1977 began with John Hutchinson Solicitor now a well established local presence, with work levels having tracked on a steady incline over the previous two years. It was now time to expand the team and John had the perfect person for the job: his brother Gary Hutchinson.
Gary had spent the majority of 1976 on a European sojourn and was due back at the beginning of the new year, the perfect time to bring on a new team member. But those best laid plans were put on hold for a few months as Gary found it too difficult to take himself away from the snow fields of Switzerland. However, the call from home became too great and Gary returned to the Redcliffe Peninsula in April to start working with his brother.
Neither man could know it at the time, but they had just laid the foundations for a long term business relationship. One that would, within a year, give launch to a brand new legal practice which would set both brothers on the path to widespread community respect and recognition.
1977 also saw:
– The Redcliffe municipal library opens on 15 January at a cost of $345,000;
– A tornado damages 73 houses on 20 February in Redcliffe;
– Land sales at Newport Waterways commence;
– Rail disaster kills 83 people in Granville, Western Sydney;
– both the grand finals of the major football codes result in draws and are replayed the following week with St George and North Melbourne emerging victorious;
– controversial television drama Number 96 is cancelled due to low ratings;
– South African activist Steve Biko is killed while in police custody;
– the Nuclear-proliferation pact is signed by 15 nations including the USA and USSR;
– the Enterprise space shuttle makes its first test glide from the back of a 747; and
– Saturday Night Fever, Star Wars, Annie Hall and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are all released;
Births: Cadel Evans (14 February), Darren Lockyer (24 March), Brad Haddin (23 October);
Deaths: Peter Finch (14 January), Elvis Presley (16 August) and Charles Chaplin (25 December).
