December Diversion - Summer of '63



Library staff in '60s apparell

To some, it was history; to others, it was a mystery. 1963 was a year of momentous change. Kennedy died, Tim Tams appeared on the shelves, Dr Who whirled onto our screens, The Beatles and Bob Dylan hit the music scene.

Wallsend District Library's annual December Diversion celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Summer of '63, with lots of colour and laughter. With the tables decorated with leis, beach buckets filled with Minties and Fantales, and placemats made by staff members, 40 people gathered to test their memories of all manner of things from the 1960s.

The room decorations
Photo courtesy of Linda

Photos by Ron Morrison graced the walls, from the Local Studies Collection. Dresses from the era were on display, along with an impressive picnic set, a 50 year old teddy bear, and other quintessentially '60s items.

Picnic set, in pristine condition
Photo courtesy of Linda

Our writing competition (I didn't have a yellow polka dot bikini, but I did have...) attracted some very interesting entries, including nudists, but the clear winner was a touching story of young romance.

For those wishing to further indulge their nostalgia, there is a fantastic exhibition at the Lovett Gallery until Saturday 8th February 2014: Those were the days - Australia in the sixties