Grim, Grand and Gay with a side serving of Gory, Glory and Groovy was March 1st in The Fair Isle of Oz.

Let's not beat about the bush on this one; she's packed with enough content to sink the Titanic 6 times over!

The Gory & The Grim

1816: Thomas Hill was hanged for cutting and maiming a police constable near Parramatta.

1816: William Langford was hanged for highway robbery on the Parramatta Road, robbing Wm. Wright of a silver watch.

1828: William Fowler was hanged at Hobart for the murder of a little girl.

1828: Henry Williamson was hanged at Hobart for the murder of Malcolm Logan at Green Ponds (Kempton).

1858: Edward Brown and William Jones were hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Robbery With Violence at Ararat Racecourse.

1870: A riot occurred in Adelaide during a recession. Men offered "starvation wages" for digging trenches rushed the Treasury Building and were dispersed by mounted police using the flat of their swords.

1943: Senior Constable Frederick Edward Jones, Victoria Police, died whilst on duty.

1982: Const. Stephen Henry, Victoria Police, died whilst on duty.

2016: A coronial inquest into the death of an Aboriginal woman in police custody in Broome (2012) led to vital changes in local custodial procedures.

🎖️ The Grand & The Glory

1862: The Police Regulation Act passed; all existing forces amalgamated to establish the NSW Police Force under Inspector General John McLerie.

1901: Federation fever! The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) became effective, controlling all postal and (later) telecommunications services.

1901: The Australian Navy was "pupped" as naval and military forces of the States transferred to Commonwealth control.

1914: Australian military aviation was born when Lieutenant Eric Harrison flew a Bristol Boxkite from Point Cook, Victoria.

1940: Establishment of the Australian Legation in the US; Richard Gardiner Casey presented his credentials as Envoy Extraordinary.

1942: HMAS Perth was sunk in the Sunda Strait alongside the USS Houston. 353 of Perth's 680 crew were killed in the battle.

1970: The Indian Pacific transcontinental train successfully completed its first journey, covering 3,961km in 65 hours.

2012: The 150th Anniversary of Policing in NSW.

🌈 The Gay & The Groovy

1965: The nation was stunned when the Australian Amateur Swimming Union banned Olympic champion Dawn Fraser from competition for ten years following the Tokyo Olympics.

1967: Go-Set headlined with The Bee Gees signing to Brian Epstein's NEMS, while the annual Moomba pop concert was banned by Trustees.

1971: Federal Labor frontbencher Bill Hayden backed gay law reform.

1975: Life changed forever as Colour TV was officially introduced. ABC’s The Aunty Jack Show was the first full show in bright technicolour.

1975: Olivia Newton-John won the Grammy for Record of The Year for I Honestly Love You.

2003, 2008, 2014: The Sydney Mardi Gras marched through history with themes like "25 Years of Fabulous" and "Kaleidoscope," drawing hundreds of thousands to the streets.

2010: 5,200 people embraced stark naked on the steps of the Sydney Opera House for a Spencer Tunick photo shoot.

🛤️ The "G-Side" Serving (Progress & Pitfalls)

1836: The Newcastle Breakwater was inspected and declared a "decided failure." When those pioneers set out to fail, they did it spectacularly.

1845: Taswegians busted open their mattresses to deposit pennies in the Hobart Savings Bank on its first day of business.

1856: Civil registration started in New South Wales (including Queensland).

1869: Thousands of pigeons went hungry as Sydney teemed with people trying to spy the Duke of Edinburgh on his visit.

1910: RC Banks unsuccessfully attempted the first powered flight in Australia at Digger's Rest.

1919: The extraordinary Smith's Weekly hit the newsstands, leaving many speechless with its fury and laughter.

1954: Adelaide was rockin' and rollin' to a 5.4 magnitude earthquake.

1993: The Federal Disability Discrimination Bill made discrimination unlawful on the basis of AIDS/HIV.

2015: The Matagarup Aboriginal Refugee Camp was set up on Heirisson Island in Perth.


💡 Did You Know?
While we celebrate Australia Day in January, March 1st is arguably the day the nation actually started "acting" like a single country.
On this day in 1901, the individual colonial militias were officially disbanded and reborn as the Commonwealth Military Forces. It was the first time Australians from every state wore the same badge and answered to one single government. Essentially, March 1st is the Australian Army’s official birthday—over 120 years of service that started with a simple paperwork transfer!