Letter from Johnny Allen, First Australian Festival of Cabaret, Circa 1980.
JOHNNY ALLEN
http://www.nimbinweb.com.au/nimbin/history/history2.htm
Aquarius
In 1972, scouts from the Australian Union of Students came to the village and persuaded the Nimbin Progress Association to allow a festival to be held here. Johnny Allen, Graeme Dunstan and Paul Joseph organised a celebration of the dawning of the `Consciousness' and `Protest' movements in the heady days of the Vietnam war, free love and marijuana - a festival of discovery .... It lasted 10 days and marked a watershed in Australian popular culture. Many decided to stay and bought up the cheap land available, settling in to a new lifestyle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius_Festival
Aquarius Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aquarius Festival Dates12 to 23 May 1973 Location(s)Canberra, Nimbin Years active1971, 1973 Founded byJohnny Allen and Graeme Dunstan
The Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students. It was the fourth in a biannual series of festivals, first organised by the National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS). The First Australian Universities Arts Festival was held in Sydney in 1967, and the Second Australian Universities Arts Festival was held in Melbourne in 1969. The third added "Aquarius" to its name and was held in Canberra in 1971.[1] The fourth and last was held in Nimbin, New South Wales in 1973.[2]
The Aquarius Festival aimed to celebrate alternative thinking and sustainable lifestyles.[3] The ten-day event was held from 12 to 23 May 1973 and co-directed by Johnny Allen and Graeme Dunstan. Vernon Treweeke also played a part in organising the event. It is often described as Australia's equivalent to the Woodstock Festival and the birthplace for Australia's hippie movement.[4] Estimated turn-up at Nimbin was from 5,000 to 10,000 people.
