Two chickens and a grumbling stomach caused a Canberra criminal to fall foul of the law on New Year's Day five decades ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Phillip Allan Walsh felt a bit peckish when he broke into the Kingston Guest House storeroom and helped himself to a couple of fowls, valued at one pound each, from the fridge.
Walsh had been arrested and told police he took the chickens and ate them in his room because he had been hungry.
When police said a knife they thought was his had been found on a table in the storeroom, Walsh replied:
"Fair enough, but I was pretty full last night."
Walsh pleaded guilty to the poultry heist in the Canberra Court of Petty Sessions, where he was the first defendant committed to the ACT Supreme Court that year.
His story was recorded in the dusty pages of a crumbling copy of The Canberra Times builders found when they were digging beneath the Civic court to make way for underground cells in the new justice precinct.
The year was 1966, the prime minister was Robert Menzies, the currency - for a few more weeks - was the pound and the broadsheet featured dedicated women's pages among the news, classifieds and sport.
The front page splashed with news art teacher Donald Brook had resigned from the NSW Department of Technical Education after months of controversy about art teaching in Canberra and a transfer to Sydney.
Mr Brook said in the January 5 article "after all the hoo haa and protests" the department still had not taken "a bit of notice".
A section titled "Three Pages for Women" traversed meaty topics from recent marriage engagements to a recipe for a retro rice and pineapple dessert to help beat the heat on those "depressingly hot Canberra days".
An advertisement for Magnolia Coiffure in Cusack's Arcade in Kingston offered "all 'my lady's' hair styles for day and evening", and "permanent waving, eyebrow arching and manicure carried out under expert supervision".
Another front page story said the cost of bread was set to rise in Queanbeyan, while prices for a loaf in the ACT would remain unchanged until the ACT Bread Manufacturers' Association met to discuss the matter.
In international news, war hero Lieutenant General Robert Nimmo had died in Pakistan and two reportedly Greek-owned tankers carrying "pirate oil" from Indonesia were said to be standing by off Mozambique.
Justice and Community Safety directorate contract manager Sean Egan said the newspapers had been discovered beneath the foundations of the Supreme Court, which was built in 1963.
"We're not really sure how they got there, or who put them there. They were right underneath, in the dirt and the rubble ... in a plastic bag."
"I think someone was maybe trying to get away from their colleagues at lunchtime perhaps. Maybe it was a tradesman having lunch down there, having a sneaky smoke. We're really not sure."
He said the three papers, which included two copies of The Daily Telegraph also from the 1960s, recalled a different era.
Mr Egan noted the dedicated women's pages in the Times and some outdated geographical references to places such as Rhodesia - modern day Zimbabwe.
"The other thing that stands out is the reporting style is still the same, particularly around court matters."
While the newspapers had been the most curious find, Mr Egan said workers also stumbled upon old judges' chambers signs, including one for former Governor-General Sir William Deane.
He hoped they would be displayed in the new building complex, which has started to take shape in recent months.
Construction on the sorely-needed courts precinct overhaul started in March 2016.
It is hoped the new building, which adds two jury courtrooms to bring the total to five, will remedy persistent capacity problems, provide swifter access to justice and serve the ACT's needs for the next 50 years.
The first phase of the $165 million project, which includes a foyer to join both courts and extra Supreme Court courtrooms that front Vernon Circle, should be completed in the first half of next year.
The second phase to refurbish the existing higher court building is set to finish at the end of next year or early 2019, with some early excavation work to take place this summer shutdown period to minimise disruption.
Mr Egan said combining a construction site with a busy courts complex - where building noise had at times interrupted trials and proceedings this year - had been a challenge.
"There has been disruption but we've tried to keep it to a minimum, that's been the aim for the builders the whole way through.
"I think it's slightly affected their timeline more than they thought it was going to, but we're progressing really well."
Mr Egan said the end result would be a "pretty grand civic building" that would feature better security and premises for juries and judicial officers, while honouring the heritage value of the existing Supreme Court.
"It will be one building but it will recognise the unique jurisdictional differences between the Magistrates and Supreme courts. For the punter coming in it will be a seamless one-court experience."
