Hundreds of waterside workers swarmed over wharves and ships, at least when the notoriously strike-prone unions weren’t bringing a halt to loading and unloading over one issue or another.

This industrial volatility continued in Australia until 1998, when the infamous Patrick dispute saw a bitter and heated clash between labour, capital and government that lasted for months. In the end, employers got their way, the unions survived attempts to abolish them, and there’s been no significant dispute on Australian docks since.

In New Zealand, the dismantling of the “pool” system of waterfront labour created direct employment for stevedores. Although the unions remain influential on the New Zealand waterfront, the scene is significantly less prone to wildcat strikes than 50 years ago.