Grahame Bond can’t believe his luck in being picked to kick off the exciting new era of colour television in Australia.
In ’75, to celebrate the change to colour on 1 March, the ABC picked Aunty Jack – a bloke with a mo, half-truckie, half-panto dame who had a tendency to say “rip yer bloody arms off” – to be the face of the occasion.
Despite the Aunty Jack Show finishing up two years prior after only two seasons, the character was revived for a special episode.
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But at three minutes to midnight, 180 seconds earlier than the commercial networks “to wind people up”, Bond as his cross-dressing bikie alter ego went to air with a one-off episode where Aunty Jack laments the impending arrival of the “colour monster”.
Through pioneering special effects for its era, Aunty Jack attempts to prevent colour from dominating the screen.
“I’d be looking at the screen on the left to check where I’d need to place my hands to hold down the control,” Bond said.
When we took all the footage back to England, they were stumped on how we did it.
Growing up, I had a strong affection for the telly and a desire to break free from the rules.
Growing up in Sydney, Bond said his family couldn’t afford a telly with a black and white screen.
Instead, the 81-year-old writer and composer recalls being taken into the city to watch it for free.
“G’day mate, I reckon Australia was one of the last countries to get colour TV, but I remember as a nipper, me old man used to take me to the main street of Marrickville and we’d stand outside a shop window and watch it without sound with the rest of the locals,” he said.
We were in a real state of desperation for some entertainment.
While The Aunty Jack Show is remembered for being a trailblazer in Australian television comedy, it was a rocky road to success.
Firstly, Bond wanted to ring up the host of his show The Aunty Jack Travelling Abattoirs.
In discussions with the ABC, they opted for the more toned-down The Aunty Jack Show.
Next came the backlash when the lead character made disparaging comments about her hometown of Wollongong.
“It went to air and got a thousand complaints and I was mortified,” Bond said.
G’day, if a thousand people didn’t like it, just think about how many blokes did, so we stuck with it.
Then there was the disagreement with Wollongong Council when then-mayor Frank Arkell called an extraordinary general meeting to try and have the show banned.
“Frank Arkell went to the Today Tonight TV show and said they were portraying Wollongong in a negative light,” Bond said.
I went and saw him and told him the pollution levels in Wollongong were seven times over the allowed limit and asked why that didn’t get a mention in the meeting minutes and he nearly had a heart attack.
Aunty Jack’s deep affection for Wollongong
Despite his dispute with Wollongong City Council, Bond has a strong connection to the city.
After his uncle and aunt moved to Dapto, he’d visit regularly and be amazed by the landscape’s beauty as he gazed down from the Bulli Pass.
But there was one thing he couldn’t abide.
“I recall seeing the stunning untouched landscape, and then the BHP steelworks came in and it became a constant source of frustration for me,” he said.
He stated that his contribution to colour television would also be recognised by Australia Post.
“I was asked to use a colour TV moment for a memorial stamp, so you’ll be able to buy a stamp for about three bucks,” he said.
