,
And fall into lines that are more or less straight;
And cookie will give us a change now and then,
Boiled pumpkin is favourite by nothing to ten. Dinky Di, etc. And then comes the matron, who cures all ills,
With a castor oil bottle and a big box of pills;
And then to the sick bay you go, if you must,
Says our darling matron whom all the girls trust. Dinky Di, etc. So after lights out at the end of the day,
We're into pyjamas and hitting the hay;
It's a job that we're doing that has to be done,
If the war we are fighting is going to be won. (Composed by the Land Army girls.) Notes From the Queensland Newspaper the Cairns Post 5 Nov 1942 p. 3. On 27 July 1942, the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA) was established as a national organisation, reporting to the Director-General of Manpower. The aim of the AWLA was to replace the male farm workers who had either enlisted in the armed services or were working in other essential war work such as munitions. The AWLA was not an enlisted service, but rather a voluntary group whose members were paid by the farmer, rather than the government or military forces. Membership of the AWLA was open to women who were British subjects and between the ages of 18 and 50 years.
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