SHINPLASTER -

In the early days up north it was quite common for stations, stores and the like to run out of proper cash. In order to keep the economy from grinding to a halt, they issued promissory notes.

These were often printed on ordinary paper that had no resistance to dampness and the ink used was frequently of dubious quality.

Bushmen carried these notes in their boots, in their leggings or tied behind the thongs of their bowyangs.

High temperatures in the north west led to extensive sweating and on many occasions the promissory notes became a sodden mass of paper not dissimilar to vinegar poultices that were used to treat tropical ulcers.

The notes were quickly christened 'shinplasters' and many a bushy was never able to redeem the notes he held.

The last official shinplaster was issues in Halls Creek in 1944.

From North of the 26th Vol 2. Access Press. 1994.

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