WHEN they first arrived in South Australia on July 25, 1994, poker machines immediately killed off a thriving little tourism industry known as “the pokies tours”. Those who were keen to revel in the heady thrill of legally pursuing a form of gambling that was illegal at home could take an organised poker machine tour […]
ONE of the grand traditions of Adelaide and South Australia every Easter is the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival. It is recognised as the biggest annual picnic race meeting in the world, and although ostensibly a race meeting, Oakbank is more. It’s an event in itself, with a festival atmosphere, carnival rides, picnics and lots of other […]
When Mort Hansen shared this photo (below) and some memories last year of the old school bank days, he created quite a deal of discussion on the ARW Facebook page. Mort wrote; “Here’s my school bank book from 1971. There’s still $1.40 in it! I’m guessing the surfboard is about the only thing a school […]
I came across a fascinating newspaper article recently which asked the question: “Do young people of today still think of a car the way we baby boomers used to?” When I was a young teenager in the early 60s, owning a car was a rite-of-passage into adulthood. I was just 16 when I sat for […]
Do you remember childhood holidays with the family in the 50s and 60s? They generally included long road trips by car, sometimes with a caravan in tow, and the only entertainment was provided by mum, usually sitting in the front seat next to dad, as he drove the car on to the destination. Unlike today […]
ON September 30, 1948, The Advertiser reported that: “For Adelaide’s gay National Flower Day tomorrow, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting cool weather with southwesterly winds and occasional very light showers. The 100 exhibits on North Terrace and King William Road will be floodlit tonight to enable about 450 women volunteers to complete the arrangements […]
For many years the Adelaide commercial TV channels, 7, 9 and 10, each held a telethon to raise money for charities in Adelaide. Stories from The Advertiser six decades ago show how the community rallied to support the 5AD Good Friday Appeal for the then Adelaide Children’s Hospital. Brad Crouch, chief medical reporter for the Advertiser, […]
There was a time when people always dressed in their ‘Sunday best’ whenever they ‘went to town’. Here’s a photo (below) of the Adelaide Town Hall, taken in 1962, during the Festival of Arts and is from the State Library of South Australia’s collection on photostream. The thing that strikes me about this photo is […]
Remember when the Redex Trials were all the rage in the mid 50’s and remained very popular until well into the 60’s? I vividly remember as a kid, all the publicity, with regular and dramatic reports on the wireless about the tough conditions the drivers had to endure, as they drove through the outback of […]
Rundle Mall was absolutely packed on the 5th of July 1984 as some 25,000 fans turned out to welcome British pop star sensation Boy George and his group Culture Club. There had been bitter disappointment earlier for the band’s local fans when it was announced that the group would not perform in Adelaide due to […]
