Prompted by an Australian Consumers Association warning about the dangers caused by faulty mowers, a reporter and a lawnmower maintenance engineer had set out to see how we fared.

While eight of the small group surveyed in Deakin, Hughes, Garran, Watson, Ainslie and Downer were found to be in fine working order, three had faulty blades or blade bolts.

This was a concern because two Sydney children had recently been killed by pieces of blades thrown.

The report said: "It would be unwise to draw hasty conclusions from the inspections made yesterday: the number inspected was too small. But it is clear that householders should inspect their mowers before use and replace faulty parts immediately".

Another story of local interest on page one on this day was the visit to Lake Burley Griffin of British aviator and solo sailor Francis Chichester. A friend of the then Governor-General Lord Casey, Mr Chichester was recuperating after a 107-day solo voyage from Plymouth.

He had arrived in Sydney "tired and haggard" the month before. His sponsors were so worried at reports of his condition they had told him he shouldn't feel obliged to make the return journey.

Undeterred and with a bit more meat on his bones he did, and claimed the title of first solo circumnavigation of the world.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/11624951#