1958 in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 1958 in Australia | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
|---|---|
| Governor-General | William Slim |
| Prime Minister | Robert Menzies |
| Population | 9,842,333 |
| Elections | Federal, VIC |
See also: 1957 in Australia, other events of 1958, 1959 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
[edit] State premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill
- Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin
- Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove (until 26 August), then Eric Reece
- Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
- Premier of Western Australia – Albert Hawke
[edit] State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Eric Woodward
- Governor of Queensland – Sir Henry Abel Smith (from 18 March)
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Robert George
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet (until 4 June)
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
- Governor of Western Australia – Sir Charles Gairdner
[edit] Events
- January 14 – Qantas Airways introduces a round-the-world air service from Australia to London.
- January 20 – The Royal Australian Naval College is moved back to Jervis Bay Territory from Flinders Naval Depot in Victoria.
- January 28 to February 11 – Harold Macmillan visits Australia, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to do so while in office.
- February 14 to March 7 – Elizabeth, the Queen Mother visits Australia for the second time.
- March 21 – John McEwen replaces Arthur Fadden as federal leader of the Country Party.
- March 24 – The Cahill Expressway in Sydney opens, the first true freeway in Australia.
- April 3 – A cyclone destroys most of the town of Bowen in Queensland.
- April 15 – Monash University is founded in Melbourne, Victoria.
- May 11 – Construction of Australia's largest man-made lake, Lake Eucumbene on the Eucumbene River in the Snowy Mountains, is completed.
- May 31 – Henry Bolte's Liberal government is re-elected in Victoria.
- July 19 – The last tram service runs in Perth.
- August 26 – Robert Cosgrove retires as Premier of Tasmania, and is replaced by Eric Reece.
- September 30 – The ANZAC Day Act 1958 receives Royal Assent, making ANZAC Day (April 25) a national public holiday in Australia.
- October 26 – The wreckage of the Australian National Airways Avro 10 aircraft, VH-UMF Southern Cloud, is found. The aircraft had been missing since 1931
- November 22 – A federal election is held. The Liberal-Country coalition led by Robert Menzies defeats H. V. Evatt's Australian Labor Party with 74 seats to 45 in the House of Representatives, a majority unprecedented since Federation, gained from preferences from the Democratic Labor Party.
[edit] Unknown dates
- Johnny O'Keefe has his first hit with Wild One
- Radio station 2UE publishes the first Australian Top 40
[edit] Science & Technology
- January 26 - The HIFAR nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights goes critical for the first time.
[edit] Unknown dates
- Australian engineer Dr. David Warren of Melbourne's Aeronautical Research Laboratories constructs the world's first flight recorder ("black box").
[edit] Arts and literature
- December 11 – The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) opens in Sydney.
- William Pidgeon wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of journalist Ray Walker
- Eric Smith wins the Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work The Moment Christ Died
- Randolph Stow wins the Miles Franklin Award for To the Islands
- Russel Ward releases The Australian Legend
[edit] Film
[edit] Television
- November 1 - The first episode of Bandstand goes to air on TCN-9, hosted by Brian Henderson.
- November 22 - The Australian federal election, 1958 is the first to be televised.
[edit] Sport
- Athletics
- March 23 - John Russell wins his second men's national marathon title, clocking 2:40:30 in Sydney
- August 6 - Herb Elliott sets a world record for the one-mile dash (3:54.5) at Morton Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
- Cricket
- New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
- Football
- Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Brothers defeated Valleys 22-7
- New South Wales Rugby League premiership: St. George defeated Western Suburbs 20-9
- South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Port Adelaide
- Victorian Football League premiership: Collingwood defeated Melbourne 82-64
- Golf
- Australian Open: won by Gary Player
- Horse Racing
- Sir Blink wins the Caulfield Cup
- Yeman wins the Cox Plate
- Skyline wins the Golden Slipper
- Baystone wins the Melbourne Cup
- Motor Racing
- The Australian Grand Prix was held at Bathurst and won by Lex Davison driving a Ferrari
- Tennis
- Australian Open men's singles: Ashley Cooper defeats Malcolm Anderson 7-5 6-3 6-4
- Australian Open women's singles: Angela Mortimer defeats Lorraine Coghlan 6-3 6-4
- Davis Cup: Australia is defeated by the United States 3-2 in the 1958 Davis Cup final
- Yachting
- Solo takes line honours and Siandra wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
[edit] Births
- February 6 — Simon Baker, race walker
- March 20 — Phil Anderson, cyclist
- April 12 — Glenn Patching, swimmer
- May 5 — Robert DiPierdomenico, footballer and media personality
- May 7 — Alan John , composer
- May 11 — Peter Antonie, rower
- May 11 — Phil Smyth, basketball player
- July 3 — Gary Buckenara, Australian Rules footballer
- July 6 — Gary Humphries, politician
- July 13 — Richard Glover, journalist, author and radio personality
- October 13 — Jim Krakouer, Australian Rules footballer
- December 31 — Geoff Marsh, cricketer
[edit] Deaths
- April 8 - Ethel Turner (b. 1872), writer
- September 13 - Russell Mockridge (b. 1928), cyclist
- October 14 - Douglas Mawson (b. 1882), polar explorer
- November 30 - Hubert Wilkins (b. 1888), polar explorer
