‘Muros’: Monday, 3rd January, 1977

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.

Bladder Control: Wednesday, 5th January, 1977

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.

Friday, 7th January, 1977

During the course of the day: I watched the left-handed American, Roscoe Tanner, easily win the first set of an eventual three-set match in a round of the Australian Open, from Kooyong, in which he played Australian Phil Dent; listened to Sue Smith, of Channel Nine’s “A Current Affair”, being interviewed by the radio personality, Keith McGowan, and tell of the loss of her four-year-old son, and of how she tried for seven years to have another child, before doing so; bought a bottle of Mateus Rose, at Epping, for $2.99; and at 8.30 p.m., on “World Masters’ Snooker” — sponsored by Berger paints — from the Seymour Centre, in Sydney, watched the young, tall and seemingly modest Canadian Cliff Thorburn defeat his Welsh opponent, Ray Reardon, by 135 points to 87, over two frames.

Elvis Presley’s Birthday: Saturday, 8th January, 1977

I watched Ken “Muscles” Rosewall, whom, at forty-two years of age, battled to stave off defeat at the hands of the American Roscoe Tanner before the former succumbed in four sets. Yesterday Rosewall defeated the unlikely winner of last year’s Australian Open, Mark Edmondson, in four sets. Ken’s nickname is “Muscles” because his body looks as though it has none.

At 7.30p.m., on A.B.C. TV’s Channel Two, the “Sportsman Of The Year Award” for 1976 was presented. Cricketer, Greg Chappell, was adjudged to be the winner because of his outstanding form with the bat.

Elvis Presley celebrates his forty-second birthday.

Sunday, 9th January, 1977

Brad Drewett defeated American Tim Wilkinson 6-4  7-6 to win the Australian Open’s junior title. Kerry Reid (nee Melville) defeated Diane Fromholtz 7-5  6-2.

“Private Vices, Public Virtues” screened at the Roma ($4.00 a seat), while across George Street, in Cinema 3 of the Village complex, “Obsession” starring Cliff Robertson and Canadian Genevieve Bujold was screened. A chocolate shake at McDonald’s, in George Street, cost forty cents.

A Pocket-sized Television: Tuesday, 11th January, 1977

A smorgasbord lunch at The Australia Tavern in the new M.L.C. Centre cost $2.95 per head; a glass of lemon squash was forty cents extra. A ‘Gaytime’ ice-cream, on a stick, cost twenty-five cents. What was the Angus and Coote jewellery store at the corner of King and Pitt streets is now Radio Rentals. The activities that are a part of the City Of Sydney Festival continue. We saw an elongated bus, manufactured by Volvo, in Pitt Street. The bus bends literally, via a concertinaed section built into its body, when it negotiates a corner. The weather today was overcast and six degrees cooler than yesterday, with a maximum temperature of twenty-five Celsius.

A pocket-sized television is to be released in Britain. Each set will cost the approximate equivalent of $A275.

Icebergs For Adelaide: Wednesday, 12th January, 1977

This evening on the current affairs programme, “Willessee”, which is presented by Michael Willessee on ATN Channel Seven from seven o’clock, one segment investigates the alleged victimisation of homosexuals by the police at Black Rock Beach, in Melbourne. Another features an elderly scientist who reiterates his belief that Antarctic icebergs should be towed northwards in order to provide the city of Adelaide with a new and sustainable source of much-needed drinking water.

Thursday, 13th January, 1977

A cappuccino cost forty-five cents at The Coffee Loft, in the Roselands Shopping Centre. At the Mr Whippy bar, in the same complex, a giant nut sundae, in a cardboard cup, cost thirty-five cents, and a sundae parfait, which consisted of layers of different syrups separated by ice-cream, forty-five cents.

John Alexander defeated American Tom Gorman, 6-4  6-4, to advance to the semifinals of the $75,000 Marlboro Men’s Championship, in Adelaide.

Australia’s Poor Start: Friday, 14th January, 1977

It has been an extremely humid day, with a maximum of twenty-seven degrees Celsius. At the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia has collapsed to be 9-198 (Gary Cosier, 50), at stumps, on the first day of the Third Test. Play had been interrupted on more than one occasion, due to rain.

On Berger’s “World Masters’ Snooker”, Eddie Charlton defeats his Welsh opponent, Gary Owen, by one hundred and sixty-five to seventy-nine over two frames.