A splitting head and limbs of lead,
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A burning throat and dry,
Add to these woes a snuffling nose,
A red and streamy eye.
Thermometer beneath my tongue,
Reads "one ought four point two,"
Instead of normal "ninety eight",
I've got the Spanish flu.
This verse from the Daily Liberal, Dubbo Feb 17th 1919 entitled "The Latest Victim Sighs' refers to the outbreak of 'Spanish' or Pneumonic Influenza that hit Australia in that year.
This was a scourge that definitely bears comparison with our current Covid - 19 situation.
The 'Spanish flu' pandemic emerged at the end of the First World War, killing more than 50 million people worldwide.
Despite a swift quarantine response in October 1918, cases of Spanish flu began to appear in Australia in early 1919.
About 40 per cent of the population fell ill and around 15,000 died as the virus spread through Australia. (National Museum of Australia)
Travel is non-existent for us at the moment and as a consequence of having a bit of time on my hands I decided to dig in to our National Library of Australia archives and get some 'flu stories, particularly of our area in the Central West of NSW.
A start was an interview we recorded in Forbes with the late Helen Hohnberg (b1912) who lived in Show Street at the time.
In this 1991 recording Helen had vivid descriptions of the Showground being used as an emergency hospital, the Police wearing masks and people dying from the plague.
Her Dad who didn't get the 'flu was "a great believer in taking kerosene" (with sugar) as a preventative, a common remedy of the day. This is definitely NOT recommended.
From various Advocates of the era it seems that there was a severe outbreak of the 'flu in Forbes with Church services being cancelled, a Convalescent area being set up at the showground, travelling more than 10 miles from Forbes prohibited except if you had a medical certificate and lists of people who had contracted the disease. Many advertisements appeared in the paper for 'cures' for the 'flu - Heenzo (goodness knows what was in it) and Wood's Peppermint Cure, who knows if they worked or not.
I love the Advocate reports on Council meetings of this era, the Councillors certainly did not hold back with their comments.
A gem from the Forbes Advocate Friday May 30th 1919 regarding an inspection on the new (Bates) bridge by the engineer Mr Booth and the effects of the 'flu on Council.
Alderman Facey "I move that Mr Booth be asked to supply a progress report (on the bridge)"
Alderman Patterson "While the epidemic is on you could not bring Mr Booth into town with a team of bullocks, he has cleared out to Bedgerabong. All the Shire Councillors also cleared out and left their clerk in the town. And he got the 'flu"
They certainly don't have meetings like that anymore.
So, let's maintain a sense of humour in our current situation and abide by the rules and suggestions that have been given to us regarding spread of the disease. The 1919 pandemic struck Forbes hard - don't let it happen again.
Rob Willis is a Forbes local and recorder of oral histories for the National Library of Australia.
You can find his online collections, which include many Forbes stories, here.
