1967 — the year that was

Certain events will always stick in your mind. Sometimes you will even remember where you were or what you were doing when you first became aware of the event. Have you ever been asked to recall your first hearing of the news that JFK had been shot? Or John Lennon? Here are some reminders as to what was happening in 1967. Please send in any others that you would like to see recorded.

Australian events
Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared in heavy surf at Portsea in December and his body was never recovered. Gough Whitlam succeeded Arthur Calwell as leader of the Federal Labor Party and Don Dunstan became Premier of South Australia. John Gorton became Prime Minister and Lord Casey was the Governor General.

Bushfires devasted Tasmania in February leaving 62 people dead and 4,000 homeless. Convicts were let out of Hobart jail to help police, firemen and volunteer fire-fighters.

Ronald Ryan became the last man hanged in Australia at Melbourne's Pentridge Gaol in February and in May, a referendum which gained the highest YES vote ever recorded, with 90.77 per cent voting for change, granted Aborigines citizenship.

The Seekers were named Australians of the Year and ABC TV launched Bellbird and This Day Tonight. The Five Dollar Note went into circulation and Post Codes are introduced. The average weekly wage was $55 and a litre of petrol cost 11 cents.

World events
Israel won the Six-Day War against its neighbours and there was a military junta in Greece. Argentine-born medic turned Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara, executed by the army in Bolivia.

In South Africa, Dr Christian Barnard performed the first human heart transplant and anthropologist Desmond Morris published The Naked Ape.

In the United States, four astronauts are killed when fire erupts in their Apollo spacecraft during a launch pad test and in England Donald Campbell is killed when attempting a water speed record.

The first worldwide television broadcast Our World took place, and the first automatic cash machine (ATM) came into operation in London.

Canberra events
Canberra's population reaches 103,500. The 1967 Y-Plan which has remained as the key strategic plan until now, provided for Canberra to grow through the creation of separate districts in the form of a 'Y'. The first residential leases in Aranda were offered at auction and the first settlers moved into their houses later in the year.

The University of Canberra was established by the Commonwealth Government in 1967 as the Canberra College of Advanced Education. Students were enrolled on a part-time basis in 1968 and full-time teaching began the following year.

Honeysuckle Creek space tracking station was opened and Marymead, a local community-based child and family service, was established operating from premises in Goyder Street Narrabundah.

The Canberra Youth Orchestra Society and the Canberra Children’s Choir, were both founded in 1967. They later combined their talents to form Canberra Youth Music.

Sport
South Sydney wins the Rugby League in Sydney and Richmond the VFL in Melbourne. Trainer Bart Cummings wins his third successive Melbourne Cup with chestnut gelding Red Handed. Roy Emerson wins the Australian Open and French Open and John Newcombe the Wimbledon and US Open tennis titles.

Muhammad Ali was stripped of his titles and banned from boxing for his refusal to be drafted. The Formula One Champion is Denny Hulme of New Zealand. Jack Nicklaus is the top golf earner and the men's overall ski season champion is Jean-Claude Killy. The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Intrepid defeats Australian challenger Dame Pattie.

Music
The popular musical hits in 1967 included Lulu who sang To Sir With Love, while Bobby Gentry had an Ode To Billie Joe. The Doors wanted to Light My Fire and The Turtles were Happy Together, but while The Young Rascals were Grooving, Aretha Franklin wanted Respect. Stevie Wonder claimed that I Was Made To Love Her and the Beatles agreed that All You Need Is Love while Jefferson Airplane were looking for Somebody To Love and Englebert Humperdinck pleaded Release Me. The Tremeloes thought Silence Is Golden with Herman's Hermits agreeing that There's A Kind Of Hush. The Bee Gees sang about Massachusetts while the Hollies were On A Carousel and Procol Harum were turning A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Van Morrison sang to his Brown Eyed Girl and the Rolling Stones to Ruby Tuesday while Elvis Presley married Priscilla.

The big albums for the year included Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles, Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix and Disraeli Gears by Cream.

The Beatles manager Brian Epstein died and Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash.

Movies
The most popular movies were The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Camelot, The Dirty Dozen and Doctor Dolittle. The Academy Award for Best Picture went to In the Heat of the Night whose Rod Steiger won the Best Actor award. At the Cannes Film Festival Blowup was the major prize winner. Other notable movies were Far from the Madding Crowd, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and To Sir, with Love.