Dear All
Thanks for posting my previous contribution (June) about my work on a podcast to coincide with the Beatles 1964 tour of Australasia. As you can’t have not noticed, there’s been plenty of media attention in recent weeks – including on a very detailed, new book (which I look forward to).
Separately, an old friend (Frank) and I thought we’d try our hand at podcasting (first time) and didn’t know what would come of it. But, it’s out on Apple, Spotify and Youtube (links below). And it’s about as sprawling as the white album in its coverage of issues – race, gender, Australian identity, indigenous issues, and the cultural cringe to name a few.
In our current episode (6) we consider some people who were within the orbit of the band during the tour – and use them to talk about social issues at the time. One fascinating story is a Nigerian journalist/author who happened to be in Sydney in the early 1960s (see his book – An African Abroad, Olabisi Ajala – in some libraries here). He somehow gets to interview the Beatles and discuss the White Australia policy and future of the Commonwealth. Passages from his book are so telling about nationalism, racism, the cultural cringe etc – but it’s a book lost in history I reckon. We also talk about an incredible character by the name of Devon Minchin. He was the father of former Federal minister Nick Minchin. Military experience, author, and head of security for the Beatles tour. A great story.
We also managed to pull off an interview with Bob Katter about this Beatles story in Brisbane. About 30 min into episode 6 and a good laugh.
But I also wanted to mention an interesting discovery through our research (see image). We located some correspondence from the Immigration Department in Sydney to the Beatles promotion team – seeking a kind of photo/meeting opp between the band and some successful migrants (from Liverpool but also the Continent). It didn’t happen but we find it a really interesting sign of the opportunities government was taking to boost migration and the realisation that we might well need more than just UK migrants!
Hope this is of interest and you give the podcast a try. Episodes 1-2 are setting up and more Beatles focussed. Episodes 3-6 go much more into Australian social and cultural trends at the time.
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About Gareth Meyer
Part-time food, wine and travel writer (and photographer), Hawks supporter since Huddo senior had the football on a string, proud owner of Martha the toy poodle.
I’m thoroughly enjoying this series so far. You’ve unearthed some real gems and also a few uncomfortable truths.
Does the recently departed Bob Rogers get a mention in future episodes?
Thanks again Gaz and Frank.
Hey Mark
And thanks for listening and your comments. We do feature quite a bit of Bob through the show – including drawing on his contribution to Glenn A Baker’s 1982 book and historical radio audio from Bob. We haven’t featured him as such because his story has been told many times over the years. We decided to feature in episode 6 a few other interesting individuals who had less coverage over the years. The stories of Betty Stewart and Devon Minchin, for example, are really interesting ones about individuals making their way in post-war Australia.
Gareth