Organising Australia Day in the 1970s

Organising a party - coming up with good ideas, making sure people will come - is always a challenge.

One highlight of the 1978 Australia Day celebrations in Victoria was an enormous motorcade through Melbourne to accompany the unveiling of the History of Transport mural at the Spencer Street Railway Station.  The motorcade was organised through the Australia Day Council (Victoria). In 1979 a National Australia Day Committee was established to work with State and local governments to coordinate and promote activities. The records of the City of Essendon include a range of the Committee’s publications and support material. Australia Day records from many local government authorities, including nominations for Citizen of the Year awards and other celebrations, can be found in our collection.

This week, we will showcase a series records from the 1970s at the Victorian Archives Centre to celebrate Australia Day 2012.

• Australia Day Celebrations manual.
• National Australia Day Committee newsletters.
• Guidelines for presentation of Citizen Awards and Young Citizen Awards.
• Announcement of Australia Day 1982 Dinner Dance and Victorian Voluntary Service Awards presentation. Publicity and Public Relations, Ceremonial and Citizenship, Australia Day file VPRS 12751/P1 General Correspondence Files, Multiple Number System, unit 37. City of Essendon, VA 898 (1882-ct)
• Australia Day Council (Victoria) 1977-78 Annual Report, including images of the Cavalcade of Transport Publicity and Public Relations, Ceremonial and Citizenship, Australia Day file VPRS 12751/P1 General Correspondence Files, Multiple Number System, unit 37. City of Essendon, VA 898 (1882-ct)
• Image of Spencer Street Station Transport Mural VPRS 12903/P1 Photographic Negatives: Railways: Box Systems, negative BOX 703/71. Victorian Railways, VA 2876 (1883-1983)
• Souvenirs from the ‘Cavalcade of Transport’, 30 January 1978 VPRS 9973/P1 General Records, unit 1. Australia Day Committee (Victoria), VA 1834 (1978)