Remember when: Southport shopkeepers were polled about late night shopping over new plans

THE plan put forward by the state’s premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen to introduce unrestricted trading hours was to bring late night shopping to Southport.

Flashback: Southport night shopping

Gold Coast Bulletin, Friday January 20, 1978

THE plan put forward by the state’s premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen to introduce unrestricted trading hours was to bring late night shopping to Southport.

Traders and shoppers were polled to ascertain support for late night shopping.

If both sides agree, the suggestion was to be put to the Premier as an alternative to his open trading hours move.

Southport Chamber of Commerce had checked with 120 shopkeepers to ascertain their views on open trading hours.

Of those, 16 per cent were in favour and 84 per cent were against.

Only 49 per cent of the 120 support late night trading while the remaining 51 per cent were undecided.

Members of the then-newly formed Southport Junior Chamber of Commerce were also to be polled on two questions

* If late night shopping was favoured, and

* If so, whether on a Thursday or Friday night.

Gold Coast Bulletin 1978, January 20. Front Page.

Meanwhile, citizen band radio operators drew fire from almost 300 Gold Coast residents ho made complaints to Telecom over the previous six months.

According to Telecom’s Colin King: “There has been a significant increase in complaints from the Gold Coast, particularly from those who say CB’ers are interfering with their television reception”.

The Gold Coast had far more complaints of TV interference per capita than Brisbane.

Mr King, state supervisor of the Telecom radio section said: “This is mainly because of the increased publicity about the problem and also because the Gold Coast is a relatively fringe-level reception area.”