1959....JUST ANOTHER YEAR TO SOME!!

1959...just another year to some......significant to others!! Whats important about that you might say.....

In 1959 in Australia....

Robert Menzies was Prime Minister



Henry Bolte was Premier of Victoria

Sir Dallas Brooks was the Govenor of Victoria

The film "On The Beach" starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardener was being filmed in Melbourne

Six O'Clock Rock compared by Johnny O'Keefe screened on the ABC

Melbourne defeated Essendon... score 115 to 78 in the VFL Grand Final

(This was before the AFL folks.)

McDougal won the Melbourne Cup

Jack Brabham won the Formula One Drivers Championship

Solo took Line Honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

On January 29th Walt Disney released "Sleeping Beauty"

February 3rd Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash in Iowa, U.S.A. - This event was responsible for the coining of the song "The Day the Music Died".

March 9th The Barbie Doll debuted ... 300,000 Barbies were sold in 1959!!

On May 24th British Empire Day was renamed COMMONWEALTH DAY

August 14th Explorer 6 sent the first picture of earth from space ...albeit a blurry picture

And here's one for the ladies......Panty Hose were introduced!!

The Vietnam war began and continued into the seventies - (Who knew someone that was conscripted)

1959 Academy Awards



Best Picture - Gigi
Best Actor - David Niven (Separate Tables)
Best Actress - Susan Hayward (I want to Live)
Best Director - Vincente Minelli (Gigi)

1959 was the year of the Inaugural Grammy Awards

Song of the year

"Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu" or in laymans terms "Volare"

by Domenico Modugno

Aussies that died...

Oct 14 - Errol Flynn ... Hollywood Movie Star

Aug 8 - Albert Namatjira .. Aboriginal Artist

Aussie's Born...

Jan 31 - Anthony LaPaglia..... Actor

Feb 12 - Sigrid Thornton ... Actress

Feb 24 - Mike Whitney ... Cricketer

Oct 11 - Wayne Gardner ... Motor Cycle and Touring Car Racer

Dec 1 - Wally Lewis ... Rugby League player and media personality

and......

My twin sister and I were born

March 11th 1959 to be exact, at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. We are identical twins......and were born 50 years ago this coming Wednesday.

We were the first of our parent's children. My mother didn't find out that she was pregnant until she was 4 months pregnant and then she only found out that she was having twins 8 months into her pregnancy. My mum and dad had been trying for about 3 years to have children with no luck, so it was a pretty big surprise to find out that not only was she pregnant, but that she was actually expecting twins. The way that she found out she was having twins was when she went to see her doctor at the hospital clinic and the midwife was examining mums tummy and said to the doctor....I think you should come and feel this, doctor (meaning her tummy): I think I can feel 2 heads. Yikes, my mum must have been pretty scared at that point, actually it initially entered her head that she might be having a two headed baby. Back in those days it was all confirmed with an X-Ray......not something they would even think about in this day and age.

Mum tells me the story of our birth........how my sister, who is the older twin was born 7 mins after she arrived at the hospital in an ambulance....and I, well I was born about 34 mins later, with a breech presentation. Although we were full term we were small for dates and weighed 4lb 1/4 oz and 4lb 5oz respectively. Due to our size we were put into humicribs and remained at the hospital for 6 weeks after we were born. Mum didn't get to see us for 3 days after we were born and only after a nurse found her crying and after asking my mother, found out that she had not seen us, had not even held us. That was rectified very quickly. Certainly that would not happen today. My how things have changed.

I feel that I have been so blessed to have a twin sister. We have always been close and I can't imagine my life without her. She is the most special person in my life. The bond of twins is not one that is easy to explain to others, unless of course you are a twin. We talk on the phone all the time and tell each other pretty much everything. I think my bond with my twin sister is closer even than the bond that I share with my mother.....in fact I know that it is.

A friend once said to me that she thought that twins must have been very special friends that were friends before they came to this earth and they just couldn't bear to be parted so Heavenly Father said "Okay you two can go to earth together".

So this Wednesday we will spend our 50th birthday together........50 years on this earth, 50 years in this life. 50 years that I am eternally grateful for. We came into this world together and we get to spend the day together that celebrates 50 years on this earth. Thank you my sister for the wonderful friend and sister that you have been to me.....and for being the person that you are. I will always treasure the special bond that we share.