| 
| december 1966 |
The Easybeats' classic Friday On My Mind is #1 in Australia and reaches # 6 on the UK Top 40
The severe drought which has stricken large areas of Australia since 1957, particularly in rural NSW and Qld, is finally eased by widespread rains.
NSW yacht Cadence wins the Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
Major overseas releases:
Tim Buckley - Tim Buckley
Cream - I Feel Free, Fresh Cream
Donovan - Sunshine Superman
The Monkees - I'm A Believer
The Move - Night Of Fear
The Who - A Quick One
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Hey Joe / Stone Free
9 Australia negotiates an agreement for an American spy satellite base to be established at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory.
10 A helicopter crash in Sydney kills three people, the pilot and a man and a woman from an ABC-TV film crew. The chopper gets into difficulty while filming over the centre of the city and attempts an emergency landing on the roof of the AMP building, but misses, careening off the wall of an adjoining office block before crashing through the roof of a third building. The helicopter narrowly misses the Rugby Union Club, where a Xmas party for 200 children is in progress. At the time of the crash UBU filmakers David Perry and Aggy Read are shooting a new film, Harbour, at Darling Harbour and Read manages to capture a dramatic still shot of the doomed helicopter moments before it crashes; his picture is widely used in subsequent media reports of the crash.
12 Lone round-the-world yachtsman Francis Chichester arrives in Sydney in his yacht Gypsy Moth IV
16 The BBC broadcasts the groundbreaking docu-drama Cathy Come Home as part of its regular Wednesday Play series. The teleplay was written by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett, directed by Ken Loach and starred Carol White as Cathy and Ray Brooks as her husband Ray. The episodic story follows the young Cathy as she marries and has children. After her husband is injured in an industrial accident, he loses his job, reducing the family to poverty. They are forced out of their home, taking refuge where they can in sub-standard and temporary accomodation until their children are finally 'taken into care' by the social services. The programme immediately became a TV classic, and has been regularly cited to by critics, researchers and programme makers ever since. Part of its unique status is due to its superb scripting, direction and acting, but it is also considered a landmark production because of its innovative mix of drama and documentary material, and its role in highlighting the power of television to focus attention on social problems, and it remains "an important marker in the long-running debate about television and truth". The screening focussed public debate on the problems of family poverty, homelessness and the methods adopted by local authorities to deal with them; it also led directly to the formation of the housing action charity "Shelter".
22 Australia's military commitment to the Vietnam conflict is increased to 6300 troops, plus an additional 12 tanks, two minesweepers and eight bombers
23 Conscientious objector William White is granted total exemption from military service. Magistrate Mr C. Ward upholds White's appeal against his conscription. His first appeal against his conscription had been rejected by magistrate Mr C. Rodgers in December 1965. (<--22/11/66)
- The UFO club opens at 31 Tottenham Court Rd, London. The promoters are Joe Boyd, Barry Miles and John "Hoppy" Hopkins. The first two events are titled "UFO Presents Night Tripper" after which it becomes simply UFO (Underground Freak Out). The first band on the first night is Pink Floyd.
26 Time magazine awards its Man of the Year honour to 'The Younger Generation'.
31 A New Year's Eve All Night Rave, "Psychedelicamania" is held at London's Roundhouse, featuring The Who, The Move and Pink Floyd
3rd Let It Be Me (EP)
Johnny Young
10th Friday On My Mind
The Easybeats
17th Friday On My Mind
The Easybeats
24th Friday On My Mind
The Easybeats
31st Friday On My Mind
The Easybeats
