For many school children, the 1950s heralded the birth of Rock 'n' Roll...although in fairness, that may have taken a little longer in Wingham, where Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin remained popular with teenagers many years after Bill Haley and Elvis Presley changed popular music forever.

 

In literature, Nevil Shute's iconic Australian novel "A Town Like Alice" was published in 1950, and Ray Lawler's "Summer of the Seventeeth Doll" opened in Melbourne just a few years later.

 

Melbourne prepares to host the Olympic Games in 1956. Television started in Australia too, just in time to televise the games, where Dawn Fraser won the Womens 100 Yards Freestyle race.

 

Australia was starting to make its mark internationally when Qantas began its international service, the ANZUS treaty was signed with New Zealand and the United States, and Britain commenced nuclear teseting at Maralinga. 

 

And Baby Boomers were off to school...