Unknown Story
Storyboard Text
- Emu start eating farmers crops - 1930s
- No! we're hungry
- GET OFF MY CROP
- The Great Emu War of Australia started -2/10/1932
- Help us our crops are being eaten and destroyed by emu
- We will give you a small group of soldiers armed with machine guns
- First attack - 4/10/1932
- You cant catch us !!
- You pesky emus
- KILL THEM ALL !!!
- Australia was struggling through drought and the Great Depression. Life was even harder for western farmers because they faced a horde of 20,000 emus. The emus origanated in central Australia, They then moved west searching for water and came across one of their favourite foods: wheat. The emus destroyed wheat crops and tore down fences.
- Second attack 8/10/1932
- Oh no my friends been killed lets leave
- Yes I got one!!
- Unable to defeat the Emu, the farmers travelled to Canberra to demand assistance. Defence Minister George Pearce agreed to send Lewis machine guns along with soldiers to operate them.Armed with machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, a small group of soldiers descended on the emus but It did not go well.
- The emus strategy
- ok were on it!
- I'll keep watch while the rest of you grab the wheat
- The first attemp to shoot the emus went very poorly, Most of the of the birds ended up scattering into the wild life and getting away leaving the soldiers defted on there first attack.
- Australian Army were defeated by the emus - 8/10/1932
- woo hoo we have finally won
- I give up lets get out of here
- Majoir meredith then choose to move futher south were more emu had been spotted but apeard more tame. 6 days into the war 2,5000rounds of ammunition had been fired. This time many more emu were killed but still many remained unharmed.
- Major Meredith reckons that each mob has its leader who keeps watch while his fellows busy themselves with the wheat. They say that at the first suspicious sign, the bird gives a signal, and dozens of heads stretch out of the crop. A few birds will then take fright, starting headlong stampede for the wheat, the leader always remaining until his followers have reached safety. This helped the emus greatly in there fight
- As the emus with the faster and stronger strategy Meredith and his men were eventually defeated and recalled back to Canberra. It was said that the settlers made several more attempts to get the soldiers to return and fight but the federal government refused. The soldiers had given up and the emu had won.
Over 30 Million Storyboards Created