GUESS WHO'S TURNING FIFTY

[Jeff Thorpe]

GUESS WHO’S TURNING FIFTY

Many of the population wouldn’t know of this birth
but, those of us who were there got our money’s worth,
the fourteenth of February, Nineteen Sixty-Six
saw our cash change to decimals, a brand new box of tricks.

“In come the dollars and 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”

“Dollar Bill” took centre stage on TV and radio
informing all Aussies ‘bout the change to our dough
Valentines took back seat on this day in history
which included everyone, not just you and me.

So, Happy Birthday to the notes and coins of our currency
essential players in the game of retail therapy
and a worthy birthday present which we all can send
is a healthy dose of unsurpassed spend, spend, spend.

Jeff Thorpe © 09 February, 2016

[r.magnay]

The best part of decimal currency coming in.....I was still a teenager!....

Good onya Jeff!

[Neville Briggs]

I remember that day well Jeff. I was a junior office kid in the Bank on that day and my job was to undo packages of the new coins and package up the old coins.

I was a useless bank clerk, by July of that year I had resigned.

I also remember how the aging PM, Ming the Merciless alias Pig Iron Bob, wanted to call our decimal currency; The Royal. Thank goodness someone with more brains prevailed and Ming retired.
Harold Holt replaced Ming as PM that year but just about 11 months later PM Harold disappeared off Cheviot Beach, kidnapped by aliens working for the CIA and taken by Japanese submarine to the Kremlin, but we got stuck with dollars and not a lot of sense.

[Maureen K Clifford]

That's a blast from the past

[Jeff Thorpe]

G'day Ross, Neville & Maureen

We that experienced the changeover are all getting on aren't we!

Cheers, Jeff

[Heather]

I was too young (or quite possibly not born yet!) so I can't remember the old currency. Thanks for the history lesson Jeff.

Neville I was working in a bank when the $1 coins came in and think polymer notes too. It was pretty exciting at the time. I remember buying $200 worth of the old $2 notes in mint condition as an investment and have no idea what happened to them.

[Neville Briggs]

Never mind Heather, they are probably worth about $50 the lot now.

[Cropduster]

I was a boy of 7, and I remember being confused about how sixpence worth of hot chips at the local shop was now only worth 5 cents, and a threepence bag of mixed lollies was now only 2 cents.

As we grow, we like to think we also grow in value. Shame the same cant be said for currency. Happy fiftieth

[alongtimegone]

What I remember was no longer having to work through £5 / 19 / 6 x 11 ... and show your working to prove you haven't cheated.
Wazza

[r.magnay]

shoulda just used the calculator on your smart phone Wazza!....