The Hungry Mile

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: [LI\ iLat1ofl. search

The Hungry Mile is the name harbourside workers gave to the docklands area of i2tiIin ZZ 1 Ltrholtr East. in Jug, New South Wales, Australia in the Great Depression. Workers would walk from wharf to wharf in search of ajob, often failing to find one.1

The area was officially known as Millcr Point and as part of urban renewal plans, the rovernment of New South Wales reviewed the name in 2006. Ll The Maritime U nion o \ustralia campaigned to renew the "Hungry Mile' name, as an acknowledgement of the site's historical significance to waterside workers. A public competition was held but the name Raranearoo was selected for the new suburb and officially gazetted in 2007. The name honours Barangaroo, an important indigenous woman from Sydney's early history who was a powerful and colourful figure in the colonisation of Australia. She was also the wife of l3ennelon, another important indigenous figure after whom Bennelong Point is named, the site of the S Jncv Opera 1-louse. A section of Barangaroo, Hickson Road between the Munn Street overhridge and the Napoleon Street intersection, was officially designated the Hungry Mile in 2009 1

Baranearoo in the foregound, before shipping buildings were demolished

[edit] Redevelopment

As stevedoring operations moved to ports at Ppiilptitijy and Port kcnihla. the (rovernment_of New South Wales determined that this site should be renewed as an extension of the Sydney CBD with a significant new foreshore park providing recreational areas for a growing Sydney population. -- This area is being redeveloped into a recreational. business and shopping precinct.

There is also ongoing debate regarding the design and size of waterfront developments. The City of Sydney Council and some architectural bodies have expressed concern that the proposed designs will be out of scale with the surrounding environment, as well as causing large unwanted shadows over the immediate area, parts of Darlingarhour and possibly nearby P\ rniont. L61. Concerns were also expressed by the Danish urban planner Prolssor IiiI. who warned that large undivided parks would become 'fearsome at night" L lediti Pop culture

In 1930 'The Hungry Mile' was the title of wharfie poet Ernest Antony's most famous poem. in a published collection titled 'The Hungry Mile and other poems'. Memories of the Hungry Mile and Antony's poem became the inspiration for the Waterside Workers' Federation Film Unit 1950s film of the same name)

The Hungry Mile

A poem by Ernest Antony©Ernest Antony 1930

3 or

They tramp there in their legions on the mornings dark and cold To beg the right to slave for bread from Sydney's lords of gold; They toil and sweat in slavery, 'twould make the devil smile, To see the Sydney wharfies tramping down the hungry mile.

On ships from all the seas they toil, that others of their kind, May never know the pinch of want nor feel the misery blind; That makes the live, of men a hell in those conditions vile; That are the hopeless lot of those who tramp the hungry mile.

The slaves of men who know no thought of anything but gain, Who wring their brutal profits from the blood and sweat and pain Of all the disinherited that slave and starve the while, Upon the ships beside the wharves along the hungry mile.

But every stroke of that grim lash that sears the souls of men With interest due from years gone by, shall be paid back again To those who drive these wretched slaves to build the golden pile. And blood shall blot the memory out of Sydney's hungry mile.

The day will come, aye, come it must, when these same slaves shall rise, And through the revolution's smoke, ascending to the skies, The master's, face shall show the fear he hides, behind his smile. Of these his slaves, who on that day shall storm the hungry mile.

And when the world grows wiser and all men at last are free When none shall feel the hunger nor tramp in misery To beg the right to slave for bread, the children then may smile. At those strange tales they tell of what was once the hungry mile. Blotting out the memory of Sydney's Hungry Mile

September 16, 2006 Page 1 of 2 1 Sin

They toiled there day and night. Now former wharfies feel the memory of their hardship will be betrayed, writes Justin Norrie.

ON A good day, Arthur Brown was "lucky enough" to heave bags of sugar and flour weighing 75 kilograms - 10 kilograms heavier than himself- onto his back and haul them for 24 hours straight. On a had day he might go hungry.

As he worked, he didn't have the time or luxury to worry about his premature arthritis, stabbing back pain, ulcers and high blood pressure; nor the fact soda ash, sulfur and salt penetrated the deep lacerations on his "broken and bashed fingers": nor the persistent. nagging urge to sleep.

This was work. And on the Hungry Mile in the late 1930s and early '40s, when Mr Brown was one of thousands of desperate wharfies scrambling for a job, it was as good as it got.

"To be honest, sometimes it felt like you were going over bloody Mount Everest," Mr Brown, 91, says of his early days on the wharves west of Sydney's CBD. "But we considered ourselves lucky enough to get more than two shifts like that a week. The rest had to go home hungry, there were no jobs for them. The bosses picked the bulls - the strong blokes who were known - the rest had to hope like hell.

"We'd get into the ship holds and lift out these bloody enormous loads of wool, pig iron, soda ash, asbestos - that's another one. They've dropped like flies, the old wharfies - dozens of them. They all got asbestosis. That was their reward."

From the latter half of the 19th century, much of Sydney's wharf labour was carried out along the waterfront at Sussex Street, from Hickson Road down as far as Bathurst Street. At the time of the Depression, and possibly earlier, it was known as the Hungry Mile.

Alan Oliver. a 76-year-old who worked on the wharves in the 1950s, says "You could get in a cab anywhere around Sydney and say. 'Take me to the Hungry Mile' and they'd know exactly where to go."

Like so much of Sydney's gritty history, however, the memory of hard toil along the wharves will soon be cauterised by developers hired to build multimillion-dollar apartments, offices and parkland. The Hungry Mile

Jnt MUA, NSW Premier, Sydney Lord Mayor and ministerial media release 29 Jul 2009 The Hungry Mile has been formally re-named as an official urban space in Sydneyto ensure its link to history lasts forever. The name became an official part of Sydney in a joint ceremony held today withPremier Nathan Rees, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Lands Minister Tony Kelly andThe Maritime Union of

Tags history Hungry Mile

Share Print nbsp;

Veteran whaHie H dry, 7 he Premier, The Minister, Lord Mayor and the MUA on the Hungry Mile

The Hungry Mile has been formally re-named as an official urban space in Sydney to ensure its link to history lasts forever.

The name became an official part of Sydney in a joint ceremony held today with Premier Nathan Rees, Lord Mayor Clover Moore. Lands Minister Tony Kelly and The Maritime Union of Australia Secretary Paddy Crumlin.

The Maritime Union approached the City of Sydney to apply the name The Hungry Mile to the precinct and have it recognised as an official place name within the suburb of Barangaroo at east Darling Harbour by the Geographical Names Board

Premier Rees thanked the Council for making the application to officially rename the Sydney wharves precinct which will serve as a permanent reminder of the areas unique heritage.

"The Hungry Mile takes its rightful place on the map today - for generations to come it will serve as a reminder of the contribution made by maritime workers," Mr Rees said.

"I am particularly pleased to be joined by children from Fort Street Public School who are here to learn about the history of this area and gain some insight in to what life was like for the families that lived and worked here for many generation

The Lord Mayor said the Hungry Mile will become an urban place name for the area that includes the section of Hickson Road between the Munn Street overbridge and the Napoleon Street intersection located mainly in the suburbs of Barangaroo and Millers Point. The name The Hungry Mile is a link between toe area and the Great Depression, when workers went from wharf to wharf in search for work, if they found work it meant money for food and shelter for them and their famil out f a, ne 'ea no nj hone hanqry said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP

History is not always pretty. and too often its grittier bits are airbrushed from our contemporary consciousness. But each time that happens, we lose a little of the authentc spirit of place and of toe people who shaoeh our Ca We lose a little of the true story of Sydney

'The Hungry Mile was a place of real struggle - for livelihoods, but also for principles It was a tough place that bred tough and enduring people. In retaining its name and its memories, we are not romanticising an often degrading and inhuman system," Ms Moore said

This is about working class culture and history," said MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin.

"The Hungry Mile is not just any place but somewhere symbolic. A symbolic place for working people and their communities. A place where workers lived, worked, fought and died in the pursuit of decent living and working conditions, not only in this country, but internationally."

It was also announced today that the NSW Government, City of Sydney and MUA would honour some of the heroes of the Hungry Mile along the well known sandstone cliff face

We will now have a place to celebrate the workers who struggled to find work and provide for their families," Mr Rees said

All too often their struggle is forgotten and it is our duty to remember

The proposal does not change Barangaroo as the suburb at east Darling Harbour but officially recognises the name of The Hungry Mile as part of Barangaroo.

Barangaroo is named after an important indigenous woman from Sydney's early history who was a leading figure in the story of the first colonisation of Australia and the wife of

Bennelong, after whom Bennelong Point - the site of the Sydney Opera House - is named

Information on The Hungry Mile proposal can be obtained at the Geographical

Names Board's web site www.gnb.nsw.gov.ao

Premier Nathan Rees media contact Aaron Ross 0419 434 498

Lord Mayor Clover Moore media contact: Jeff Lewis 0401 994 008

Minister Tony Kelly media contact: Alex McGregor on 0404 015 556

MUA media contact Zoe Reynolds on 0417 229873 or zoe reynolds@mua org au

Read more news

Hungry Mile vet dies Merchant Mariners' Day Lord Mayor to open the Hungry Mile US longshore workers commemorate 75th anniversary of the San Francisco strike Voices from the Ships OUT NOW

Hungry Mile - A New Precinct for Sydney

The Hungry Mile :: Sydney Media :: City of Sydney Page 1 of

Keyword Search

. j iI Jil I -

. r Au 'just uc > News Centi. r

Media Releases The Hungry Mile Image Library 29 July 2009 Council The Hungry Mile has been formally re-named as an official urban space in Sydney to City of Sydney Web ensure its link to history lasts forever. Site Contact Us The name became an official part of Sydney in a Joint ceremony held today with Premier Nathan Rees, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Lands Minister Tony Kelly and The Subscribe for email Maritime Union of Australia Secretary Paddy Crumlin. updates and alerts The Maritime Union approached the City of Sydney to apply the name "The Hungry Please enter emai Mile" to the precinct and have it recognised as an official place name within the Log In suburb of Barangaroo at east Darling Harbour by the Geographical Names Board.

Premier Rees thanked the Council for making the application to officially rename the Sydney wharves precinct which will serve as a permanent reminder of the area's unique heritage.

"The Hungry Mile takes its rightful place on the map today - for generations to come it will serve as a reminder of the contribution made by maritime workers," Mr Rees said

"The name 'The Hungry Mile' is a link between the area and the Great Depression, when workers went from wharf to wharf in search for work, if they found work it meant money for food and shelter for them and their families, but failure meant going home hungry," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP.

"History is not always pretty, and too often its grittier bits are airbrushed from our contemporary consciousness. But each time that happens, we lose a little of the authentic spirit of place, and of the people who shaped our City. We lose a little of the true story of Sydney.

"The Hungry Mile was a place of real struggle for livelihoods, but also for principles. It was a tough place that bred tough and enduring people. In retaining its name and its memories, we are not romanticising an often degrading and inhuman system," Ms Moore said,

"This is about working class culture and history," said MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin.

It was also announced today that the NSW Government, City of Sydney and MUA would honour some of the heroes of the Hungry Mile along the well known sandstone cliff face.

"We will now have a place to celebrate the workers who struggled to find work and

http://www.sydneyrnedia.corn.au.'htrnl/3943-the-hungry-rnile.asp 19/08/2009 The Hungry Mile:: Sydney Media :: City of Sydney Page 2 of 2

provide for their families,' Mr Rees said.

"All too often their struggle is forgotten and it is our duty to remember."

The proposal does not change Barangaroo as the suburb at east Darling Harbour but officially recognises the name of The Hungry Mile as part of Barangaroo.

Barangaroo is named after an important indigenous woman from Sydney's early history who was a leading figure in the story of the first colonisation of Australia and

the wife of Bennelong, after whom Bennelong Point - the site of the Sydney Opera

House - is named.

Information on The Hungry Mile proposal can be obtained at the Geographical Names Board's web site ..

Premier Nathan Rees media contact Aaron Ross 0419 434 498 Lord Mayor Clover Moore media contact: Jeff Lewis 0401 994 008 Minister Tony Kelly media contact: Alex McGregor on 0404 015 556 MUA media contact: Zoe Reynolds on 0417 229873 or zoe.reynolds

V I ,,,I ' II ' it

Imp: www.sydneymedia.com.au. html 3943-the-hungry-mile.asp 19 08 2009