Australia’s first rock ‘n’ roll “riot” is reported to have occurred at Brisbane’s Stadium in November 1956 at about the same time as the Olympic Games were being opened in Melbourne. It heralded the beginning of a period of upheaval for the city and its inhabitants.
Police, court and newspaper reports indicate a time of unrest, a time when the bodgie threat in Brisbane streets had to be beaten and rockers stopped from dancing in the aisles at the pictures and at rock ‘n’ roll concerts. Actions ranging from murder to taking eggs from the cages of prize poultry at the Brisbane exhibition were attributed to those who could be identified by the authorities as being associated with the rock ‘n’ roll movement.
But not everybody took things so seriously. For many teenagers, the late 1950s was a time of great excitement, a time when the voices of young people began to be heard and make a difference.
This book tells, through the memories of some of the people involved, of those voices and of that excitement.