Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This black-and-white clip shows the last of the council workers who used horses, including the men known colloquially as ‘bottle-ohs’. Shots of the working horses being led out in the morning from their council stables and then pulling their carts through the streets are accompanied by a voice-over in which the carters reminisce about their way of life, their horses and the ending of an era. Scenes of inner-city Melbourne show almost deserted streets. The amplified sound of hooves and city sounds also accompany the visuals.

Educational value points

• Horsedrawn carts such as those featured in the clip were a familiar sight in Australian cities until the 1960s, providing horsedrawn services for city councils. Empty bottles were collected from households for recycling. Other council services included street cleaning and night carts that collected the sewage from backyard toilets. Horsedrawn carts also delivered groceries, milk, bread, ice and firewood to households.

• ‘Bottle-ohs’ employed by councils to collect empty bottles from city households are featured in the clip. At the sound of their distinctive cry, ‘empty bottle-oh’, referred to in Banjo Paterson’s poem ‘Bottle Oh’, children and householders would bring bottles out to the bottle-oh’s cart. They were taken to the brewery or another collection depot for selling. They would then be washed and reused.

• The viewer is engaged by the voices of the carters heard in voice-over as they speak directly of their way of life, their feelings and the relationship they have with their horses. One man’s regret is evident when he speaks of time changing and the ‘motors’ that have replaced the horses. One carter compares his relationship with his horse to a marriage; it will be difficult to ‘break the habit’. ‘A bit of kindness’ is all it takes, says one carter, referring to training his horse.

• The camera’s viewpoint helps to convey the narrative, both honouring the role of the workhorse in the service of humans and acknowledging the passing of an era. Viewed from above, from behind a fence, being passed by a truck and travelling into the distance along a suburban street lined with motor cars, the horse and cart seems isolated and out of place. Yet the horse’s steady persistence in doing its job is also emphasised in the shots.

• The draught horse, or workhorse, celebrated in this clip, is a large horse bred for its strength, stamina, patience and docile temperament in order to perform hard, heavy tasks on the farm and in the city. Recognisable for their tall stature, heavy musculature and feathering on their lower legs, the most common breeds in Australia are the Clydesdale and the Irish Draught.

• The clip clearly shows the harnessing and carts of these horsedrawn vehicles. The draught-horse harness set that joined the horse to the cart included a neck collar, pads and straps. The bridle bit and reins enabled the horse to be driven. Two-wheeled carts were designed to carry people and goods. The four-wheeled cart, also shown in the clip, was commonly called a wagon and was used to carry heavier loads.