1964 in Australia
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
– Robert MenziesRobert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia.... - Governor GeneralGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
– William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'IsleWilliam Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'IsleWilliam Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle and 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC , was the 15th Governor-General of Australia and the final non-Australian to hold the office... - Premier of New South Wales – Robert HeffronRobert HeffronRobert James "Bob" Heffron was one of the longest-serving New South Wales state parliamentarians. He was the Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 28 October 1959, to 30 April 1964.-Early years:...
(til 30 April), then Jack RenshawJack RenshawJohn Brophy "Jack" Renshaw AC was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965.-Early life:... - Premier of South Australia – Sir Thomas PlayfordThomas Playford IVSir Thomas Playford, GCMG was a South Australian politician. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia from 5 November 1938 to 10 March 1965, the longest term of any elected government leader in the history of Australia. His tenure as premier was marked by a period of population and...
- Premier of Queensland – Frank NicklinFrank NicklinSir George Francis Reuben Nicklin, KCMG, MM was Premier of the Australian state of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, and the first Country Party Premier since 1932.-Early life and career:...
- Premier of Tasmania – Eric ReeceEric ReeceEric Elliott Reece, AC was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975.-Biography:...
- Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
– David BrandDavid BrandSir David Brand KCMG was the 19th and longest serving Premier of Western Australia and a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1945 to 1975.-Early life:... - Premier of Victoria – Henry BolteHenry BolteSir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG was an Australian politician. He was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria.- Early years :...
Events
- 29 January – The Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
takes delivery of its first two Mirage fighter jetsDassault Mirage IIIThe Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade... - 3 February – The first double-decker carriages begin trial runs on the Sydney rail networkCityRailCityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
- 4 February – Cyclone Dora strikes north west QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- 10 February – Melbourne-Voyager collisionMelbourne-Voyager collisionThe Melbourne-Voyager collision, also referred to as the "Melbourne-Voyager incident" or simply the "Voyager incident", was a collision between two warships of the Royal Australian Navy ; the aircraft carrier and the destroyer...
: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS VoyagerHMAS Voyager (D04)HMAS Voyager was a Daring class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy , that was lost in a collision in 1964.Constructed between 1949 and 1957, Voyager was the first ship of her class to enter Australian service, and the first all-welded ship to be built in Australia...
collide, with the loss of 82 lives - March – There is a split in the Communist Party of AustraliaCommunist Party of AustraliaThe Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
and the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)The Communist Party of Australia is an Australian political party based on the writings of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong...
is formed - April – The Menzies government refuses to ratify the International Labor Organisation convention on equal pay for women.
- April – The editors of Sydney satirical OzOz (magazine)Oz was first published as a satirical humour magazine between 1963 and 1969 in Sydney, Australia and, in its second and better known incarnation, became a "psychedelic hippy" magazine from 1967 to 1973 in London...
magazine – Richard NevilleRichard Neville (writer)Richard Neville is an Australian author and self-described "futurist", who came to fame as a co-editor of the counterculture magazine Oz in Australia and the United Kingdom in the 1960s and early 1970s...
, Richard Walsh and Martin SharpMartin SharpMartin Sharp is an Australian artist, underground cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Sharp has made contributions to Australian and international culture since the early 60s, and is hailed as Australia's foremost pop artist...
– are charged with printing an obscene publication - 8 April – The Jackson-Moonie-Brisbane oil pipeline opens
- 24 April – Melbourne woman Judy Hanrahan becomes the first female teller appointed by the Bank of NSW since WWII
- 27 April Sir Garfield Barwick resigns as Minister for External AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...
to take up his appointment as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia - June – Macquarie UniversityMacquarie UniversityMacquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
is founded. - 6 July – Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training TeamAustralian Army Training Team VietnamThe Australian Army Training Team Vietnam was a specialist unit of the Australian Army that operated during the Vietnam War. Raised in 1962, the unit was raised solely for service as part of Australia's contribution to the war in Vietnam, providing training and assistance to South Vietnamese forces...
died; he was Australia's first Vietnam War battle casualtyCasualty (person)A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident, injury, or trauma. The word casualties is most often used by the news media to describe deaths and injuries resulting from wars or disasters...
. - 15 July – The first edition of The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
is published in Canberra. It is Australia's first national daily newspaper, published by Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's News LimitedNews LimitedNews Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
. - 17 July – Donald CampbellDonald CampbellDonald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
sets new land speed record of 429 miles per hour in his jet-propelled car "Bluebird" at Lake EyreLake EyreLake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
, South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... - August – The Tasman BridgeTasman BridgeThe Tasman Bridge is a five-lane bridge crossing the Derwent River, near the CBD of Hobart, Tasmania. The bridge has a total length of 1,395 metres . It provides the main traffic route from the CBD to the eastern shore - particularly Hobart International Airport and Bellerive Oval...
across the Derwent RiverDerwent River (Tasmania)The Derwent is a river in Tasmania, Australia. It was named after the River Derwent, Cumbria by British Commodore John Hayes who explored it in 1793. The name is Brythonic Celtic for "valley thick with oaks"....
opens in HobartHobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
. - 26 October – Notorious Perth serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Eric Edgar CookeEric Edgar CookeEric Edgar Cooke nicknamed The Night Caller was an Australian serial killer. From 1959 to 1963, he terrorised the city of Perth, Western Australia, by committing 22 violent crimes, eight of which resulted in deaths....
is executed at Fremantle PrisonFremantle PrisonFremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. The site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art...
; he is the last person to be hanged in Western Australia - 10 November – Prime Minister Robert MenziesRobert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
announces the reintroduction of National ServiceConscription in AustraliaConscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood... - 10 December – The Queensland government declares a state of emergencyState of emergencyA state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
in an attempt to end the Mount Isa Mines dispute - 16 December – Melbourne's La Trobe UniversityLa Trobe UniversityLa Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
is founded - 31 December – Donald CampbellDonald CampbellDonald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
sets new water speed record of 276 miles per hour at Dumbleyung LakeDumbleyung LakeDumbleyung Lake, also widely known as Lake Dumbleyung, is a salt lake in Western Australia. It is located at , in the Great Southern region of Western Australia...
, Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... - The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
tour Australia - Sir Percy SpenderPercy SpenderSir Percy Claude Spender, KCVO, KBE, QC, , was an Australian politician. diplomat and jurist.Spender was born in Sydney and educated at the prestigious Fort Street High School and later the University of Sydney. He joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1915...
is appointed President of the International Court of JusticeInternational Court of JusticeThe International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands... - Swimmer Dawn FraserDawn FraserDawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
is named Australian of the YearAustralian of the YearSince 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
Science and technology
- 2 October – Gladesville BridgeGladesville BridgeGladesville Bridge is an arch bridge near Gladesville that spans the Parramatta River, west of central Sydney, Australia. It links the suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne. It is a few kilometres upstream of the more famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and is part of Victoria Road...
opened – the world's longest concrete arch at the time.
Arts and literature
- Donald HorneDonald HorneProfessor Donald Horne was an Australian journalist, writer, social critic, and academic who became one of Australia's best known public intellectuals....
's The Lucky Country published. - Kath Walker's We Are Going published.
- My Brother JackMy Brother JackMy Brother Jack is a classic Australian novel by writer George Johnston. It is part of a trilogy centring on the character of David Meredith...
by George JohnstonGeorge Johnston (novelist)George Johnston OBE was an Australian journalist, war correspondent and novelist, best known for My Brother Jack. His second wife and literary collaborator was Charmian Clift.-Life:...
is awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
Television
- The launch of ATV-0ATV-10ATV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia, part of Network Ten - one of the three major Australian commercial television networks.-History:...
marks the birth of the third commercial television network - Singer Johnny ChesterJohnny ChesterJohnny Chester is an Australian singer-songwriter from Melbourne. He started his career singing rock'n'roll and later changed to country music...
hosts a new ABC TV show called Teen Scene, which also features his backing group The Chessmen as the house band. - 20 October – Police drama Homicide begins a 12-year run and sets the pace for Australian television drama.
- 11 November – The Mavis Bramston ShowThe Mavis Bramston ShowThe Mavis Bramston Show was a popular and award-winning Australian TV satirical sketch comedy series of the mid-1960s.-Introduction:The tremendous impact that The Mavis Bramston Show had in Australia in the mid-1960s was heightened because of its unique place in the history of the Australian TV...
premieres on HSV 7 in Melbourne.
Sport
- 17 May Bernard "Midget" Farrelly wins the first World Surfboard Championship at Manly Beach
- 18 July – Robert Vagg wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:24:06.2 in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
- Polo Prince wins the Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
- South Australia wins the Sheffield ShieldPura CupThe Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
- Freya wins the Sydney to Hobart Yacht RaceSydney to Hobart Yacht RaceThe Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
- Australia places 8th in the 1964 Olympic Games with 6 gold medals
- St. George DragonsSt. George DragonsThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
win the Australian Rugby LeagueAustralian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
Grand Final - Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
wins the Victorian Football LeagueAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
Grand Final
Births
- 16 January – Chris DittmarChris DittmarChris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player....
, squash player - 4 March – Karen KnowlesKaren Knowles-Early career:Knowles was educated in Melbourne at the Methodist Ladies' College. She became nationally famous on the popular television program Young Talent Time, where she was a member of the Young Talent Team from 1975 to 1980....
, entertainer - 7 April – Douglas Humphrey, philosopher/statesman
- 15 April – Lee KernaghanLee KernaghanLee Kernaghan OAM is an Australian country music singer and songwriter. He was the 2008 Australian of the Year.-Honours:Kernaghan received the Order of Australia Medal in 2004....
, country singer/songwriter - 19 April – Peter JacksonPeter Jackson (rugby league)Peter Jackson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative back, he played club football in both Queensland and New South Wales as well as a season in England...
(d. 1997), Australian rugby league footballer - 30 April – Ian HealyIan HealyIan Andrew Healy is a former cricketer who played for Queensland and Australia. A specialist wicketkeeper and useful right-hand middle-order batsman, he made an unheralded entry to international cricket in 1988, after only six first-class games. His work ethic and combativeness was much needed...
, cricket player and commentator - 28 May – Jeff FenechJeff FenechJeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...
, boxer and trainer - 3 June – Matthew RyanMatthew Ryan (equestrian)Matthew "Matt" Morgan Ryan is an Olympic-level equestrian rider. He is a triple olympic gold medalist who competed for Australia. Matt has three older brothers, including the internationally-successful eventer and dressage rider, Heath Ryan. In 1984...
, equestrian - 7 June – Gia CaridesGia CaridesGia Carides is an Australian actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Liz Holt in Strictly Ballroom, Susy Connor in Brilliant Lies, and Cousin Nikki in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.-Early life:...
, actress - 9 June – Jane KennedyJane Kennedy (actor)Jane Kennedy is an Australian actress, comedian, radio presenter, and television producer best known for her work with the Working Dog Productions – a tight-knit group of performers responsible for a variety of television and films....
, actress and comedian - 4 August – Andrew BartlettAndrew BartlettAndrew John Julian Bartlett is an Australian politician. He was formerly an Australian Democrats member of the Australian Senate from 1997 to 2008, representing the state of Queensland. He was the leader of the Democrats from 2002 to 2004, and deputy leader from 2004 to 2008.-Early life and...
, politician - 10 August – Andy CaldecottAndy CaldecottAndy Caldecott was an off road motorcycle racer born in Keith, South Australia. He won the Australian Safari Rally four times consecutively and was a competitor in the Dakar Rally in 2004 , 2005 , and 2006....
, motorcycle racer (d. 2006) - 14 August – Jason DunstallJason DunstallJason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...
, Australian Rules football player - 19 August – Dermott BreretonDermott BreretonDermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...
, Australian Rules football player - 5 September – Frank FarinaFrank FarinaFrank Farina OAM is a retired Australian football player. He most currently coaches the Papua New Guinea national football team....
, soccer player and manager - 11 September – Kathy WattKathy WattKathryn Ann Watt is an Australian racing cyclist who won two medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain ....
, cyclist - 27 October – Mark TaylorMark Taylor (cricketer)Mark Anthony Taylor, AO is a former Australian cricket player and Test opening batsman from 1988–1999, as well as captain from 1994–1999, succeeding Allan Border...
, cricket player and commentator - 29 October – Eddie McGuireEddie McGuireEdward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
, businessman and television presenter - 29 October – Jackie Pereira, field hockey striker
- 9 November – Mark Dalton, basketball player
- 9 December – Larry EmdurLarry EmdurLarry Emdur is an Australian television personality. He is currently co-hosting Saturday's Weekend Sunrise alongside Samantha Armytage....
, television presenter - 16 December – Georgie ParkerGeorgie ParkerGeorgina "Georgie" Parker is an Australian television actress. She grew up in the suburb of St. Ives.-Personal life:...
, actress
Deaths
- 23 January – Claude HulbertClaude HulbertClaude Noel Hulbert was a British comic actor. He was the younger brother of Jack Hulbert. Like his brother, he was Cambridge educated and was a member of the Footlights comedy club as an undergraduate....
, British actor (b. 1900) - 12 February – Arthur UpfieldArthur UpfieldArthur William Upfield was an Australian writer, best known for his works of detective fiction featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte of the Queensland Police Force, a half-caste Aborigine....
, author (b. 1890) - 19 October – Nettie Palmer, author (b. 1885)