I know I have been fortunate. My adult children remind me of this often and no doubt when I kick the bucket, they will eulogise my life with many highlights common to most baby boomers.
In no special order they will cover the following:
I had free education at university, thanks to Gough Whitlam, and ended up with no HECS debt or any debt at all.
Needless to say, they probably won’t mention the 40 children I sat with in a crowded classroom for most of my primary years, and then the 30 plus I contended with in high school.
Nor will they mention how hard it was to gain a tertiary place, given that they were few and far between and that I had to fight my parents for the chance to go. They saw university as a hotbed of dissent, loose morality and communism, fearing that I would become a degenerate overnight.
They could easily have sent me out to work and to pay board. And being female. “What use was my education?“ was often tossed around the kitchen table.
Sharing the pie
My children will probably be thankful that the pill was available through most of my reproductive years, otherwise they may have had to share their inheritance with a few other siblings.
The pie divided four ways is bad enough. The pill and decent public health meant that women like me could finally choose how to enjoy life and also take control of it, rather than being a victim of their gender, as was the case for eons of time. My daughters should probably read that last bit out, though their brothers and all men have benefitted too from better contraception and fewer children to have to feed.
I had great music to listen to, on a series of devices at little cost and great convenience. Granted my first foray into music was via the small, tinny transistor radio often buried under my pillow at night and then Countdown on the telly, but it was wonderful. Rock and roll, the rivalry between the Beatles and the Stones, what a backdrop to our formative years.
Shaping minds
I had Germaine Greer and other women’s libbers to help formulate my view of myself and my place in the world. I didn’t burn my bra but I could have if I wanted to. Granted it wasn’t always a welcoming world for everyone, but I suffered little abuse or harassment because of my gender. I was lucky. I also worked in an industry that welcomed women and generally left us alone in the classroom. I had the privilege of shaping the minds of the future generation.
I also had work whenever I wanted it. For most of my working life there has been full employment in Australia, for both sexes. It was work that was protected by unions and written into legislation. Equal opportunity laws were passed through government and an attempt to redress prejudices were actively put in place. Sadly, the gender pay gap still exists.
Cheap housing
I could afford a house. Granted it was out in the sticks, and there was no ensuite bathroom, but the toilet was inside and not down the end of the block like my grandparents’ dunny. However, we all know the current and past statistics. It is harder for this young generation to afford a house, let alone save for a deposit.
I have not lived through a world war. This is a big one. My generation has miraculously escaped the horrors inflicted on past ones (apart from the unlucky few who got drafted to the Vietnam War). We have not had to suffer the loss of loved ones, the traumatic stress of having to actually kill someone, or the fear of being invaded.
And last but not least, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, I can get my worn-out knees and hips replaced, ready to dance that elusive tango into my old age. As a baby boomer, I have indeed lived a blessed life.
Are you a baby boomer? Does Dianne’s article resonate with you? What are you grateful for growing up in Australia? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: Ultimate guest list: Who would you invite to dinner?