'Public Service Bird of the Week' - search for winners of the 1970s competition

There's no doubt this photo of former (or maybe current?) public servant Diana Turner from September 1973 captures a truly unique moment in time. But this pic has caused such a stir in The Canberra Times office that I felt we needed a follow-up story.

Here's why:

The pic was found by my colleague David Ellery while using the generic search term 'Canberra bird' in our photo database. The caption reads:

"PS Bird of the Week! Twenty-year-old Diana Turner is an entrant in the Miss Australia Quest. Diana, who comes from Canberra, has just returned from a holiday in Fiji. She is a clerk in the public service, and was recently voted Public Service Bird of the Week. No wonder!"

Um, excuse me, WHAT? Bird of the Week? Not clerk or stenographer of the week but BIRD of the week?

Now my guess is you're doing one of three things after reading that caption - using the word outrageous a lot, wiping tears of laughter from your eyes, or shaking your head in gobsmacked disbelief.

I mean, was there really a competition in our Commonwealth public service that gave out prizes to good-looking women? Like 52 women a year? What was the prize - a stunning pic of you straddling a motorbike to give to your boyfriend? And was there a male equivalent? Public Service Bloke of the Week?

I'd love our readers to help me find Diana Turner - who is now 64 - so I can ask all of these questions and more. Better still, I'd love to find any readers who were once a Public Service Bird of the Week themselves!

If you know Diana Turner or were once a Public Service Bird of the Week (heck, if you even remember the competition being held in your workplace) I'd love to hear from you! Email bree.winchester@fairfaxmedia.com.au