Today is a very special day in Australian history, for it marks the 50th anniversary of decimalisation when we switched from the imperial Pounds, Shillings and Pence to Dollars and Cents.
The TV jingle, which aired for months prior to switchover, was written to the tune of Australian bush classic "Click Go The Shears" and aimed to be so catchy that everyone would find themselves singing it which is turn would help them to remember the date AND to learn the new currency.
In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966.
Clink go the cents folks
clink, clink, clink. Changeover day is closer than you think.
Learn the value of the coins and the way that they appear
and things will be much smoother when the decimal point is here.
In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966.
There were a series of black and white cartoons made to help educate both young and old in teaching them the decimal values when switchover began. It was designed to be far easier to remember, easier to learn and easier to practice than the old currency. However, some of the older generation struggled with the "new money" finding the older way of doing things easier. But for myself? I wasn't even born when decimalisation came in, so dollars and cents make a lot more sense to me than the "old money".
Happy 50th anniversary decimalisation!
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