This is  a series of books about life in Australia – one for each year from 1939. They describe happenings that affected people, real people. The whole series, to coin a modern phrase, is designed to push your buttons, to make you remember and wonder at things forgotten.

The books might just let nostalgia see the light of day, so that oldies and youngies will talk about the past and re-discover a heritage otherwise forgotten. Hopefully, they will spark discussions between generations, and foster the asking and answering of questions that should not remain unanswered.

As people get a little bit older, they become more reflective on their lives, and they place more value on their partners, families and friends. At this time, nostalgia edges into their lives, and they start to look back at their teens and childhood, and dwell a little on their early years and inevitably on their parents. But then they get back to 1975 when it all began for them, they can't remember a thing.

Whitlam had led the Parliament for 2 years. His shine was starting to tarnish, and he was no longer seen as God, but as god. Meantime, the economy was nearly ruined, half a million people were on the dole, and interest rates on home loans were 17 percent. His ministers kept on making big changes, and some of them were sensible. Towards the end of the year, he had a long-running fight with Malcolm Fraser, and the Governor General. He lost both of these and was pensioned off as Prime Minister.

The writer, Ron Williams, worked his way through newspapers and magazines and other sources day by day until he came up with most of the major events and ideas of 1975. He presents them here in a thoroughly readable book, with a mixture of humour and gravitas.

Ron Williams is a retired teacher, mathematician, computer-man, political scientist, farmer and writer. He has a BA from Sydney and Masters in Social Work and a PhD in Political Science from Hawaii.

Paperback
ISBN: 9780645182668
Publisher: Boom Books
164 pages