Category: My Diary

Following on from the film, “The Invisible Boy”, from 1957 — in which Richard Eyer portrays a boy whom, as the film’s title suggests, is made invisible by a computer whose aim is to take over the world — on Channel Seven, an authority on films, Bill Collins, introduces an interview he conducted with British actor, Michael York, on the set of the film, “Logan’s Run”.

At 5.00 p.m., we watched Chuck “The Rifleman” Connors host an episode of the series, “Thrillseekers”, which includes a man who prepares himself to be a ‘human bomb’ inside a coffin. Although he claims to be knocked out each time he performs the stunt, he has executed it three hundred times in four years.

We shopped for our groceries at the store, Jewel, in Caringbah. I later exchanged a ten dollar note for smaller denominations at the Rural Bank, in Engadine.

Bill Collins’ interview today is with James Herriot, the veterinary surgeon portrayed in “It Shouldn’t Happen To A Vet”, in which his character is played by John “Please Sir” Alderton. James is sixty years of age, although he does not look it, and is the author of six books. He appears to be an extremely nice chap.

The news at 6.30 p.m., on Channel Seven, is read by Roger Climpson. There is unrest in Madrid.

At half past eight, on Channel Two, in the British comedy series, “Bless this House”, Sidney Abbott, played by the late Sid James, his wife and son take it upon themselves to fast in order to raise money for charity.

According to today’s copy of “The Sun” newspaper, a teacher, John Weissel, of Leeton, who died from a heart attack, at the age of thirty-three, two weeks ago, has had one hundred and eight dollars withdrawn from pay owed to him by the Department of Education in New South Wales.

A two-bedroom unit on the top floor of a building on Chuter Avenue, in Ramsgate, is for sale at $28,150. Around on Alfred Street and only a block from the beach, a two-storey townhouse is for sale with an asking price of $34,000.

A nice unit on Curtis Place, in Caringbah, but right next to the railway line, is for sale at $30,000. We stopped to look at new units and townhouses at 28 Port Hacking Road, Sylvania. Although they look nice inside, the road is a busy one and their exterior reminds me of the grey stone one sees so frequently used as a building material at Mount Gambier, in South Australia.

At McDonald’s, in Fairlight, a fillet ‘o fish burger cost seventy-five cents, a chocolate thickshake forty-five cents and chicken and chips, one dollar and forty-five.

It is twenty-eight degrees Celsius at 4.45 p.m.

A three-bedroom fibro house on Raleigh Street, in Caringbah, with a large flat backyard is for sale at $37,000. Another similar house on the same street: $34,500. Yet another, run-down but on a large block of land, in Carrington Street, near The Boulevarde; $34,000. A two-bedroom fibro house on Raglan Road, in Miranda, has an asking price of $36,950.

Tiki informed me that her nose was running, to which I jocularly quipped, “It’s probably trying to get away from your face!”

Today is a public holiday to mark Australia Day. Two large bottles of dry ginger ale cost eighty-four cents.

At noon, on Channel Nine, actor Tim “McHale’s Navy” Conway’s character endeavours to break the world’s roller-skating endurance record of one hundred and forty-seven hours, in the film, “Roll Freddie, Roll”, from 1974. Television series screening today include: “Gidget” (5.00 p.m., Channel Seven), “Good Times” (7.30 p.m., Channel Seven), “Charlie’s Angels” (Channel Nine) and the British police drama, “The Sweeney” (10.00 p.m., Channel Seven), which stars Dennis Waterman and John Thaw.

Sydney has experienced a maximum temperature of thirty-seven degrees Celsius. Caringbah experienced sequential short heavy thunderstorms shortly before 4.00p.m.

At stumps in the Second Test, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia is 4-332. Half an hour was lost, this morning, due to the wet state of the ground.

At 7.30p.m., there is a telecast of the lavish presentation, “Follies In Revue”, from Perth. The show features Jill Perryman and Chelsea Brown. The latter was born in America.

Today has been a perfect summer’s day. Just before 2.00 p.m. I went downstairs to listen for the score, in the Second Test, and learned that the right-handed batsman Gary Cosier had just been dismissed for 168 and that Australia had declared at 8-517 (Greg Chappell, 121). Pakistan is 1-186, at stumps.

This afternoon, we spoke to our neighbours and they confided in us of how they hope that their daughter will be placed in a conventional class at her primary school this year. It seems that last year she was placed in one of the new ‘open’ classes, where the partition between two traditional classrooms remained open far more often than not. This meant that there were something like sixty pupils in the one class, often being taught by the one teacher while the other was out of the room, presumably working on preparation.

The couple strongly disapproved of how the pupils in this open classroom were encouraged to bring their pillows and radios to school and be allowed to use them during their time in class. Another thing they did not see eye to eye with was the fact that while each child was ‘contracted’ to complete a specified amount of work each fortnight, it was entirely left up to that child as to where and when this set work was to be done. The neighbours alleged that this had led to pillow fights breaking out within the classroom and/or those who wished to complete their work at school being distracted or irritated by others’ radios.

This evening’s viewing on television includes a repetition of “This Is Your Life”, compered by Mike Willesee and featuring that of singer, June Bronhill, whose surname is composed from the letters within the name of Broken Hill, her home town and a mining city located in the far west of New South Wales. At eight o’clock, we viewed a mediocre episode of the American comedy, “Fay”, which stars Lee Grant in the title role.

After being 2-267, at lunch, Pakistan collapsed to be dismissed, at tea, for 333 (Sadiq, 105). Dennis Lillee finished with the figures of 6-82 and, at stumps, Australia is 1-122.

At 7.00p.m. on Channel 7, “Willesee”, presented by Michael Willesee, a naked man and woman are shown collecting rubbish on Reef Beach. Reef Beach was last year officially declared to be one of the two beaches to be set aside for Sydney’s nudists. From half past seven, we watched a programme of the British-made science fiction series, “Space 1999”, which stars the American husband-and-wife team — of “Mission Impossible” fame — Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Australian Nick Tate, appears in a lesser role.

“Muros” won the Perth Cup, this afternoon, and paid in excess of fifty-five dollars for every twenty-five cents bet on the win tote, on the N.S.W. T.A.B.

It has rained throughout the day, torrentially at times, with the thermometer failing to register above nineteen degrees Celsius.

When I tuned into the fourth day’s play of the Second Test, at 4.30 p.m., I learned that Australia had declared at 8-315 (Rick McCosker, 105) thereby setting Pakistan to score five hundred runs, in order to win. Pakistan was 2-86 when I left the broadcast, however, when I returned to it, at stumps, that score had slumped to be 7-128.

At half past eight we watched the televising of the Wheels Magazine’s “Car Of The Year Award” for 1976. The Volkswagen ‘Golf’ was declared to be the winner.

As it was a dark night, Tiki came up with the idea that we should turn off all of the lights and try to scare one another. Whilst I remained silent, Tiki began to regret the idea and commenced to emit sounds that not only conveyed to me that she was becoming increasingly more frightened but also the position of her whereabouts.

Sensing that she was about to head for the nearest light switch, I reached it first and placed my hand across it. She almost lost control of her bladder when she reached out and felt the hairs on the back of my hand.