First State House Anniversary: A Personal Touch
Today marks the 83rd Anniversary of the iconic First State House opening (in Miramar, 18 Sep 1937), when Mickey Savage, Semple, Lee & various other leading Labour Cabinet Ministers famously delivered decidedly cumbersome-looking furniture through a cheering crowd into the newly-built State House at 12 Fife Lane. It's probably widely assumed that no-one who attended the official opening ceremony all those years ago is still alive today, certainly the crowd was composed almost entirely of adults, with very few kids or teens there to witness the historic occassion. However, my Mother (then 7, now 90) and surviving Aunty (then 5, now 88) certainly attended the opening & are still alive & kicking - they may very well be the last of the attendees still around. Over the last week or so, they've both been speculating on this possibility and reminiscing on the event itself & its surrounding context. Broader Context My Grandmother was a guest at the op