The fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency in Australia on February 14, 1966, will bring back many memories.
St George and Sutherland Shire was no different to other areas, where there was plenty of apprehension.
Some elderly women told the Leader they intended withdrawing their savings from banks before the changeover day.
However, the transition went smoothly, thanks largely to the federal government’s advertising jingle to the tune of Click Go the Shears.
The first verse was: “In come the dollars, in come the cents / to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence./ Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix / on the 14th of February 1966.”
The Leader counted down the changeover with the headline: “FIVE DAYS...then it’s dollars and cents.”
There were photos of the new $2 note and three sombre looking Hurstville bank officers with bags of new coins.
The manager of the Hurstville branch of the Bank of New South Wales, Arthur Walstab, who was pictured with Ron Hargrave and Syd Richardson, outlined the “extensive preparation”.
The report said banks, police and businesses in the district were making final preparations for “the massive four-day operation”.
Preparations had been underway for several months, but the four days in which the banks would close before re-opening on Monday February 14 with the new currency would be “a crucial period”.
“A massive police security ‘cover’ – to protect the huge amounts of new currency – will move into gear today as banks close for the changeover,” the Leader reported.
“New and modern machines would eliminate the possibility of ‘human error,’ ” the report said.
