Australian Bicentenary A new musical "Manning Clark's History of Australia", directed by John Bell, that was loosely based on the life of historian Manning Clark opened in January at Princess Theatre (Melbourne) to coincide with the Bicentenary, but facing poor reviews and concomitant lack of attendance, closed before the end of February. Significant improvements to Australian roads were made through the "Australian Bicentennial Road Development Program". The event triggered debate on Australian national identity, Aboriginal rights, historical interpretation and multiculturalism. The event was widely viewed as controversial. Planning for the event raised issues of national identity and historical interpretation. Some wanted to
Northern Meeting held in Aviemore due to the renovation of Eden Court Theatre. In 1926 there were 850 people attending the ball. The bicentenary in 1988 was celebrated with a week of events reminiscent of earlier gatherings, with the centre-piece being a ball at Beaufort Castle attended by 1000 people. The piping competition is currently held in early September, one or two weeks after the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban. Many pipers come to Scotland to compete in both events. Other events throughout the year include reel parties, cocktail parties and lunches. The annual solo bagpiping competitions at the Northern Meeting are among