1970 and the living was easy… a family barbecues at the top of Black Mountain. Photo: ACT Archives “Whatever the future holds, our wondrous capital city, rich with character, learning and politesse, is undoubtedly the place to be,” writes “The Gadfly” columnist ROBERT MACKLIN. ON New Year’s Day, after a splendid dinner with the extended family, we headed home along Adelaide Avenue. Suddenly, we were propelled back 50 years in time – there were so few cars on that beautiful smooth road that it was 1970 once again. Robert Macklin. That was when Canberra’s “rush hour” was 10 minutes around 8.30am and 20 from 4.53pm to 5.13pm. And the most dangerous time, we joked, was mid-morning when ladies of a certain age went shopping in their Morris Majors.