Life in 1965

1965 in Australia

In 1965 Australia’s population was 11.39 million. Robert Menzies was Prime Minister, Sir Rohan Delacombe was the Governor of Victoria and Henry Bolte was the Premier.

21 February – 13 March

12 – 26 February Charles Perkins leads The Freedom Ride, which travels through country NSW, protesting the racial discrimination against Aboriginal people.
18 February – Esso-BHP strikes gas at the Barracouta well in Bass Strait.
22 February – Prince Philip opens the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.
1 March – Dawn Fraser was banned from all amateur competition for ten years. The decision followed an inquiry into Fraser’s alleged misbehaviour during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
6 March – The Australian Labor Party wins the South Australian election, taking government for the first time in 32 years.
10 March – The first drawing of the national service conscription lottery.
The Ford Falcon XP was the most popular car in Australia
The Rolling Stones topped the charts from Feb 21 to Mar 13 with Under the Boardwalk and Walking the Dog
The Seekers‘ single I’ll Never Find Another You reaches #1 in the UK charts. It becomes the first recording by an Australian act to sell more than 1 million copies and eventually sells more than 1.75 million
The Americans were listening to Garry Lewis and the Playboys (This Diamond Ring), the Temptations (My Girl) and the Beatles (Eight Days a Week)
And the British were listening to the Seekers (I’ll Never Find Another You) and Tom Jones (It’s Not Unusual)