19th century An early reference to jackaroos can be found in ''Tibb's popular song book'', published between 1800 and 1899. This book begins by describing itself as: "Containing the latest hits on Busy in town, Australia's carsman, The Chinese and federation, Squatters' defeat, Australia's happy land, The Jackaroo, &c., &c.," In 1867,
Temple Bar magazine featured an essay, "Reminiscences of Bush Life in Queensland," in which the anonymous author calls his past self a "Jackaroo" due to his inexperience. In 1878, 'Ironbark' stated "Young gentlemen getting their 'colonial experience' in the bush are called 'jackeroos' by the
station-hands. The term is seldom heard except in the remote 'back-blocks' of the interior."
Colonial experience was a term commonly used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for the acquisition of skills and experience in Australia by young English gentlemen, in the expectation of preferential treatment back in England when applying for a position with the possibility of advancement, such as a clerk in a large mercantile establishment. The jackaroo's employment may have been made by agreement between his father and the wealthy squatter through some connection, with the son working for a year in a variety of roles for his board and lodging. This was often seen as a great advantage to the squatter, who gained an intelligent and subservient worker at minimal expense.
Early 20th century In 1933, A. J. Cotton stated that "today, the Arbitration Court (
Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration) says that a jackeroo must be paid 25/- [shillings] per week. If an ordinary jackeroo paid the station 25
shillings per week for the first twelve months, he would not compensate them for the damage he does (just through want of experience), no matter how willing he may be. It just happens that way, and all the Arbitration Courts, the curse of Australia, won't alter it."
Bill Harney states that there was no division of rank in the outlying camps, "all ate around the same fire and slept in the open. But at the
head-station a change came over all this. The
social strata of station life, reading from top to bottom, was bosses, jackaroos, men and blacks. This was a carry-over from the early days, when a rigid caste system ruled the land." This was most clearly evident in the segregated eating arrangements. "The boss and the jackaroos ate meals in the 'big' or 'government' house. [...] The men – that is, the stockmen, teamsters, blacksmiths, etc. – ate their
tucker in the kitchen and slept in the huts, while the
Aborigines were given a hand-out from the door of the kitchen and ate it on the woodheap [firewood]." "And strangely enough, this division of
caste had caste bells which called us to our meals – a tinkling bell for government house, a horse bell for the kitchen men, and a
triangle for the blacks on the wood-heaps." ... "In keeping with this system, the bush towns maintained a social tradition of coffee rooms for the
gentry and dining rooms for the workers." In the 1936 book
Jackeroos: their duties and prospects in Australia, the author Francis Ernest Vigars states, "A jackeroo may be called upon to do all manner of work on a station, such as clerical work, boundary riding,
mustering sheep and cattle, fencing [repairing fences], and generally any work there may be about the place, so that he not only needs a fair education, but intelligence and adaptability". Vigars continues, "A jackeroo is a title signifying a youth under training for the
pastoral profession, and corresponding to the
midshipman on a
warship – an
apprentice in the
Mercantile Marine Service – or in a
commercial house – an
articled clerk in a
solicitor's office, and so on."
Late 20th century The traditional method for training young men for practical occupations had been the
apprenticeship, and this began to be replaced by programs of formal schooling. The jackaroo, as a form of apprenticeship, followed the trend.
Changes in Australian agricultural society 1975 – Michael Thornton wrote a small book hoping to contribute "to the memories of what might well become a dying avenue of Australian tradition". Dissatisfaction with the existing practices began to be expressed: 1978 – "Jackaroos are, or were, sweated labour. The legend is that they are social equals with the station owners, and are virtually treated as belonging to the family. Because of this, they receive only about half the pay of a station hand, and are liable for duty at any time." Most jillaroos returned to the cities after the
1939–45 War ended. But during the '70s, as a consequence of
feminist thinking, a new source of jillaroos began to appear. Susan Cottam, an English woman, described her experiences in Western Queensland from 3 March 1966 to 3 March 1968, in the form of a journal.
21st century Dubbo and
Kimberley Technical and further education (TAFE) centres provide a certificate course of practical experiences for people who want to work as jackaroos or jillaroos on rural properties. The course covers practical aspects of farm work at an introductory level. == See also ==