From life in small New South Wales country towns to the glitter of Sydney, this memoir explores life in a changing Australia, from age 7 to 17. Especially written and recorded for ABC radio, this book evokes an innocent Australia through a quietly comic delivery, where we witness again holidays in quiet seaside villages, the days when newspapers were king, Decimal Currency Day was a big thing and Beatles haircuts were all the rage. When teenagers were inspired by pop music to a fresh idealism, protest and groovy gear. When man walked on the moon. A journey through the drama and excitement of an Australia now known only by memory. This is the first publication of Growing Up in the 60s as broadcast on ABC's Nightlife several times, and on many ABC regional stations including Broken Hill, Wagga Wagga, Camberra, Upper Hunter, Tamworth and Darwin.
If you remember UV lights, if you loved Easy Rider, if you still know the words to Norwegian Wood and once had a poster of Che Guevara on your bedroom wall — in other words, if you grew up in Australia in the 1960s — you will get a lot of fun with Tom Thompson's book. It is funny and astute and wonderfully nostalgic.
— Jane Cadzow, The Australian
