One hundred years ago Don Dunstan was born and 50 years ago, in October 1976, the then South Australian premier published a cookbook. It sounds like a charming eccentricity of the era. It was actually a small expression of a much larger political idea.

On a day marking 100 years since the legendary premier was born, another former premier in Mike Rann recalls his own entry to politics under Don Dunstan's leadership.

Media reports at the time of the proclamation indicate that the beach had a long history of use as an unofficial nude beach, but that those who did so were breaking the law.