Edith Cowan becomes the first woman elected to an Australian parliament

The Smith Family charity is founded in Sydney

Vegemite is first produced

The first Miss Australia contest is held

The tenth parliament is formally opened in Canberra, finalising the move to the new capital

Bert Hinkler makes the first successful flight from Britain to Australia, and Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first flight from the United States to Australia. The Shrine of Remembrance is built.

Western Australia celebrates its centenary

Batsman Don Bradman scores a record 452 not out in one cricket innings

Sir Douglas Mawson charts 4,000 miles of Antarctic coastline and claims 42% of the icy mass for Australia

The Sydney Harbour Bridge opens

Western Australia votes at a rerefendum to secede from the Commonwealth, but the vote is ignored by both the Commonwealth and British governments

The last Thylacine dies

The radio series Dad and Dave begins

Sydney hosts the Empire Games, the forerunner to the Commonwealth Games

(April) Prime Minister Lyons dies in office and is replaced by Robert Menzies and the first Menzies Government

A team of scientists, under Howard Florey, develops penicillin

3 Divisions of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force join operations in the Mediterranean. After initial successes against Italy, 2nd AIF suffered defeat against the Germans in Greece, Crete, and North Africa.

Feb, Fall of Singapore. 15,000 Australians become Prisoners of War of the Japanese

Australia wins its first Oscar, with cinematographer Damien Parer honoured for Kokoda Front Line! documentary.

Cowra breakout, mass escape of Japanese prisoners of war occurs in NSW.

the Liberal Party of Australia is established with Robert Menzies as its first leader.

Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell introduces the major post-war immigration scheme

Minister for External Affairs, Dr. H.V. Evatt is elected President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme begins

1950-53 - Australian troops are sent to the Korean War to assist South Korea.

Australia signs the ANZUS treaty with the United States and New Zealand

First nuclear test conducted in Australian territory by the United Kingdom off the coast of Western Australia.

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip make a royal visit; the Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov defects, leading to the Petrov Affair and another split in the Labor Party

Democratic Labor Party splits from Australian Labor Party over concerns of Communist influence in the labour movement

Television in Australia is launched.

The song 'Wild One' makes Johnny O'Keefe the first Australian rock'n'roller to reach the national charts.

Robert Menzies' Commonwealth Electoral Act provided that all Indigenous Australians should have the right to enrol and vote at federal elections, removing remaining restrictions applying in QLD, WA and NT.

The Beatles tour Australia;

Indigenous Australians gain right to vote in state of Queensland

The ban on the employment of married women in the Commonwealth Public Service is lifted;

Decimalisation; on 14 February the Australian currency is changed to dollars and cents, with the Australian Dollar replacing the Australian pound.

Large areas of Hobart and south-eastern Tasmania are devastated by bushfires on 7 February that kill 62 people;

Australia signs the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; Aboriginal boxing champion Lionel Rose defeats Masahiko 'Fighting' Harada in Japan to become the world bantamweight champion; Australia's first liver transplant operation is performed in Sydney;

French conceptual artist Christo 'wraps' Little Bay in Sydney;

More than 200,000 people participate in the largest demonstrations in Australian history, against the Vietnam War

Neville Bonner becomes the first Aborigine to become an Australian Member of Parliament;

The Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission rules that women doing the same job as men have the right to be paid the same wage.

The Sydney Opera House is opened

Darwin is devastated by Cyclone Tracy

(November) A constitutional crisis occurs when Malcolm Fraser blocks supply, bringing the nation to a standstill until Governor-General John Kerr dismisses Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on the 11.11.75. Fraser wins elections and becomes Prime Minister

The Australian Capital Territory legalises homosexuality between consenting adults in private.

Advance Australia Fair becomes Australia's official national anthem

The First Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras kicks off in Sydney

Australian women win the right to maternity leave

Baby Azaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite at Uluru (Ayers Rock), reportedly taken by a dingo. The Coalition wins the 1980 Australian federal election.

A referendum is held in Tasmania to vote for whether or not the Franklin Dam should be built.

Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane. The National Gallery of Australia is opened.

Australia wins the America's Cup;

Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem.

The government grants the freehold title of a large area of land in central Australia, including prominent landmarks Uluru and Kata Tjuta, to the Mutitjulu people, who in turn give them a 99-year lease.

The Australia Act removes the right of appeal from State courts to the British Privy Council, making the High Court the final court of appeal in Australia. The Act also removes all remaining rights of the UK parliament to pass law for Australia. Anita Cobby murder in Sydney. Russell Street Bombing in Melbourne. Crocodile Dundee is released in Australia.

Hoddle Street Massacre kills 7 victims and injures 19,

Australia celebrates its bicentenary, with large celebrations and major funding for capital works projects. The new Parliament House opens. Federal referendums on 4-year parliamentary terms, recognition of local government and other issues are defeated. Brisbane hosts World Expo '88.

Newcastle Earthquake kills 13 people.

Royal Australian Navy deployed in preparation for the First Gulf War.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke is replaced by Paul Keating.

The High Court delivers the Mabo Decision, which rules that indigenous native title does exist. This effectively extinguishes the concept of terra nullius.

Keating defeats John Hewson in the 1993 federal election;

The Northern Territory legalises voluntary euthanasia, but it is overruled by the federal government when Liberal MP Kevin Andrews proposes the Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996

The High Court hands down the Wik Decision, which holds that indigenous native title can survive the granting of pastoral leases.

Expelled Liberal MP Pauline Hanson forms the One Nation Party

A major strike results when Patrick Stevedores attempt to introduce non-union labour to reduce the influence of the Maritime Union of Australia

Both houses of the federal parliament pass a motion signifying both recognition of and regret at past treatment of indigenous Australians.

27th Olympic Games held in Sydney.

Australia celebrates centenary of Federation;

2002 Bali bombings, the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people, (including 88 Australians.

Australian military deployed to Iraq War to oust the Saddam Hussein regime for serial non-compliance with the 1991 Gulf War Peace Treaty.

A bomb explodes outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Asia.

Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla sees a protest against the alleged bashing of a beach lifeguard, developing into an alcohol-fuelled, racially-charged riot.

The Commonwealth Games are held in Melbourne.

Sydney hosts APEC summit.

Kevin Rudd leads bi-partisan Parliamentary apology to the Stolen Generation.

Black Saturday: Massive bushfires swept across Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities.

Kevin Rudd challenged and replaced as leader of the Labor Party by Julia Gillard;

State of Queensland affected by major flooding followed by Cyclone Yasi.

Eulogy written by Yvonne’s daughter Jenny and read by her granddaughter Sharon. Yvonne was born on 2nd December 1921 in Cheltenham Victoria. She lived in Mordialloc until 1924 when the family moved to Dimboola and then to Kaniva in 1930. After leaving school she worked at the local telephone exchange where she first met her future husband Laurie over the phone when he was working at the Serviceton Exchange. Laurie moved to Melbourne to look for work and at 18 Yvonne followed him. They married on 7 February 1942 at Albert Park. Laurie was conscripted into the Army and posted to Western Australia. In 1943 Yvonne also moved to Perth to be with him. Their first child Noela was born in Perth in August 1945. At the end of the war they returned to Victoria eventually settling in the McPhee home in South Melbourne. Whilst living there they had three more children, Barry, Jenny and Karen. In 1959 the family moved to Warrnambool where Laurie took on the job of curator at the Botanical Gardens. It was an ideal life for the children with such a lovely big backyard and gardens to play in. Von and Laurie stayed in Warrnambool for 27 years until Laurie’s retirement. They then set out travelling in their campervan before settling in Kaniva in 1987 where Yvonne remained until moving to Bendigo in 2003. In Bendigo, she first lived at Whitehills Haven and the Carshalton House. Yvonne was a very independent and active person, enjoying a great social like right up until shortly before she died. Her great loves were dancing, playing cards, reading, tennis, red wine, chocolate, walking along the beach in winter, the garden and course her 9 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and one great grandchild. In Warrnambool she and Laurie joined the Caledonian Society and every Saturday night the family went Scottish Dancing. Yvonne’s favourite dances being the Polka and Petronella. Later on they took up Old Time, Modern and New Vogue dancing which they enjoyed for many years both in Warrnambool and Kaniva where they would travel to various country towns in Victoria and South Australia to attend dances. Yvonne loved her games and often arranged card evenings wherever she lived. She taught all her children, grandchildren and first great grandchild how to play 500 at a very early age so she always had someone to play with. Even after being out during the day playing cards shoe would come home and still want to play all night. She and Laurie travelled widely around Australia in their campervan. They made many trips to Western Australia to visit Noela and Jenny. Yvonne especially loved the North West of Western Australia. Yvonne enjoyed helping people. She was a Girl Guide leader for ten years, a regular helper at school canteens, helped with Meals on Wheels and at the children’s reading program at Kaniva School. Yvonne enjoyed spending time with and spoiling her 9 grandchildren. When they grew up and had families she had as much enjoyment and fun with her 14 great grandchildren. (The Rose Beyond the Wall also read at J.J. Potts’ funeral, Laurie's and now Von's) It’s not what we write It’s not what we say It’s how we remember you In our own special way

Yvonne's ashes were scattered at Little Desert, Victoria.