Half a century may have passed but the memory is still clear. At Canberra High School, my scheduled enrolment for the following year was abruptly cancelled. Come back next week, I was told by the distressed admin woman, the government has just been sacked by the governor general.

By now, you would have seen or read plenty of stories about The Dismissal, as it's come to be known. Naturally enough because 50 years is a significant milestone. Many of you will remember exactly where you were when you heard the news and where you were in the days that followed.

You might also remember the family arguments. Parents who said the government, mired in chaos and scandal, had it coming. Teenagers convinced it was a coup orchestrated by sinister foreign forces.

For Australians, The Dismissal was as

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