We acknowledge Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and give respect to their Elders, past and present.

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National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive

1950s

The 1950s marked a cultural turning point, heralded by Bruce Gyngell’s first television broadcast: ‘Good evening and welcome.’ In homes across the country, TV became central to entertainment and family life. Music filled the airwaves, from Slim Dusty’s‘Pub with No Beer’ to ads like ‘Happy Little Vegemites’. On the sporting field, John Landy broke records and the Melbourne Olympics united the nation. It was a decade where televisions flickered to life, radios sang jingles and the Olympic flame lit a country brimming with optimism.


Please be advised that this page contains names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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