Top Ten Jobs for Boys

If you were living in Darebin in 1900 what would you do for a job?

Click each page to see the top ten jobs for men and boys.

Real Estate Agent

• At the start of John Batman’s Melbourne in 1838 the land was surveyed and divided for sale. Over the years it has been subdivided and sold many times especially when new houses were needed for refugees and soldiers returning after the world wars. Land auctions were the job of the Estate Agent.

Milkman, Dairyman and Farmer

• Early Preston had lots of dairy farms. Milk was sent to the local dairy to be made into cheese and butter. The milkman drove a cart delivering bottles of milk straight to your house. This milkman has gone one better delivering milk straight into his customer’s mouth.

Grocer and Shopkeeper

• Your local grocer was like the supermarket today selling lots of things. Along with food provisions they sold plant seeds to farmers and grain to feed the animals. The grocer (or general merchant) might also be the post office and electoral registrar.

Butcher

• Northcote was a popular place for butchers and factories that made ‘small goods’ such as salamis and sausages. The chimney in the picture is part of the smoke house where salted meat was hung to dry and cure into ham and bacon.

Tanner, Leatherworker and Bootmaker

• The tannery was a big industry in Northcote and Preston. This was a factory where animal skins were processed into leather for making boots and shoes. The tannery sold its leather to the boot maker’s shops in the area. These shops also repaired shoes.

Brickmakers, Quarrymen and Potters

• Northcote had good clay and their quarries supplied brickworks and potteries. The building boom after WWI needed bricks for houses. The Northcote Brickworks (where Northcote Plaza is today) was a big, hot, noisy, smoky industry employing lots of men making bricks in kilns.

Timber and Paper Mill Worker

• Like bricks, lots of timber was needed in the early days. In just one year between 1924 and 1925 there were 669 houses built in Northcote. The brick and timber industries employed so many people that they had to build their own cottages for the workers to live in.

Tram Driver, Conductor, Railway Worker

• Many people were employed in transport driving trains and trams along the main route from the city to Northcote and Preston. Conductors used to click your ticket on the trams in the days before machines.

Motor Mechanic

• When the car became the latest invention the newest businesses in town were the garages and motor workshops needed to fix them when they broke down. Cars were expensive for a family to own but trucks were necessary for businesses and industries.

Mayor or Councillor

• Mayors and Councillors were elected to be in charge of building roads, parks, sports fields, hospitals and libraries in the new communities of Northcote and Preston. The fun part of the job was to dress up and open schools or host fundraising dinners and balls.

And the Worst Job of All?

A Soldier

• Many boys and young men joined the army to fight in WWI. This was the worst job because many died or were wounded and came home without arms, legs or eyes. Even those without injury suffered emotional scars from what they had seen in battle. Many could not work any more.