Brisbane Tramway Museum

Fifty Shades of Grey

News and Views from a Tramway Muse

It’s a familiar problem –historic clubs and societies everywhere are struggling to attract younger members and volunteers in a rapidly changing world. The Tramway Museum is no exception and it’s difficult to imagine an improvement any time soon.

To be fair, young people have different interests and priorities. The last Brisbane tram was withdrawn in 1969, so anyone under the age of 54 would never have ridden one on a Brisbane street and hardly anyone under 60 would remember the experience anyway. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of tram museum volunteers are over retirement.

Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a senior workforce. Older volunteers come with a life time of experience, so they invariably have a lot to contribute. The problem is the average age increases year- by-year and with little or no top-up of younger members at the entry end the pool is at risk of drying up altogether.

Gender is also an issue. Sadly, there are no female restorers or operators at the museum despite societal demands for greater female engagement in traditionally male-dominated activities. Anyone who has wrestled with a heavy and greasy undercarriage parts will not be surprised by this fact, but there is surely an argument for other important activities like painting and tram operation. Queensland has never seen a female tram driver, so there is definitely scope for a newsmaking first there.

This month’s historic black-and-white photo shows tram 47 on opening day in 1983. It highlights a younger and more gender-balanced workforce at the time. Fast forward 40-years and a recent photo of the same tram shows an all-male mostly grey workforce.

If you know any sub-60 candidates for volunteering, the museum would love to hear from you. Meanwhile, please be kind to your trammie who will almost certainly sport an over-fifty shade of grey and a tightfitting uniform. If he catches you looking (it will be a he), just congratulate him on how well the vintage buttons are anchored…

© David Fryer. maximalist@bigpond.com website: http://www.westernecho.com.au

Thanks to the Brisbane Council Archives for the 1983 photo.

The Brisbane Tramway Museum is proudly sponsored by the Brisbane City Council.