LUCRATIVE LEAVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 October 1945, Page 6

LUCRATIVE LEAVE

AUSTRALIANS IN ENGLAND. Australians awaiting repatriation in England are making use in many different ways of the leave on full pay given them before embarkation (reports the London correspondent of the “Sydney Morning Herald”). Carpenters, plumbers, milkmen, brewery labourers, and film stars are only some of the numerous positions they have taken to remain solvent during their leave, which has in some cases lasted for more than four months. As a result of their usually lucrative jobs they have in some capacities eased to a small extent tlie acute labour shortage in London and the provinces. More than 100 members of the R.A.A.F. have at one time or other during the last two years worked in the production of the film “Caesar and Cleopatra” at the Denham Studios in the capacity of guards soldiers, and the toga-clad “crowd. In fact, many of them have spent the few 'shillings enabling them to become members of the Film Actors Union, which gives them the advantage over non-union members of not having to queue at the studio gates when there is a possibility that there will be no work on certain days because of the obscuring of the sun preventing the shooting of outdoor scenes. This conversation was heard between two Australians over the bar of the famous “Australian pub, “Cogers” recently. , i , “What’s your line?” asked a stocky, permanently sunburnt flight-ser-g6His lanky friend replied boastfully: “I am on a pretty good wicket. Earning 16 bob a day at a brewery as well as 16 free pints.” The flight-sergeant swallowed halt a pint of mild and bitter and said scornfully: “You want to get in the way of the loot, sport. I’m earning £2710/- a day for being in ruddy Caesar’s ruddy bodyguard. She s easy dough, and if you volunteer to be pushed into the water when they’re shooting certain scenes you get three quid.” FIQHT TOO REALISTIC.

“A fight against Cleopatra’s bodyguard pays a fiver. That’s because the spears haven’t got rubber tips. The “actor” swallowed the rest of his pint and nodded to the “brewery worker” to finish his. . . “That joker over there is m Cleopatra’s bodyguard,” he went on, ' barely deigning to nod his head at a vigorous young man who had just entered. '“ln one scene we had to have a fight with Cleopatra’s bodyguard and be beaten, but the boys got to fair dinkum and routed the enemy completely. The joker with ibe megaphone went pretty crook and ordered the, scene to be shot in. to The lanky one nodded vacantly and paid for the next two pints. There is another airman, who, scorning the glamour of the screen and the lure of the victualling business, has become the proud driver of a horse and cart, from which he, delivers the milk every morning m a London suburb. ' He says: “The hours are early and the work fairly tiring, but I am mainly interested in saving money to get married when I go home. I am earning £2/10/- a day on the milk round, plus my bed and meals. He was studying law in Sydney m 1939. A professional radio singer, who left Australia in 1943, and who has just become the father of a boy, born bn V.J. Day, is earning extra money until he is able to take his wife and family to Australia by working as a barman at a suburban hotel. Carpenters and plumbers have been earning up to £l5 sterling .a week in country areas around their units. There is such a shortage of skilled tradesmen for this type of .work that they can demand their own price. However, when asked how they are enjoying their stay here, the general renlv is: “All we are interested m is getting home and into normal civilian- jobs.”