10 July 2012

Housewives may shop in a leisurely way without rush [Historic Video]

| Holden Caulfield
Join the conversation
30

This video came my way today thanks to the NFSA twitter account.

The voiceover is filled with gems of a bygone era, as is the title of this thread attests. Produced before Lake Burley Griffin came to be I thought the references to locations to the north or south of the Molonglo River was rather quaint.

The two codes of football featured also brought a wry smile.

screenshot

Join the conversation

30
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Pandy said :

Hey I want to have a drink at the sergeants mess!

So do I, but I somehow think I would have been stoned. And not in a good way.

I want the coat that the leisurely housewife tries on in the fashion boutique.

I missed this back in July and it’s so wonderful!

Why wasn’t anyone fat in those days?

Not a single seatbelt or bike helmet to be seen. 1958 Canberrans were hard as f*ck.

LSWCHP said :

Deref said :

Jeez- those were the days, when there was a vision for Canberra instead of being a milch cow for developers. 🙁

My kids spends most of their time with my ex in one of the newer suburbs. Today my youngest son asked me why the streets there are so narrow and crappy and difficult for cars to pass each other on, etc etc, compared to Giralang, where I live.

So I told him about land developers. It was ugly, but it’s something every father has to do when his boys start to turn into men.

Yeah… the part where they boasted about Canberra’s lack of urban sprawl certainly doesn’t ring true anymore.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior6:45 pm 11 Jul 12

Yogie said :

I want to live in Canberra in 1958.

+1

rosscoact said :

travel 40 miles or so to the ski slopes of Kosciozko or the adjacent Brindabella ranges?

yep, a bit of poetic licence there!!

as someone who moved to Canberra nearly 14 years ago, I find it fascinating to see how the city has developed.

quite funny that since the video was made, the population has gone from 40K to 300+K. wonder if any other capital city in Australia has experienced such a growth rate?

Zan said :

Thanks for the memories. I came to Canberra in 1949. My Dad was in the first wave of builders after the war. We lived in Reid near St Johns church. Where Anzac Parade now is it was a paddock with an avenue of trees on either side. The RAAF held outdoor movies there occasionally. Civic seemed such a long way especially through the forrest of poplar trees, some are still standing. We used to go down to Blundell’s cottages to see the river in flood. Such great memories.

Similar story -My Dad (although I wasn’t born yet) came to Canberra as a post war builder from Europe in the early 50s and I love watching these types of movies to see if I can spot a glance of him (particularly in the “new-Australian” activities like soccer LOL)

Deref said :

Jeez- those were the days, when there was a vision for Canberra instead of being a milch cow for developers. 🙁

My kids spends most of their time with my ex in one of the newer suburbs. Today my youngest son asked me why the streets there are so narrow and crappy and difficult for cars to pass each other on, etc etc, compared to Giralang, where I live.

So I told him about land developers. It was ugly, but it’s something every father has to do when his boys start to turn into men.

Fantastic!!! I was born in Canberra and love the old clips and photos. You wouldn’t want to hang your washing out at the ABC flats now LOL

And the good old Civic Pub – what an icon.

Hhmmmm – the simplicity. Everyone was so nice back then.

Pandy said :

Hey I want to have a drink at the sergeants mess!

Me too! They way that bloke on the left necks his beer is giving me the taste for it, even in the middle of winter.

@skidbladnir (#7)

In 1968, the monument was moved to its current location, more in line with Hoff and Foskett’s wishes. The main reason it was relocated was because it blocked the land axis and the uninterrupted vista from Parliament House to the Australian War Memorial. Standing on the steps of the War Memorial today, it is difficult to imagine a large monument blocking the view on one side of the lake!

In his book on the history of Canberra, Eric Sparke gives the credit for moving the monument to Doug Anthony, at the time the Minister for the Interior and later Deputy Prime Minister (and chairman of Old Parliament House’s Advisory Council). According to Sparke:

First [Anthony] had to obtain the acquiescence of the Prime Minister, no easy task in view of Menzies’ strong royalist leanings. ‘I raised the ticklish issue with him one afternoon after there had been a good question time in parliament,’ Anthony said. ‘Menzies stood silent for a while, looking out the window. Then he said ‘I suppose you’re right.’

source: http://moadoph.gov.au/blog/the-king-george-v-memorial/

Jeez- those were the days, when there was a vision for Canberra instead of being a milch cow for developers. 🙁

Holden Caulfield3:41 pm 11 Jul 12

I think some RA clever clogs needs to use the audio to this film and shoot some new footage to match.

Not sure if anyone heard the guy on 666 talking about this film just now. He spoke a bit about how they were made and so on. I didn’t hear it all, but the snippets I heard were quite interesting.

I LOVE this, God bless the interwebs! Thanks to JB and the NFSA for making this available.

So many Holdens, none with Chevy badges. Bliss.

Elizabethany11:51 am 11 Jul 12

I love that a “casual” meal at the club includes suits and ties…

travel 40 miles or so to the ski slopes of Kosciozko or the adjacent Brindabella ranges?

johnboy said :

it’s good to have’s one spire standing firm against tawny hills.

Haven’t seen Tawny in years. Hope she’s doing well.

troll-sniffer10:28 am 11 Jul 12

Anyone else feel uncomfortable with the woman shopping with the scarf tied over her hair? No wonder those bloody Muslim women think they can parade around in hijabs and burqas when the precedent was set over 50 years ago.

devils_advocate10:23 am 11 Jul 12

johnboy said :

it’s good to have’s one spire standing firm against tawny hills.

That sounds a bit rude somehow.

true, I’m partial to hills of all colours!

I want to live in Canberra in 1958.

I really should know this already, but when did the King George V Memorial get moved? And why?
(Other than “That statue looks a bit naff, we could put up an awesome tent embassy here”)

At a guess when they built Anzac Parade and put the lake in and realised old George was messing with a major ceremonial axis that wasn’t really about him.

But does go to show how Canberra is an evolving place and not the realisation of the long dead’s plans.

That’s an absolute cracker! Many historical features nolonger seen:

* The bridge at Lennox crossing.
* Grey/faun busses
* The Private Bin looks like it used to be a butchers shop (a meat market: who knew?!)
* The original civic pub
* Waistlines just below your nipples

patrick_keogh9:43 pm 10 Jul 12

Thanks a lot! Really enjoyed it.

Hey I want to have a drink at the sergeants mess!

Thanks for the memories. I came to Canberra in 1949. My Dad was in the first wave of builders after the war. We lived in Reid near St Johns church. Where Anzac Parade now is it was a paddock with an avenue of trees on either side. The RAAF held outdoor movies there occasionally. Civic seemed such a long way especially through the forrest of poplar trees, some are still standing. We used to go down to Blundell’s cottages to see the river in flood. Such great memories.

Wow, awesome clip! Check out the Bega Flats .. how far we’ve come!

Thanks for sharing.

What a great video! Surprisingly well edited too. Even as a born and bred Canberran, I think I will look at our city through different eyes, and perhaps yearn for a simpler time (even though my dad was only a newborn at the the time of this video :)) I thought some of the highlights were:

Churches etc “representing the many faiths of Australians” (obviously there were no plans to build a mosque in the 1950’s)

The apparent ease in which cyclists and cars shared the roads

“The late 50’s will be looked back on as the era of espresso, thanks mostly to ‘new Australians” – wow, try using that phrase in public in 2012

Some questions though: WHY did people speak like that in the 50’s? And HOW did the ladies keep their hair looking like a helmet?

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.