Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Jean Nellie Sky was born at Lakemba New South Wales on 6 March 1920 to parents William John Sky and Nellie Sky (née Kirkland), the first of three children.

In 1940 Jean was called up for work service in essential industries under the Manpower regulations implemented following the outbreak of World War 2. Jean commenced work at the Amalgamated Wireless Australia (AWA) factory at Burwood, New South Wales on an assembly line manufacturing radios for military use with pay of 6 shillings a day. By 1942 Jean considered applying for a transfer to the Australian Women’s Army Service but on 1 August 1942 the Australian Women’s Land Army (AWLA) was created and Jean immediately applied for a transfer to the AWLA having had earlier childhood experience in farming activities.

Jean was enrolled with the AWLA on 8 September 1942. The first posting after enlistment on 23 September 1942 was to a farming property “Iona” at Duri in the Tamworth District in New South Wales with duties including milking, separating cream, making butter, weeding paddocks and a range of livestock activities. The remuneration was set at 3 pounds per week, paid by the farmer to whose property they were allocated, with half of that retained for board and keep. After a few weeks leave in Sydney, Jean was offered a short course in woolshed practices at Ultimo Technical College and was then posted to a 15,000-acre property “Murryong” between Queanbeyan and Bungendore, New South Wales, arriving on 18 February 1943. There were six Land Army girls at “Murryong” involved in a variety of tasks involving sheep and cattle. In June 1943 Jean returned to Sydney for compassionate leave after her father was badly injured in an industrial accident, returning to “Murryong” on 14 July 1943.

In November 1943 Jean was posted to “Merrigula” a property of 8,000 acres between Tambar Springs and Premer in northern New South Wales, with 7 other AWLA girls. The work on this property largely involved mowing, raking, carting and stacking large areas of irrigated lucerne for chaff. Jean was given sick leave during this time after falling from a truck and injuring her back. In May 1944 Jean was posted to the property “Warneton” near Tambar Springs, a large property with wheat, pigs, cattle, beekeeping, water tank manufacturing and bore and pump servicing.

In January 1945 Jean was posted, along with 300 Land Army girls, to South Australia to assist in the local grape harvest for dried fruit production. Jean was designated a Field Officer in charge of a Land Army team to work on the property of Desmond du Rieu at Renmark. Desmond du Rieu has a notable military background, enlisting in the AIF in August 1914 with the 10th Battalion he was shot in the neck at Gallipoli in April 1945, he transferred to the Western Front in March 1916, was commissioned in August 1917, promoted to lieutenant in January 1918, wounded again in early 1918 and invalided to Australia in December 1918. He took up land as a soldier settler in Renmark, became a winegrower and was appointed O.B.E. in 1954. During her time at Renmark Jean worked together with members of the Australian Army who were guarding Italian prisoners of war on the Murray River and who were pressed into service with the grape harvest. In March 1945 Jean returned to the “Warneton” property working there until she was discharged on 27 November 1945.