An eclectic collection of the Brisbane Courier Mail newspapers all dated from 1932 have some wonderful news stories and advertisements which capture this period beautifully.

One quirky article told of seven-year-old Doris riding her horse to school – as you do in 1932.  On her way, she was thrown from the horse and broke her arm. Despite such a horrific accident the little girl captured the horse and then proceeded to walk the quarter of a mile back to her home.  It astonished me that this little girl could keep her wits, put her pain aside and understand the value of capturing the horse.  Tough times like the Great Depression bred even tougher children.

‘The Law Courts’ segment of the Newspaper must of be a very popular column in the 1930’s. One article that stood out due to the stark contrast to how the matter would be handled today told the incident of a young girl named Beryl who was injured in a car accident.  The article outlines how Beryl whom was aged 5 years by her mother  was crossing the road Flinders-parade at Sandgate when she knocked down by a car driven by Mr. Keith Brown. This car accident saw Beryl sustain a fracture to her left leg and suffer severe shock. Her medical expenses had already amounted to 11 pound and she would continue to incur further medical expenses in the future.

Berly’s mother Mrs. Mount was a widow who would have had minimal support if any from the government,  and I imagine that the further scarcity of money at the time she must of feel exceptionally overwhelmed by all these medical expenses. Mrs Mount brought forward and action of 500 pound in compensation damages with allegations that the defendant had been negligent in failing to keep a proper look out and not giving proper warning of his approach.  Unfortunately the story ends here, which is highly disappointing because it would be interesting to have found out how the car accident compensation claim in the 1930’s played out. Was Mrs. Mount able to obtain a solicitor that worked on a No Win No Fee basis to state her case? Was she awarded the 500 pounds for her daughters medical expenses? What happened to Beryl?