23 January 2026
► LOOKING at events on 23 January;
In 1931, in Canberra, Sir Isaac Isaacs was sworn in as Governor-General of Australia, becoming the first Australian-born person to hold the position. His appointment displeased the Leader of the Opposition, and the British Government, on account of his nationality.
Moving forward to 1956, and in Woodville, South Australia, the 250,000th Holden car was built. It was one of the FJ series, which were replaced by the all-new FE series, just six months later.
And in 1960 Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, inside the bathyscape Trieste, descended 10,916 metres into the Marianas Trench, in the western Pacific ocean off the Marianas Islands. The Marianas Trench is the deepest part of any ocean on Earth, and extends 2,550 kilometres and has an average width of 69 kilometres.
In 1970, the first Boeing 747 Jumbo to cross the Atlantic arrived at London’s Heathrow airport.
In 1968 a U.S. spy ship, the USS Pueblo, was seized by North Korean forces, around 28 km from the coast. North Korea claimed the vessel was in their territorial waters, but this was denied by the U S Government. Pueblo remains in Pyongyang, where it is used as a museum ship.
1986, and in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
2003, and the final communication took place between Earth and Pioneer 10, the first Earthly spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt and closely observe the planet Jupiter, which it passed on December 3, 1973. At the time of the final communication, Pioneer 10 was 12 billion kilometres from Earth and heading towards the star Aldebaran, ETA in 2 million years time.
► ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES ON THIS DATE
Joe Dowell, was born in 1940 in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A. He was a pop singer of the early 1960s whose first release was Wooden Heart, which went to No 1 on the Billboard chart in 1961, selling over a million copies and earning a gold disc. He died in 2016.
Barry Stanton was born in 1941 in London, England. He became an Australian rock and roll musician, who appeared on early teen programmes on television, such as Bandstand and Six O’Clock Rock. His first success was Don’t Let Go in 1960. Although popular within Australia, Stanton had little international success and eventually gave up his recording career to become an electrician. He died in 2018.
Vic Urick, alias Vic Ames, died in 1978 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A., aged 52. He was a member of the Ames Brothers singing quartet, which was very popular in the 1950s, with million selling hits such as The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane, You You You, Tammy and Melodie D’Amour.
Horst Wende, alias Roberto Delgado, died in 1976 in Hamburg, Germany at the age of 77. He was a bandleader, arranger and composer, part of the wave of easy listening artists popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
Gordon Fitzgerald Kaye died in 2017 in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England, aged. 75. He was a comic actor of Maltese descent, best known for playing Rene Artois in the English TV comedy ‘Allo ‘Allo
Also in 2017, Bobby Freeman died in San Francisco, California, U.S.A. aged 76. He was a soul singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his 1958 hit Do You Want To Dance?
Patricia Ann Ruth Noble alias Patsy Ann Noble, alias Trisha Noble, died this day in 2021, aged 76. She was a singer and actress who rose to fame as a teenager in the early 1960s and frequently appeared on Brian Henderson’s Bandstand. She was signed to the HMV label where she released her first single Like I’m In Love b/w I Love You So Much It Hurts in 1960.
Today’s photo – Stanley, in the far northwest of Tasmania
Today’s Playlist
| TRACK | RELEASE YEAR | PLAY TIME | PREVIOUS PLAYS | LAST PLAYED |
| Robert Ross – People Like Me | 2025 | 09:05 | 2 | 14/12/2025 |
| 70s Classic Barry Manilow – Can’t Smile Without You | 1978 | 09:11 | 10 | 29/6/2025 |
| Franky B and the Shadowriders – Soul Limbo | 2025 | 09:14 | 3 | 4/1/2026 |
| Comfort Zone –Well Known Artists and Songs + Brothers Four – Girl | 09:19 | 0 | ||
| + Simon May Orchestra & Marti Webb – Always There | 09:22 | 5 | 20/4/2024 | |
| Victoria Eman – Lost My Heart At Christmas | 2025 | 09:26 | 1 | 16/1/2026 |
| Billy May & His Orchestra – Theme From A Summer Place | 09:32 | 9 | 10/11/2023 | |
| Joe Dowell – Wooden Heart | 1961 | 09:36 | 4 | 7/4/2024 |
| Barry Stanton – Beggin’ On My Knees | 1961 | 09:38 | 0 | |
| For a Listener Nat King Cole – Looking Back | 1958 | 09:43 | 1 | 15/1/2021 |
| Diamond Classic – Charting on this day 1966 Al Martino – What Now My Love | 1966 | 09:45 | 6 | 8/6/2025 |
| Diamond Classic – Charting on this day 1966 Herman’s Hermits – A Must To Avoid | 1966 | 09:49 | 7 | 26/12/2025 |
| Shaza Leigh – Rodeos To Rainbows | 09:52 | 3 | 5/12/2025 | |
| Jason Owen – Thank God I’m A Country Boy | 09:56 | 7 | 2/11/2025 | |
| Ami Leigh – Wait & See | 2025 | 10:05 | 1 | 7/12/2025 |
| Watling & Bates with Shelly Jones Band – West Out Of Redrock | 2025 | 10:10 | 2 | 11/1/2026 |
| Mandy Storm – Locked My Heart In Prison | 2025 | 10:13 | 1 | 9/1/2026 |
| Vintage Vinyl Ames Brothers – The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane | 1954 | 10:19 | 2 | 26/4/2024 |
| Ben Walker – Be Different | 2025 | 10:22 | 2 | 11/1/2026 |
| Chet Atkins – Freight Train | 10:27 | 6 | 4/7/2025 | |
| Roberto Delgado & His Orchestra – Save Your Kisses For Me | 10:31 | 2 | 19/7/2024 | |
| Mike Sammes Singers – Red Sails In The Sunset | 10:36 | 0 | ||
| Clare Sisters – Bei Mir Bist Du Schon | 10:39 | 0 | ||
| 70s Classic Samantha Sang – Emotions | 1978 | 10:44 | 8 | 20/4/2025 |
| Dana – It’s Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas | 10:49 | 0 | ||
| John Leyton – Don’t Let Her Go Away | 10:54 | 0 | ||
| Patsy Ann Noble – Better Late Than Never | 10:57 | 0 | ||
| Col Millington – Travelling Man | 2017 | 11:05 | 2 | 1/10/2023 |
| Country Road- Old style country songs + Chris Strohfeld – At Home In The Mountains | 2018 | 11:10 | 5 | 11/3/2025 |
| + Trevor Knight – I Love A Sunburnt Country | 11:13 | 4 | 26/1/2024 | |
| For a Listener Lonnie Lee – Starlight Starbright | 1960 | 11:19 | 10 | 12/4/2024 |
| Vintage Vinyl Bobby Freeman – Do You Wanna Dance | 1958 | 11:26 | 1 | 13/6/2021 |
| Anne Murray – Bring Back The Love | 11:30 | 0 | ||
| David Whitaker Orchestra – The Boxer | 11:35 | 5 | 3/3/2023 | |
| Diamond Classic – Charting on this day 1966 P J Proby – Maria | 1965 | 11:39 | 2 | 6/11/2020 |
| Diamond Classic – Charting on this day 1966 Normie Rowe – Shakin’ All Over | 1965 | 11:43 | 3 | 1/2/2019 |
| Daniel O’Donnell – A Song For The World | 11:48 | 0 | ||
| Tom Pickering & Pierce Pickering Ragtime Five – Just Imagine | 11:51 | 2 | 7/10/2022 |