The Great Fly War of 1962

You person apt heard of nan infamous Great Emu War of 1932. WA soldiers equipped pinch instrumentality guns took connected flocks of emus and hilariously lost.

The Great Fly War of 1962 is simply a lesser known but arsenic quirky conflict. This time, nan stakes were international.

At nan time, Perth was hosting nan British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The authorities government was wished to guarantee nan only buzz would beryllium astir nan arena not swarms of persistent flies.

The 1962 games were Perth’s debut connected nan world stage. Athletes, officials and moreover British royalty were group to attend. It was a infinitesimal to showcase nan metropolis arsenic a modern, vibrant destination. The only drawback was nan relentless flies.

And so, 30 years aft nan Great Emu War, Perth waged warfare connected flies and won.

BUZZ OFF!

Flies weren’t a caller problem for Perth.

By nan 1930s, section councils had mosquito and alert power programs, spraying and fogging on nan Swan River. By nan 1950s, these efforts were formalised pinch nan preamble of nan Fly Control Committee, which ran nationalist acquisition campaigns to thief trim alert populations.

But nan 1962 games were different. This wasn’t astir keeping locals comfortable. This was astir Perth’s world reputation. With nan Commonwealth’s eyes connected Perth, nan authorities government wanted to guarantee nan metropolis wasn’t remembered for nan incorrect reasons.

And so, nan conflict began.

Promotional worldly provided by section companies to State authorities for alert control
State Library of Western Australia

THE STRATEGY: SCIENCE MEETS PRAGMATISM

The government’s solution was to shape nan typical Fly Control Committee dedicated to solving nan problem earlier nan games commenced.

Their first brainstorming produced immoderate eager ideas. One of nan much melodramatic proposals was aerial spraying. The thought was to load planes pinch insecticide and broad nan metropolitan area, workplace style.

After consulting world experts, nan committee abandoned nan plan. It was excessively risky, particularly pinch planes needing to alert debased overpopulated areas.

Instead, they adopted a crushed level attack pinch 4 components.

1. Public education: The committee launched a statewide run to thatch group really to trim alert breeding astir their homes. Films, power broadcasts, leaflets and exhibitions encouraged everyone to unafraid bins, cleanable up nutrient scraps and screen compost heaps.
2. Fly fighters: Auxiliary Fly Control Officers were recruited and trained to deploy targeted insecticides crossed Perth. Armed pinch fogging machines, these officers tackled hotspots for illustration parks, stables and abattoirs.
3. Targeted interventions: Rather than spraying indiscriminately, nan committee focused connected circumstantial problem areas. Market gardens and nationalist spaces were privilege targets, pinch efforts tailored to disrupt alert breeding cycles.
4. Scientific monitoring: The committee gathered data. Traps were group up crossed Perth, and regular alert counts were recorded to guideline their efforts.

FLYING HIGH

By nan clip nan games kicked disconnected successful November, nan committee’s efforts had worked.

While a Perth summertime is ne'er wholly alert free, nan numbers were debased capable to hardly beryllium noticed by visitors.

Athletes, dignitaries and spectators enjoyed a comparatively buzz free experience. There were a fewer hiccups bush flies proved resilient astatine Dalkeith Bowling Club, causing immoderate annoyance but for nan astir part, it was a triumph.

While it whitethorn sound for illustration an amusing section of Perth’s history, nan Great Fly War was a important logistical and technological effort.

It was an early illustration of really information driven determination making and nationalist acquisition tin lick a problem. And successful a metropolis arsenic proud arsenic Perth, it meant everything to show nan world we could emergence to nan occasion, moreover against nan likelihood and flies.

The Public Health Department produced and issued acquisition worldly to raise organization consciousness of alert control
State Library of Western Australia

TIME FLIES

The Great Fly War sits alongside nan Great Emu War successful WA’s agelong history of peculiar battles.

Unlike nan emu debacle, this 1 ended successful triumph successful nan short term, anyway. The Fly Control Committee disbanded aft nan games, but alert power continued for decades.

This section of WA’s history showcases Perth’s can-do cognition towards problem solving.

This was a metropolis that understood nan worth of preparation, subject and rallying a organization to subordinate forces against a communal ‘enemy’. Whether it’s a vertebrate aliases a bug, West Aussies don’t backmost down.

So, nan adjacent clip you swat a alert this summer, spare a thought for nan folks who turned a imaginable nationalist embarrassment into a quiet triumph dissimilar nan Great Emu War, which made america nan laughingstock of Australia…