Courage beer went on sale in Canberra and Queanbeyan, continuing its assault on the stranglehold held by the likes of Carlton & United and Tooheys on the Aussie beer-drinking market.

Having set up a brewery in Melbourne, Courage certainly shook up the market, including here. Selling for $5 a case, the same price as its big rivals, Courage was doing good business on day one. Narrabundah grocer Mario Rovere sold 10 dozen bottles on day one and over in Queanbeyan the Royal Hotel was ordering in more supplies. It was selling there for 17c a schooner. Bargain.

But alas for Courage, it wasn't meant to be. After a long war for the drinking money of Australian men (and it really was mainly men in the pubs those days), they shut up shop after a decade, beaten by the bigger brewers.

According to one account, the reason the beer failed was a dirty tricks campaign from the big brewers. Apparently a rumour had sprung up saying Courage gave its drinkers diarrhoea.

Of course, in time the beer market would open up, and although there remains very much concentrated ownership behind the scenes, Australian pubs and bottleshops spoil drinkers for choice.

Also on page one was a short story on a stoush in South Australian Parliament over an MP's decision to wear shorts. This was a bit of an issue in a few parliaments around the time as men's fashion standards relaxed and safari suits and shorts seem a sensible response to summer heat. In Federal Parliament the "lone dress reformer" of the House of Reps, Labor Member Bert James, told The Canberra Times he would wear "summer rig" in the house if the weather suited it.

See: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/14535505