Trentham Trumpet ‘Pandemics & Epidemics’
The TDHS has regularly been contributing articles to the The Trentham Trumpet in recent years. This story, written by Elizabeth Toomey was published in the Trumpet in April2022.
If you would like to look at other previously published Trumpet Newsletters, they are available via their archive https://www.thetrenthamtrumpet.com.au/archives
Many of the stories recorded in The Trumpet, have been gathered together and published in the Trentham Tales. This, along with our other publications are available from our Online Store.
It's all happened before -
Trentham's brush with Pandemics and Epidemics
Written by Elizabeth Toomey
We’ve all been living with COVID for some time now - over two years in fact - but major health outbreaks are not new to our region.
History tells us of numerous pandemics and epidemics which have affected our community since white settlement, and even before.
According to Edward Stone Parker, the Assistant Protector of Aborigines in the Dja Dja Wurrung people’s territory between 1841-1848, there were already mythical tales of smallpox epidemics.
The Dja Dja Wurrung people believed a mythical serpent called Minji or Mindie unleashed a dust, they called ‘monola mindi’, which caused dysentery, blindness, and even death. Fifty years later, school principals were required to notify education authorities of contagious diseases.
In 1890, the principal of Trentham State School, Mr Gilsenan duly reported an out-break of Russian flu in the district. Worse was to come the following year when local Mr Gilsenan’s seven-year-old daughter, Caroline, died in late May 1891 and was buried in the Trentham cemetery during an outbreak of whooping cough and diphtheria.
It is not surprising that following the death of young Caroline, the extent of serious diseases and combined with the bitter winters, Mr Gilsenan made several requests to be relieved of his appointment to School 1588.
On June 30 1891, the Trentham Advertiser reported that the ‘State school would reopen on Monday 13th July’, which we assume followed a ‘lock out’ caused by the epidemic.
At the time Kyneton shire had published a health notice warning which alerted residents to cases of typhoid in the district and these must be reported.
Two years later a flu epidemic saw 60 cases in the local school, while between 1894 and 1905 there were outbreaks of typhoid and diphtheria. Recurrent outbreaks of typhoid were rightly or wrongly attributed to the water drawn from wells which was tainted by night soil.
But there is no evidence of a run-on or the hoarding of toilet paper – one can only assume the supply of the traditional newspaper squares was adequate!
1905 saw such a severe outbreak of measles that the school was reduced to 20 students.
The outbreak of ‘Spanish Flu’ which occurred in 1918 closed schools, and all public events were banned. It particularly affected men between 20-40 years of age and the high mortality rate shocked even the Trentham district where the deaths of several young men were attributed to the pandemic. Because of its virulence, survival was rare. However, one lucky local, William Joseph O’Connell, father of local identity Bill O’Connell, JP did survive, but at a cost. Bill lived with life-long respiratory problems, which, while not dampening his community spirit, did affect his ability to live the full and vigorous life demanded of a farmer.
Post war saw a rise in polio and diphtheria in the district. In 1947 several children around Trentham were affected; one local identity then aged eight spent several months in quarantine at Fairfield Infectious Diseases hospital. His older brother, still living and farming in the district, seemed to think the worst aspect of his brother’s misfortune was being barred from competing in school sports – although attendance at school continued!
As a child Michael Brown lived on and off in the Fern Hill area and spent many happy times on his grandparents' farm ‘Glenwood’ in Newton’s Lane. Perhaps a not-so-happy time was the 18 months he spent hospitalised as a polio patient. As a five-year-old, he started school at a special facility within the Austin Hospital in Heidelberg.
Frank Walsh’s experiences as a small child suffering from infantile paralysis is well documented in his book, From Stilts to Silk. Frank spent his early years receiving treatment in Sydney, and during those three years only saw his parents for three weeks each year during their annual visits.
The polio epidemic between the 1930s and 1960s was the most significant epidemic episode in Australia prior to HIV/AIDS in 1982. Polio mostly affected children under 10, often caused paralysis and had a higher mortality toll than other ‘childhood’ diseases. However, Polio Australia estimates there are still about 400,000 survivors still living in Australia.
A contributing factor to overcoming highly contagious diseases was the development of vaccines. Programs were rolled out through the school systems which effectively ‘captured’ all children aged five and upwards. Currently cases of polio, whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, and meningococcal disease must be reported by school principals, or they face infringement and court penalties! This list differs from those of 50 to 100 years ago and this is generally attributed to universal vaccination operating through early childhood centres and schools.
We can rest assured the principal of Trentham Primary School is right up to speed with current requirements having assisted in the preparation of this article.
On reflection waves of pandemic, epidemic and outbreaks have all happened before and handled in much the same way – reporting, isolation, quarantine, mask wearing, and personal hygiene, and along the way unfortunately, misinformation, ‘alternate facts’, furphies, and doomsayers!
Will the next outbreak be any different?