WAY '79
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WAY 79, also referred to as WAY '79 and WAY 1979, was the official 1979
sesquicentennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...
(150th anniversary) celebration of the European
colonisation 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
of
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.


Planning

Preliminary planning for WAY 79 began shortly after the March 1971 celebrations of Western Australia's population passing one million. The success of this celebration prompted the
Perth Chamber of Commerce The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA), founded in 1890,Poprzeczny, Joe. (1998) ''Roles for community. Obituary of former president of Perth Chamber of Commerce, the WA Employers Federation and the Confederation of WA I ...
to begin planning for Western Australia's sesquicentenary. Planning proceeded slowly at first, and it was not until January 1974 that the
state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...
became involved. When
Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 8 April 1974 to 25 January 1982. A member of the Western Australian Liberal Party, Liberal Par ...
became the
premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive br ...
in April of that year, the government took over planning, and preparations began in earnest. The following year the WAY 79 concept was officially launched by the premier. S. W. Dallymore was initially appointed executive officer for the celebrations, but he resigned after two years, and Slade Drake-Brockman was appointed in his place. According to Bolton in 1989, "It would be fair to assume that Court and Drake-Brockman played the most significant roles in determining the character of WAY 1979."


Events

The first WAY 79 event was a
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
concert on the Perth Esplanade, attended by about 60,000 people. Performers included
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...
,
Fat Cat Fat cat is a slang term for a wealthy person, originally used to describe a rich political donor. Fat Cat may also refer to: * Fat Cat (singer), a South Korean singer, also known as Defconn Girl * Fat Cat, Norwich, a pub in Norwich, England * Fa ...
and Percy Penguin. Ken Colbung had been invited to perform on the
didgeridoo The didgeridoo (;()), also spelt didjeridu, among other variants, is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous Drone (music), drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgerido ...
; the
Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
activist used the occasion to hand an eviction notice to the
Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...
, Sir Wallace Kyle. Colbung claimed to be serving the notice on the
white people White is a Race (human categorization), racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry. It is also a Human skin color, skin color specifier, although the definition can var ...
on behalf of Western Australia's Aboriginal people. The notice was pointedly in the same form as that used by the
State Housing Commission State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
for eviction notices to Aboriginal tenants. The act was intended both as a reminder of Aboriginal land rights and dispossession, and a reference to the contemporary plight of the state's indigenous people. Court was furious at the event, calling it "a cheap and ill-conceived stunt". One of the major events held in Perth under the patronage of WAY 79 was the
Miss Universe 1979 Miss Universe 1979 was the 28th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Perth Entertainment Centre in Perth, Australia, on 20 July 1979. Margaret Gardiner (beauty queen), Margaret Gardiner of South Africa crowned her successor Maritza Sayalero of ...
pageant.
Maritza Sayalero Maritza Sayalero Fernández is a Venezuelan beauty pageant titleholder. In 1979, she was crowned both Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe, the first woman from Venezuela to win this title. Miss Venezuela 1979 Sayalero won Miss Venezuela 1979, r ...
of Venezuela won the pageant; as numerous press people crowded close to photograph her, the
catwalk A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is where ...
collapsed. Eight contestants and two media representatives were plunged to the ground, but there were no major injuries. In March
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
made a state visit, representing
the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
. Among his many engagements was officially opening the Avondale Agricultural Research Station Museum by planting a tree near the entrance. His other tree planting activity included Government House. He also followed the steps of the founders from the Swan River into what is now the city. In August 1979, the first of two international conferences on the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
region was held in Perth as the International Conference on Indian Ocean Studies; the second was held in 1984. Competitors in the Parmelia Yacht Race from
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
to
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
arrived in late November.


Mementos

Numerous other events were staged under the WAY 79 banner, from
yacht race Yacht racing is a sailing sport involving sailing yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing, which involves open boats. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course marked by buoys or o ...
s to
family reunion A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year. A typical family reunion will assemble for a meal, some recreation and discuss ...
s and street parties. The government issued a commemorative twenty-cent
postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...
. Both official and commercial merchandise was produced to mark the occasion, from books to tea-towels. The iconic WAY 79 logo was designed by Norm Wilson, an art director and partner at Marketforce advertising agency. Some have noted the celebrations focused on its perpetuation of the "pioneer myth", which "saw progress in terms of mineral development rather than social justice or environmental amenity". In 1989 Bolton wrote that the WAY 79 celebrations:


Publications

Among the books published was the WAY 79 ''Sesquicentenary Celebrations Series'', 14 volumes on a range of Western Australian topics.


List of titles

* (This book went to a second edition) * * * * * * * * * * * * The Women's Committee for the 150th Anniversary Celebrations produced the volume ''Reflections; Profiles of 150 Women who Helped Make Western Australian History''. ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' contributed ''Swan River Colony'' – 96 pages of images selected from its newspaper archives. The Education Department produced '' Western Australia: An atlas of human endeavour'' to provide schools with an up-to-date list of achievements by the state and its people, with graphics and accurate maps. An editorial panel, all connected with the
University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...
, released a 437-page ''Who is Who,'' in which the candid aim was "to change as little as possible what people wrote about themselves". The result was an engaging compendium of academic and political networks of the day; it omitted such eminent persons as
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...
, Sir
Paul Hasluck Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck (1 April 1905 – 9 January 1993) was an Australian statesman who served as the 17th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1969 to 1974. Prior to that, he was a Liberal Party politician, holding minis ...
, Sir Laurence Brodie-Hall, Kim Beazley Jr, Sir
Norman Brearley Sir Norman Brearley (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within Australia. Early life Born in Geelong, Victoria on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to Perth, We ...
, building magnate
John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...
and champion Australian rules footballer
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Walke ...
. Parliament was provided with a report of the events of the year. The various committees formed did produce ephemeral material – such as the list from the Commerce Committee of the names of those plaques on St Georges Terrace and the Premier's Department and the Anniversary Board arranged for the New Year proceedings to be kept on record.


''Western Australia: An atlas of human endeavour''

''Western Australia: An atlas of human endeavour'' is an atlas that was published by the Western Australian Department of Education and the Department of Lands and Surveys, and distributed to all school children in WA. It has a
foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between th ...
by Premier
Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 8 April 1974 to 25 January 1982. A member of the Western Australian Liberal Party, Liberal Par ...
, who was personally involved in a number of the projects that were conducted by the organisation. Rather than being simply a collection of maps, like a traditional
atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
, the ''atlas of human endeavour'' presents descriptive text and photographs illustrating the changes over time since the initial European settlement, in four broad categories: * Landscapes * Discovery, exploration and settlement * Economy * Social patterns and processes It includes extensive usage of historical geography, such as historical maps and photographs, for comparison with those of the contemporary landscape: The front and rear covers of the book are
false colour False colors and pseudo colors respectively refers to a group of color rendering methods used to display images in colors which were recorded in the visible or non-visible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. A false-color image is an im ...
images created by processing
satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...
from Landsat 1 and 2. The front image extends from Rockingham to Lancelin, the rear image from
Mandurah Mandurah ( ) is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306. Mandurah's central business dis ...
to
Yallingup Yallingup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and limestone caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. History and industry ...
. The colours in the images indicate human artefacts such as ploughed land, mining activity, bitumen and concrete, as well as the varying of vegetation. The atlas includes gazetteers and bibliographies - at some divergence from the ''Sesquicentenary Celebrations Series'' editions that lacked indexes and adequate reference materials. It was originally published for the 1979 celebrations, and included "18291979" as part of the title; a second edition was published in 1986, without the years in the title.


St Georges Terrace plaques

One hundred and fifty commemorative plaques were installed along
St Georges Terrace, Perth St Georges Terrace (colloquially known as "The Terrace") is the main street in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River and forms the major arterial thoroughfare through the central business district. Its ...
, honouring notable figures in Western Australia's history. Since then, more plaques have been added and, , the years to 1999 were included. In July 2014, the 1959 plaque of
Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...
was removed by the City of Perth following his conviction in the UK on charges of indecent assault.


See also

*
Centenary of Western Australia In 1929, Western Australia (WA) celebrated the centenary of the founding of Perth and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, the first permanent European settlement in WA. A variety of events were run in Perth, regional areas throughout the ...
* Western Australian 175th Anniversary


References


Further reading

* * WAY '79 Commerce Committee ''A walk through the history of Western Australia, 1829-1979 : a chronological presentation of those persons commemorated on bronze inlaid paving tiles on St. George's Terrace, Perth'' (found in
Battye Library The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, ...
) * {{Refend 1979 in Western Australia