Gday...

1874  -     Explorer John Forrest's party fires upon Aborigines during an attack in central Western Australia.

John Forrest was born on 22 August 1847, near Bunbury in Western Australia. Between the years of 1869 to 1874, Forrest led three expeditions, two of them with his brother Alexander, to explore the uncharted areas of Western Australia. In 1869, he led the search for Ludwig Leichhardt's party which had gone missing on their trek across Australia from east to west, a search which was unsuccessful. In 1870, he surveyed the route which Edward Eyre had taken in 1840-41 from Adelaide to Albany, across the Great Australian Bight.

In April 1874, the brothers departed Geraldton with three experienced white men, two aborigines and enough supplies for eight months, in search of a stock route and pasture land to the east. During this expedition, on 13 June 1874, the exploration party was attacked by Aborigines. The Aborigines retreated only when two of them were badly wounded by rifle fire. It is thought that the Aborigines attacked because the Forrest party was camping on sacred ground.

1923  -     Australia sees the introduction of Vegemite.

Vegemite is the registered brand name for a dark brown, salty food paste made from yeast extract, mainly used as a spread on sandwiches and toast. It is popular in Australia and is known as one of Australia's national foods. The iconic Australian spread was first developed in 1922 by food technologist Dr Cyril P Callister when his employer, the Australian Fred Walker Company, had him develop a spread from brewer's yeast after World War I had disrupted the supply of imported yeast spreads.

A trade name competition was held to find a name for the new product, and the winning name of Vegemite was chosen from the entries by Walker's daughter Sheilah, by being picked at random out of a hat. The product was introduced to the Australian public on 13 June 1923. Initial interest and sales were slow, but the product endured through a name change to "Parwill", then a return to "Vegemite" in 1935. Largely an acquired taste, Vegemite is notorious for the dislike it generates amongst some foreigners.

1951  -     Former Australian Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, dies. 

Ben Chifley was born Joseph Benedict Chifley on 22 September 1885 in Bathurst, New South Wales. He was raised largely by his grandfather, and joined the railways at age 15. Moving up to the position of engine driver, he became one of the founders of the engine drivers' union, the AFULE, and was actively involved in the Australian Labor Party. In 1928, Chifley won the Bathurst-based seat of Macquarie in the House of Representatives, and in 1931 he became Minister for Defence, under Scullin. He lost his seat again shortly afterwards when the Scullin government fell, but regained it in 1940, becoming Treasurer in Curtin's government.

Curtin died in July 1945, and Chifley defeated Forde in the leadership ballot to become Australia's 16th Prime Minister. He implemented necessary post-war economic controls, remaining Prime Minister until his defeat by Robert Menzies and the Liberal Party in 1949. Two years later, on 13 June 1951, Chifley died of a heart attack.  

Cheers - John