The Digger No.14 March 1973

Our back-to-school contraceptive guide

Pages 6 and 7

JUNKIE MURDER

The making of a monster-Parti The body o f Jan O’ Truba, 20, a heroin addict and smallscale dealer, was found with three bullet wounds in the head. Rumors o f killings on Sydney’s smack scene usually remain ru­ mors. Either the bodies are never found, and names are added to Missing Person files, or the victims die o f overdose, and the coroner returns a missing verdict. O’ Truba’s body was tangible, enough to cause the most massive police investigation yet into the city’ s drug scene. But after seven months and hundreds o f inter­ views, the Special Crimes section has been unable to make an arrest.

—Page 3

Bobbi Sykes on Catholic racism Thirty blacks walked out o f the 40th Eucharistic Congress in Melbourne, and Bobbi Sykes writes about the issues and the images: “ There is a common saying amongst blacks in Australia, amongst the indigenous o f all colonised countries really, that

‘the white man came with the Bible when the black man had the land; now the black man has the Bible and the white man has the land\ Page 5 ”

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ESCAPEE IN HIDING: & U.S. SPIES &OUR DEFENCE DEPT.

BLANK PAGE FOR ISSUU VERSION ONLY

Page 1

C’a rn insolence

Defending whom? American intelligence and bureaucratic intertia—

Before December’s federal elec­ tions, the US government stopped giving the Defence Department the intelligence information they were accustomed to receiving. The Americans were going to wait and see. I f Labor would okay the previous government’s deal with the Pentagon, the Defence Depart­ ment could come back in the mem­ ber’s bar. That’s the stoiy, according to a well-placed military expert, and for­ mer army officer. He won’ t be named. US military and civilian attaches stationed in or with welcome access to the Department in Canberra (pre­ sumably having been cleared by Aust­ ralian security to standards set by the previous government) provide an Australian tie-up with the follow ­ ing US military facilities: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration — whose satellites and space monitor net­ works carry out potentially offen­ sive functions; H ie Central Intelligence Agency — which has long-standing links with the Defence Department and which exercises surveillance over Australian operations in foreign, strategic and internal affairs; The Defence Intelligence Agency — concerned with strategic assess­ ment; The Electronic Intelligence Sys­ tem — through which the link to the US from the Australian inter­ ceptor base in Singapore is co­ ordinated. Victorian Socialist L eft sources say that, on an ascending scale o f ten, the quantity o f intelligence “ take” given to Australia under the previous government was class eight. Prior to the election this was reduced to 2/10. They claim that the deal offered by the US was that, if Labor was elected and conformed with their interests, the intelligence “ take” would be up-graded to the 5-6/10 class as a mark o f confidence. From Canberra, Phillip Frazer re­ ports that the closest communication is through the Joint Intelligence Or­ ganisation, an Australian department supposed to evaluate risks to the national security. JIO gets a regular stream o f cables from Washington (and London) every day. This infor­ mation is C IA spytalk;and would be pre-sifted to tell JIO what the CIA wants to tell them. Sir Arthur Tange, Secretary o f the Defence Department, is a cold-war warrior. During the fuss over Indon­ esia’s claim on West Irian in the early ’ 60’s, Tange was the head o f the de partment o f External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs). Rumor has it that he pushed fo r a pre-emptive attack on Indonesia.

A situation Having read with interest (and horror) the article “ Plugging in on the Surrealistic Telephone” (Digger, Jan. 27 — Feb. 13), I thought perhaps I’d send in a few personal comments on the situation o f the person who relies on a machine for life. Joy (my mother age 43) is a kidney machine patient. She’s been on the machine for almost 2 years now and we’ve had it at home fo r about 20 months. Itis a machine that takes over the work o f the kidneys; it comes in a variety o f shapes and sizes, depending on the patient’s age and particular situ­ ation. If your kidneys fail com­ pletely you generally have 2 — 3 weeks to live, unless you have a transplant or go on a machine. Joy had a stroke and can’t have a trans­ plant — i f she did she would most certainly end up with mental failure and possible rejection o f the organ. So she goes on this machine three nights a week for 10 — 12 hours de­ pending on how much fluid she’s taken in. Most machine patients lead rela­ tively normal lives (about the only things Joy can’t do is go swimming and do heavy or strenuous work), and the machine is almost a “ natural” part o f our lives now. But when you are faced with someone who looks like spending the rest o f her life on a machine (unless new developments crop up) certain philosophical and deephitting questions come up like “ What

by Virginia Fraser and Co.

Tange sees maintenance o f close links with the US as essential to national security, but the deal which would make it possible clashes head­ long with the A L P policy o f “ open government.” The Socialist Left, by trying to keep Whitlam to his promise o f “ open government” and the right o f Aust­ ralians to know about and control those “ great decisions” which could involve them in war, hopes the American plants might whither through exposure. Labor’s policy commits it to both joint control o f the bases and to the revelation o f their purposes, but Barnard has been hed­ ging on both points. He’s tried to occupy the middle ground between the threat o f bureau­ cratic overrule from the right by Tange and that o f trouble for the government from left elements in the •ALP, but that ground is rapidly falling away beneath him. There is deepening mistrust be­ tween the establishment o f the De­ fence Department and the Minister. The clash between Tange and Bar­ nard, which came to a head over the resignation o f Barnard’s chief adviser for many years, Clem Lloyd, has been a trial o f strength between the powerful public service chieftain and the bland minister. Lloyd felt forced to resign because Tange, using specious grounds o f pro­ tocol and security, vetoed Lloyd’s presence at the meetings o f Barnard and Lord Carrington, the British De­ fence Minister. Barnard seems to have been the only one in the dark about what was happening. He found himself caught up in a welter o f conflicting state­ ments made by Tange, Lloyd and himself. His public acknowledgement o f his ignorance, and his lame rebuke to Tange, have done little to remove the impression that he is in trouble. I f Barnard wants to fire Tange, it looks as if he’d have to regazette the whole department. A Canberra source says: “ Hartley blew it. I f they give Tange the arsei now, it will look like Bill Hartley made them do it, and they don’ t want it to look like that. ” Meanwhile, Tange is on two other warpaths. He’s after a person or persons unknown who lifted an army liason officer’s briefcase last month that may have contained sensitive documents (and/or his lunch). And he’s after Clem Lloyd’s blood. Tange reckons Lloyd and Brian Toohey (another Barnard staffer who quit after the Carrington fuss) had some­ thing to do with leaks he didn’ t want leaked. There’s talk o f the Crimes A c t in King’s Hall, as Toohey scuttles away from T V cameras to file copy for his new employers, the Financial Review.

kind o f life is this going to be for her/ him?” “ Is it natural to keep this per­ son alive who by all the laws o f na­ ture should have died?” “ What about the day when the machine will have to be switched o ff for the last time?” It’s bad enough coming up against these questions as a young nurse/ doctor but when you the daughter/ son/husband/wife come up against them in the home it kind o f freaks you somewhat! Her position is not very similar to these “ human vege­ tables” but the theoretical questions that crop up are the same and I never forget them. Jodi Adams, Cremome, NSW.

International Women’s Day

Women have never had their rights given them, they have had to gain them through struggle and revolt. This is the essence o f meaning be­ hind the commemoration o f Inter­ national Women’s Day on March 10. In Australia, among the first struggles by women against their exploitation were those waged at the Female Factory at Paramatta. The women were transported convicts confined at the factory and used by their employers as domestics, factory workers and fuck objects. The con­ ditions within the factory were at­ rocious, with women being starved to render them submissive to the barbaric restrictions imposed on

Australia’s first national school kids’ strike is planned for April 11, as part o f a stepped-up campaign for students’ rights. The strike, which is being organ­ ised by the newly-formed National Education Action Coalition, will be the third major school kids’ strike in 11 months. The other two, organised by the VSSU and by Education Action Groups in Victoria and NSW, were held in May and September last year. While school kids’ action has be­ come increasingly common overseas, Australian action has been limited mostly to sporadic insurrections in individual schools over particular situations in those schools. Elizabeth Wheelahan, Education Action Group member and ex-student o f Sunshine High (one o f Melbourne’s underprivileged western suburbs schools), saysi student action to date “ has brought secondary students to­ gether in solidarity. We’re learning by our mistakes, learning to organise ourselves. “ Last year’s May 31 strike sent nothing productive back into the schools. But this year w e’re much stronger . . . There are more new people at every meeting. Our con­ tact list is growing every week. ”

100,000 to 200,000 political prisoners are held in South Vietnam, as Thieu suppresses centre political elements. Ho Ngoc Nhuan, a member o f the Cay Tre opposition party in the national assembly, has told o f an American-sponsored police program named “ F6” which is replacing the recently-discontinued CIA-organised Phoenix (assassination) Program. Ho Ngoc Nhuan also describes the conditions in theChiHoa,. prison in Saigon, where, o f the 7,500 inmates crammed in, only half are people jailed for violations o f the civil criminal code. The others are political prisoners — such as catholic and buddhist conscientious objectors — and the “ dac biet” '(special category)prisoners arrested and detained without trial under the authority o f the “ security committee” . A Committeeto Free Political Prison­ ers in South Vietnam can be contacted at YCW, 355 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne (67.9896).

It’s a shanks pony for rockers by Jenny Brown The big rock show at the Mel­ bourne Showgrounds, ‘Down Under Rock’ , scheduled for Monday, March 12, will not be catered to by the Victorian Railways in the way o f special expresses, or anything else. ‘Down Under Rock’ will topline the reformed Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, and is being presented by the Australian Entertainment Exchange (AEE) and Jovan Productions. Ray Evans o f AEE is upset by the decision that no trains would run to the grounds, since thousands are expected. Special posters for stations have been printed, and train services

have been advertised for the event. Evans was informed o f the change by the Royal Agricultural Society, who handle the site. Evans claims that the rail ban for the show was instigated by the Victorian Racing Club* when it realised that the Labor Day date clashed with that o f the big money Australia Cup, a horse racing event at the nearby Flemington race­ course. Evans says that the three directors o f the Royal Agricultural Society are also VRC directors. It was, allegedly, felt that Aztec Energy, or similar loud noises, would upset Flemington thoroughbreds, or possibly even patrons.

Address letters/telegrams to: The Digger, P.O. B ox 77, Carlton, Vic., 3053

them, and it was this that pre­ cipitated the great riot and escapade from the factory in 1827: “ . . . the Amazonian inmates, amounting to seven or eight hundred . . . rose upon the guards and turn­ keys, and made a desperate attempt at escape by burning the building. “ The military were reinforced; the magistrate made them load with ballcartridge, and the desperados were eventually subdued. This unladylike ebullition was considered, I am as­ sured, the most formidable outbreak that ever occurred in the colony, not even excepting that o f Castle Hill in the year 1804! I believe that the periodical close-cropping o f the women’s hair was the prime cause o f the outbreak!” (Report o f Lt. Colonel Godfrey Charles Mundy, Our Antipodes. London 1852.) It was later, in America, however, that the significance o f International Women’s Day germinated. On March 8, 1908 for the first time in Ameri­ can history women garment workers marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and improved working conditions at the factory. They were

met by a hostile constabulary force who savagely beat them and arrested many o f the women. The American women’s militant agitations and pro­ tests over sweatshop conditions were not heeded until a shirt factory on New York’s Lower East Side caught fire, killing several women and in­ juring many others. Now the organ­ ising o f women workers spread rapid'y. Tw o International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILG W U ) shops in New York and Philadelphia struck in September o f 1909. Thirty thou­ sand workers joined the strike. Throughout a cold winter these w o­ men picketed, held mass meetings, tand built their union, sometimes at the rate o f one thousand new mem­ bers in a day. Again the picket lines were attacked by police and there were dozens o f arrests. The courts were not sympathetic. One judge informed a striker: “ You are on strike against God and Nature, whose prime law it is that man shall earn his bread in the sweat o f his brow. You are on strike against God.” Throughout the world the first decades o f the twentieth century saw a rising struggle and militancy

Evans also said that the station at the Showgrounds was owned by the Royal Ag. bunch, and that under the rather limited agreement signed, AEE and Jovan could do nothing. The VRC, asked about the matter, said, ‘ring the Royal Agricultural Society — we don’ t know anything.’ The Royal Ag. public relations department said, ‘We don’ t know anything — ring the Victorian Rail­ ways.’ The Railways said, “ There will be no special trains running to the Showgrounds that day.” They didn’t know why, and they didn’ t know who owned.the station at the grounds.

amongst women demanding their rights. Every defeat only served to make them more determined. It was the courage and inspiration given by the women garment workers o f America that led to a meeting o f 100 women from 17 countries in 1910 in Copenhagen to resolve that March 8 should in future be celebrated as an international women’s holiday throughout the world. Since that time women o f the world have united in their cities on March 8 to pay tribute to our feminist forebears and to reinforce the solidarity and struggle for women’s equality and self-de termination. This year in Melbourne, Inter­ national Women’s Day will be marked by two important events. A t 7.30 pm on March 8 in the Assembly Hall, 156 Collins Street, the Women’ s Lib­ eration Movement will be convening a public Speak-out! on the status o f women. On Saturday, March 11) at 10 am women will meet at the City Square to march against oppression, to de­ mand equal rights in the family, abortion on request, equal education and job opportunities, and an end to lower wages for women. There will be speeches singing and street the­ atre. The March will be through the streets o f Melbourne to the Fitzroy Gardens where there will be further speakers and then it is intended that the gathering should break up into rap groups for the rest o f the after­ noon. The International Women’ s Day activities are aimed at bringing w o­

EAG was formed to organise the September strike last year, and its aim is to form a broad coalition o f students; broader, in class terms, Elizabeth suggests, than the range the Victorian Secondary Students’ Union could represent. She believes the VSSU is “ pretty well dead.” “ Anyway,” she adds, “ the VSSU never gave much o f a lead — that’s not what it wanted to do. Indivi­ dual students could give their per­ sonal opinions, and talk.about their* problems. But it was there more for talk than fo r action.” Elizabeth left Sunshine High for a Camberwell community school at the end o f last year. She says, “ We don’ t support the idea o f alternative schools . . . all the radical kids who end up there have been taken out o f the places they’re needed most. “ One difficulty is that, when a radical group forms in a high school, they’re usually fairly high up the school by the time they get organ­ ised, and there’s not much contact between them and the younger kids. A small radical group has to be tightly-knit, in order to protect it­ self. And then those kids leave, and the younger ones have to start from scratch. “ I would have been kicked out o f

Sunshine High as soon as I was 1 5 .1 guess I was a stirrer.” Elizabeth is now in third form. She is 13. Digger remarked on her precocity o f expression and tone. “ Oh, that gives me the shits. That’s just age chauvinism. I’ve had to learn to talk — I’ve had to out­ argue the headmaster.” *

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The basic demands o f the NEAC and other affiliated student action groups include the right to selfgovernment and a say in school and education planning and running. The demands o f the coming strike as listed in a Victorian EAG news­ letter are: — equalisation o f education opp­ ortunities, especially in working class areas; — freedom o f dress and appear­ ance — no compulsory school uniforms; — freedom o f expression — the right to print and distribute mat­ erial within the school without censorship; the right to criticise without political censorship and the right to form political groups in the school and the right to invite any speaker; — democratic students, teacher, parent control o f schools; — desegregation o f schools as a way o f discouraging role-cond­ itioning; — an end to corporal punishment; — more education finance and teachers. The NEAC was formed at the January Conference o f national activists at Sydney University, which decided on the national strike. There were 59 delegates — who must be secondary school students — and 12 observers from NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the ACT. The first session was chaired by Mike Jones from Sydney, and the standing orders evolved at the con­ ference stated among other things that only delegates could vote or have full speaking rights, though others could speak on vote o f conference. Topics discussed included sexual and economic discrimination as they are currently in schools; the forma­ tion o f Gay Liberation groups; and the possibility o f student-worker co­ operation. The Victorian Education Action Group can be contacted at P.O. Box 130, Carlton, 3053; it meets every Saturday at 1 pm in the Under­ graduates’ Lounge, Union House, Melbourne University. NSW Educa­ tion Action Group, P.O. Box A444, Sydney South, 2001.

Michael Stephens escaped from a mental health authority prison ward. He talked to us where he’s hiding out, about the craziness in Victoria’s jails. Page 5.

men closer together. The new fem­ inists ask that women everywhere rise up, unite and march against exploitation and oppression. Adriana, F o r International Women's Day Committee, 1973

Newfong off

Virginia Fraser is very mistaken in stating that John Newfong was “ the first black secretary o f the F e d era l C o u n c il fo r the Advancement o f Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders” (D igger no. 12, February 10). He was, in fact, the third non-white secretary and then only for a period o f about six weeks. In the interests o f accuracy, I would point out that I was elected secretary o f FC A A T SI in 1968, followed by another black woman, Mrs Dulcie Flower, in 1969. Most Aboriginal people would agree, I think, that John Newfong’s brief period as secretary o f FC A ATSI and very recent experience as editor o f Identity, * hardly qualify him to “ call on Bryant to quit” — whatever the reasons for his present championship o f Mr Manfred Cross. Faith Bandler, General Secretary, FC AA TSI. * John Newfong has been sacked as editor o f Identity since Digger No. 12 appeared. Bandler’s letter arrived too late fo r inclusion in Digger No. 13. -E d .

Send Brown

As anyone riding in a Brisbane Black and White cab with the twoway radio tuned to channel 2, on the night o f the Stones’ concert, would have heard: Following a warning by the oper­ ator concerning traffic snarl on main drag leading to Stones’ venue (Milton Tennis Courts, scene o f last gener­ ation’ s Harris Cup Glories 20 years ago), out o f the static came the plaintive cry o f a woman taxi driver: “ Oh my God! It’s Woodstock!” P.S. I f Jenny Brown doesn’ t mat­ erialise up here some time I’ll put a “ FEM ALE W AN TED ” in Nation Review! Harry F. Anning, Tomewin, NSW.

Buoyancy no

Evil Brown, whom most o f us know as Tony Gellel, editor o f a new publication, Jep magazine, appeared in an article in your last issue o f Digger. In this issue it was inferred that Jep was being financed and run by Buoyancy. This is not the case. A new company, Aztec Publications, has been formed to produce this magazine, the two main principles o f this company being Tony Gellel and myself. Harvey J. King, Managing Director, Aztec Publications.

March 10 — 24

Page 2

The Digger

Skirmish between money

Transexual democracy

The nominations for all elect­ orates in the March 10, South Aust­ ralian state election, were published in Adelaide last week. Nominations for the seat o f Unley read: G.R.A. Langley, legislator, Unley, ALP; J. Mac, entertainer, Parkside, LCL; S. Creamcheese, groupie, North Adelaide, HBP. The party designation indicated after the last mentioned nomination represents Happy Birthday Party Mr. Creamcheese, most often called Susie, but formerly Paul Paech, is 21. He describes himself as “ the best cricket playing, guitar strumming candidate in Unley.” His opponents in the seat, Gil Langley and Johnny Mac, were for­ merly well known as a test cricketer and a country and western singer. Susie snidely refers to them as “ show­ men o f past decades.” Claiming his election platform to be a carton o f creamcheese, Susie said,he entered the election race be­ cause he was “ aware o f the deficien­ cies and basic contradictions o f our electoral system and the entire gov­ ernmental structure o f our society.” Explaining a little bit about the Happy Birthday Party, he said “ Our policy is fundamentally to assert the existence o f a reality different from that propagated by both political parties in South Australia, whose entire activities are based on their allegiance to the WASP-progress-work ethic; thus electric trains, chemical, plants and shopping malls become the central electoral issues. “ We assert the possibility o f a people-centred society based on a sense o f life celebration and playful eroticism and levity.”

Published by Hightimes Pty Ltd, 127 Queensberry St., Carlton 3053 Postal Address: PO Box 77, Carlton 3053 Telephone: 347-6811 Postal address: P.O. Box 77, Carlton, Victoria, 3053. Editing: Phillip Frazer, Helen Garner, Bruce Hanford Administration and circulation: Garrie Hutchinson Advertising: Terry Cleary Artwork and layout: Ian McCausland Reporting: Jenny Brown, Colin Talbot, Virginia Fraser Subscriptions and typesetting: Helen Keenan Sydney office: Editorial — Jon or Ponch Hawke's. Advertising— Michael Zerman. 15 Avenue Rd., Glebe Telephone: 660-6957 Distributors: New South Wales: Allan Rodney Wright (circulation) Pty Ltd, 36-40 Bourke Street, Woolloomooloo, 2021. Telephone 357-2588. Victoria: Incorporated Newsagencies Company Pty. Ltd., 113 Roslyn Street, Melbourne, 3003. Telephone 30-4222. South Australia: High Times (V ic­ toria) Pty. Ltd., Cl- Mother's Book Farm, 1 Corammandel Place, Adelaide. West Australia: P. and H. Redman, PO Box 3, Palmyra, 6157.

SA Cops planted

Published fortnightly throughout Australia. Cover price is recom­ mended retail maximum.

The Digger accepts news, feat­ ures, artwork or photographs from contributors. Send material with a stamped SAE if you want it back, to The Digger, P.O. Box 77, Carlton, 3053. The Digger is a member o f the Underground Press Syndicate (UPS). Sculpture on cover is by Joel Elen­ berg. The sculpture no longer ex­ ists. A t its exhibition, a visitor freaked out and destroyed it.

Back numbers Back numbers o f The Digger 1-12 are available from the office for 45 cents each. Send postal order or cheque to: Back Numbers, The Digger, P.O. Box 77, Carlton, 3053.

Nylon

ro ts y o u

Twelve months worth o f The Digger, 26 issues, will set you back $7.80. Unless you come under one o f the following categories: OUT-OF-TOWN SPECIAL: If your postcode is 25 miles from a capital city, you can have one year’ s subscription for $5 all up. QUEENSLAND S A LV A T IO N SPECIAL: If you live in Queens­ land, the oddsv are you’re not reading this unless you’ve already subscribed, given the effective ban o/i The Digger by distributors in the northern state. However and whether or not, Queenslanders pay only $5 regardless o f their city/country status.

I Helen Keenan, Subscriptions Manager, | The Digger, P.O. Box 77, ■ Carlton, 3053.

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Dear Helen, I enclose my cheque/postal order for $7.80/$5.00 ($5.00 subs are only available to subscribers living outside a 25 mile radius of capital cities, or in Queensland). Please put me down for one year’s subscription to T h e D ig g e r (26 issues).

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South Australian police say they have been handed 70 envelopes con­ taining 10 marijuana seeds and the following message: “ Greetings. The manufacturers o f Happy-Stone made marijuana joints are proud to an­ nounce the launching o f their pro­ duct in your state. Naturally we expect the same protection and pre­ ferential treatment that is extended to alcohol and nicotine manufac­ turers. ^Sincerely Yours (then comes the infinity symbol). P.S. Enclosed are 10 marijuana seeds to help make your future brighter.” The police had the seeds checked and found they were the genuine article. All envelopes had suburban Adelaide postmarks. Some sort o f investigation is under way, as they say.

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Make cheques payable to Hightimes _ | Pty. Ltd. crossed not negotiable. I

Melbourne gynaecologists and GPs report a marked increase in vaginal diseases including warts and fungoid growths since synthetic b i­ kini underpants and panti-hose be­ came popular women’s underwear about five years ago. According to a report in the Melbourne Age, doctors have found that synthetic pants allow normally occurring body germs to multiply much faster and more vigourously than usual, and recommend cotton or open weave pants as a prophylactic One doctor says he now sees three to four women a day with diseases attributable to the wearing o f synthetic underpants, and others have found women with warts on their upper thighs and one with warts outlining the seams o f her pants, the report said. One young woman who was suffering from an infection changed to cotton underwear and her infec­ tion disappeared within 24 hours.

SOURCE

BOOKS

William Blake’s Illustrations to The Grave — $6.00. Swami Satchidananda: His Bio­ graphy — $2.25. Dome Book 2; Lloyd Keahan — $4.60. The Master Game; Robert de Ropp — $2.65. The Joyous Cosmology; Alan Watts - $2.35. How to Talk Dirty and Influence People; Lenny Bruce — $2.35. Independent Film Making; Lennie Lipton — $6.45. The Gnome Wore Gym Shorts, Build It Yourself, Self Dis­ covery, Free School Talkin’ Blues; Sam Yanes — $2.35. Mail orders shipped anywhere — just add 20c postage.

4 HOTHLYN HOUSE ARCADE, MANCHESTER LANE, MELBOURNE.

March 10 — 24

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The battle fo r W oolloom ooloo is one o f those brain-fagging skirmishes between people who live in a place, and other people who want to kick them ou t so that the land can be used more profitably. W oolloom oo­ loo is an old suburb on a slope down to the wharves beneath Syd­ ney's King's Cross. The residents are being squeezed by government agencies that want to plow them under fo r freeways, railways, and office blocks, and by private developers with a letch fo r near-city land.

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The Builders' Labourers, led by secretary Jack Murtdey have p u t their weight on the side o f the residents. Together with the Feder­ ated Engine Drivers and Fireman's union (the men whb operate heavy equipment), they have placed a black ban on all demolition o f residential housing in the 'Loo. Grant Evans, reporter fo r the communist weekly, Tribune, and his mate, Syd Shelton, a photographer, went door-knocking in the ’L o o last week. Evans reports: Everyone we m et opposed the developers. The black ban has stopped demolition work, and the WRAG and t.\e unions are proposing a different future fo r the 'Loo. They want the old waterside suburb re­ built with low and medium-rise resi­ dential units, including terrace houses. A leading Sydney architect, Neville Gruzman, is drawing-up a People's Plan fo r W oolloom ooloo. The plan is comparable to the altern­ ative scheme that unions and resi­ dents produced fo r another historic inner-city area, The Rocks.

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Press repression in A m e rik a

NEW Y O R K (UPS) - Eight pol­ ice raided the Greenwich Village offices o f the Underground Press Syndicate last month, and arrested two reporters on firebomb charges. Arrested were Cindy Ornsteen, and Thomas Forcade, the UPS Washington correspondent — the only underground press reporter with credentials for both houses o f Congress. The FBI made the arrests after indictments were handed down by a secret Federal Grand Jury in Miami Beach, the city where both reporters covered the Republican convention which nominated Nixon — seven months ago. Forcade was arrested the last night o f the convention for driving without a licence, and reckless driving. The truck was searched at the time, revealing only a candle and a can o f gasoline used /to fuel a generator, which powered the truck’ s sound system. However, the FBI now contends there were several cans in the truck “ filled with a wax-like mixture o f potassium nitrate and sugar, with matches inserted.” Forcade says: “ This is a plant.” The two reporters were charged under the new National Firearms

Act. Their alleged offences carry a maximum penalty o f 10 years jail. Both reporters were released on $50,000 property bonds; Forcade had to fork over an additional $2,500 cash bail. The FBI unsuccessfully applied for the imposition o f $50,000 cash bails. The UPS office says: “ This is apparently the latest development in attempts by the Nixon adminis­ tration to justify its illegal spying actions carried out at the Water­ gate. The Watergate defendants testi­ fied that they felt it necessary to spy on the Democrats in order to prevent ‘greater crimes’ — violent attacks on the government by radi­ cals. Since no such attacks occurred, the administration has now found it necessary to fabricate potential attempts — such as the firebomb charge against Forcade and Orn­ steen and the similar case, now pending against members o f the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, in Gainsville. * * * The FBI has also busted Jack Anderson’s lead reporter. Anderson i is the syndicated columnist who embarrassed the Nixon regime by disclosing the collusion between the

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government and the International Telephone and Telegraph. IT & T got favors in return for a large donation to Republican party cam­ paign funds. Last November, several hundred native Americans occupied the o ff­ ice o f the Bureau o f Indian Affairs in Washington, DC. They seized the Bureau’s files. The files document the way the American government co-operates with companies to rip o ff resources from Indian lands. Anderson has been printing mat­ erial from the seized files. After the material has been copied or pub­ lished, the native Americans have been returning the files to the FBI, through a “ blind drop” system.'As some files were being returned, FBI agents arrested three o f the native Americans, and Anderson’s number one reporter, Les Whitten. The native Americans, Hank Adams, Daniel Pidgeon and Allison Cerri, and reporter Whitten, have all been charged with possession o f stolen government documents, which carries a 10 year maximum sentence. Whitten told UPS reporter Jack Schwartz that the arrest was a bla­ tant violation o f his First Amendmen reporter’s rights, “ un American” , and “ foolish, because now the government may never get their files back.”

Shadow zone The Divine Light Mission — ‘ I can give you eternal peace’ — is having trouble with the temporal life. The mission, whose spiritual leader is a plump 15 year old Indian boy, applied to the Fitzroy Council for a loading zone at the side o f their inner suburban secondhand goods shop. Unfortunately they seemed to have forgotten to first get a permit to run their business and the council is now investigating their activities — which include leaving pamphlets ask­ ing for old clothes in the letterboxes o f Fitzroy residents. The council cast another shadow across the light when it refused the mission a permit to open a flower shop in a part o f Brunswick Street that is zoned light and local industry by the Board o f Works.

from standing

WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY (UPS) — A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that “ it doesn’ t make sense” for a 16-Y-O high school student to run for a seat on the Board o f Education. The ruling came after Stephen Vittoria, Mountain High School so­ phomore, filed a petition for the only vacancy on the West Orange school board, only to have the board reject it because o f his age.

Mother

A young Greek woman has been given part o f her mother’s cunt in what is probably the first successful transplant o f its kind in the world. The transplant, reported in the British Medical News, was performed by Dr. Nicolaos Papanicolaou o f the Aristotelian University, Salonika. He was consulted by the woman — who is described as having a well develop­ ed body and secondary sex charac­ teristics. The woman’s mother, a 48 year old widow, needed an operation for uterine repair. Believing that it was possible to successfully transplant a cunt from a close relative, Dr. Papanicolaou grafted the mother’ s vagina and part o f her cervix into the daughter. The mother left the hospital 10 days after the operation and the daughter’s transplant was working well three weeks later. She is re-; ported as now being able to have ‘normal sexual intercourse’ . And following the operation’s success the unit has carried out three more.

High pressure job A photostat o f this letter arrived in the p o s t We believe it is authentic, al­ though we cannot positively identify the source; we received a telephone re­ quest from a man a few days after it came, asking us to destroy the envelope. Following the publication o f several books on Victoria's “Bolte Era", readers may find it an interesting bit o f historical marginalia. We have added a gloss, on one o f the sorts o f “great pressure" Rylah was facing at the time illness retired him from his position as Chief Secretary. Dear Mr. Dillon, Following our recent ’phone conversation, I have pleasure in reporting on Sir Arthur Rylah’s recent illness. He was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital Casualty on the morning of 5th March, 1971, following collapse at his office in Parliament House. There was a history o f hypertension, treated intermittently, chronic bronchitis and heavy smoking. The clinical diagnosis o f intra-cerebral haemhorrage was confirmed by lumbar puncture which showed evenly blood stained cerebrospinal fluid. An aneurysm arising from the left anterior cerebral artery was found by angiography, performed by Mr. Keith Henderson, but it was thought unwise by Mr. Henderson to consider a direct operation on the aneurysm, because o f the high risk with such a procedure, not only in a fit man with a similar lesion, but particularly in Sir Arthur who, by this time, had developed bilateral bronchopneumonia. His condition gradually deteriorated and was extremely serious during the night o f 31st March, when he developed a temperature o f 41°C. thought to be due to a combination o f brain stem involvement resulting in disturbances o f temperature regulation and, secondly , from bronchopneumonia. Following control o f temperature and shock, he was transferred to intensive care unit on 1st April, 1971, for respiratory care including tracheostomy. He remained in coma from about 29th March, 1971 until late June, early July, by which time brain recovery was evident and rapidly improving. During this period it was necessary to feed him almost entirely by intravenous infusion. A further complication o f his brain damage was epilepsy, which proved extremely difficult to control medically. Following recovery o f consciousness, his cerebral state improved, rapidly up to the time o f discharge on 9th August, 1971. Subsequently, he has been followed in physiotherapy with satisfactory control o f his blood pressure. The basis o f his cerebral damage was ruptured intracerebral aneurysm, while long standing hypertension may have had a direct effect in producing the aneurysm, it was clearly a major factor in the haemhorrage from the aneurysm. With regard to work liability, it may be recalled that he was under great pressure during the week prior to his cerebral haemhorrage and this pressure, may have resulted in higher than normal blood pressure readings but there is, insufficient evidence that such stresses are associated with significant rises in blood pressure, and certainly there is no direct information available to assist in this particular case. There is no doubt that the major cause o f his tension included factors other than his work, so that if there is any work liability, it is only a small proportion o f the whole, 5% or less. I would be pleased to discuss the question o f work liability further; if you so desire. Yours sincerely, George S. Hale.

In February, 1971, the suspended Superintendent o f the Victoria p o l­ ice traffic branch, Jack Matthews, parked his green Ford under a stock overpass by the Flemington sale yards, walked a few hundred yards, and g ot into a white car parked in fro n t o f Michael's Pastoral hotel ( the name's since changed). Sitting in the white car was Charles Wyatt Wyatt was facing trial on 14 counts o f doing abortion; Matthews was facing trial fo r conspiracy to ex to rt money from abortionists. He was meeting Wyatt to get information to dis­ credit witnesses fo r the prosecution, including Peggy Berman, the “ baglady" o f Melbourne's abort racket, who was testifying against him. A tape recorder was planted in Wyatt's gar, with its microphone in the radio speaker. Seventy yards away, hidden in the p o rtico o f a

Dennys Lascelles Ltd. office, were a, reporter and a photographer fo r the since folded Sunday Observer. The photos and the tape went to Dr. B ert Warner. N o story ever ap­ peared in the Sunday Observer. In one interesting passage, Matthews told Wyatt that the then A cting Commissioner o f Victoria Police, Reg, Jackson, had been present at the famous meeting o f Su p t Frank Hol­ land and Sydney aborter Dr. George Smart, at die Police Club. ’ It's believed that the material ¡found its way to two high govern­ ment officials via an intermediary from Wainer. A week later, A rthur Rylah collapsed. One o f the photos taken that day appears in Peggy Berman and Kevin Child's newly released book, Why Isn’t She Dead! (G old Star Publications).

March 10 — 24

The Digger

by Bruce Hanford

This is a story o f several parts. In this first part, our reporter takes an interest in the murder o f a heroin dealer in Sydney, and in the actions o f the police. H e describes how he began the job, disconnected, knowing not what sort o f story to write, nor where to start finding out. Taking this path, he encounters various World views and warnings, o f uncertain reality. A s our first instalment closes, our reporter is displaying signs o f ill-ease. . . * The Wakehurst Parkway runs through Frepch’s Forest on Sydney’ s North Shore, towards Narrabeen, and by a left bend past some chicken farms there’s a small clearing where rubbish has been dumped. Beyond the clearing there’s an embankment, covered with more rubbish. Saturday afternoon. September 2 last year, the police heard from a motorist who’d found a body down there. The body was male, handsomely built, about six feet long, with slightly olive skin, yet blond and blue-eyed. It was clothed in a fawn jumper, blue-striped shirt, and white jeans, and partially concealed by a ¡couple of boards and a fragment o f lino. Apparently no drugs, money or ID were found with the body. How­ ever, the victim was known to the local police. Jan O’Truba, 20, o f the Spit Road, Mosman, had been re­ leased on probation from Goulbum Jail in June. His government haircut was just growing out, after serving six months (the judge’s minimum) o f a two-year sentence for robbing the Dee Why All-Night Chemist shop. Paul G and Boxer John went into the shop with him, to collect the dope while Janni waved a hatchet, on or about the evening o f August 13,_ 1971. Janni* had cruised the Cross in a borrowed car, with an old girl friend, trying to score a pistol to add some class to what was probably his first and only armed robbery, but he failed. The hatchet was available. A couple o f plainclothesmen were driving along Pittwater Road in a regular, marked police car. They were going south, right by the chem­ ist shop, intending to take the next right turn and go up to Dee Why police station, a couple, o f blocks away. They saw three longhairs come out o f the shop with their bagful o f dope, and a hatchet, and it looked suspicious. According to a friend o f the longhairs, Boxer John “ beat shit out o f one cop, and the other cop just froze, and Janni took o ff running. Then reinforcements came.” The person who told me that wasn’t there. A cop who was among the re­ inforcements told me, “ No police­ man was struck . . . the boxer, who was from Victoria, jumped a fence and h id , in some bushes, until the cops left. We picked him up where he lived, the next morning . . . actually, I regarded O’ Truba as a very mild sort o f man.” Janni could steal, but he could not rob. *

*

*

“ Whatever was going on, Jannr always went home,” Fm told. The Friday night before his body was found, he didn’t show up at his mother’ s place. The people closest to him reckoned he’d either been busted, or OD’d. You may know the bit — checking with the cops. He wasn’ t in jail. So it was assumed he’d OD’d . . . then the men showed up to take Janni’s mother down, to positively identify his body. Proximate cause o f death was three bullet wounds in the head. The police will not release inform­ ation about the location o f the wounds, or the calibre o f the firearm that produced them. I believe at least_one dug was recovered, that the weapon was a .32 pistol, that the first shot entered the right cheek at slightly above horizontal plane, and that the second two bullets went in behind the right ear. However, Fve heard various accounts o f these wounds; my information is contra­ dictory, and all o f it hearsay, and the .account generally tend to support whichever theory o f motive that my informants hold. I do not know, for instance, whether there were contusions that would indicate that the body had been handled with force by the wrists; or, if there were such con­ tusions, whether the force that caus­ ed them was applied before or after death. It is generally agreed that the scratches on the body’s face do not suggest “ that a woman may have been involved,” as an early news­ paper story suggested. Those marks were probably made after death, by a rat or possum picking at the wounds. The first O’Truba story appeared the next day, in a Sydney Sunday paper. It did not give the victim’s name, and was inaccurate in matters

*

* o f fact, e.g. the body was described as “ badly decomposed” , and “ shot through the mouth with a shotgun.” The story said, “ Police believe the man was the victim o f a gangland killing.” O’ Truba became the subject o f many newspaper articles over the months that followed; police released mugshots, and arranged for public­ ation o f selected information about the murder. “ We’ve utilised every means o f publicity available to us,” said Inspector Cannacott o f the NSW CIB, “ and as far as Fm concerned, you have my authority ; to interview [certain members o f the CIB] and write about the matter in whatever way you think will make it readable — as long as you follow the police guidelines, as Fm sure you will.” I interviewed police last When Cannacott and I spoke on the ’ phone, I told him, “ I do not know what those guidelines are.” I now under­ stand the police want to prevent publication o f information which would make it more difficult for them to tell if people they interview know things first hand, or through hearsay or reading. However, after another police officer examined cop­ ies o f The Digger, he decided not to grant an official interview. “ I don’ t know what the attitude o f the government would be to a paper with ‘ fucks’ and ‘ cunts’ in it,” he said. The cop wanted me to withhold some information I had from other sources. I told the cop some things I thought were significant. I knew that police had been told about only one deal through the alleged Debonoconsorting squad connection, and I told him that I’d heard there were at least three. “ That’s news to me,” he said. “ It may not be true,” I said. “ O f course,” he said. Fd like to see the murder solved, but I don’t think I can play further with the cops, either by comparing notes with them, or withholding what I know. They have enough PR men, anyway. The dead man’s family, friends, and fellow junkies felt that the police-sourced newspaper articles made Janni out to be a sort o f monster, The Goddamn Pusher, “ somebody who deserved to be shot.” Several people had already co-operated with me before I sought interviews with the police, in the hope I might correct that impression. The bitterness o f these people about the “ straight attitude” to the victim is heightened by the feeling that some police were involved — if not in the murder, then at least in supplying the heroin that O’ Truba was selling the night he was shot. A consorting squad detective, Frank R, has been interviewed as the alleged source o f the heroin; several other police have also been question­ ed. Peter Debono* and Gary Moorhouse, who both admitted organising heroin for Janni to sell, gave the names o f police connections to detec­ tives investigating the murder, and picked a cop out o f a line-up. Debono and Moorhouse have since split the country. One Wednesday, September 13, the acting Commissioner o f Police, Hanson, announced an intra-departmental inquiry into the allegations. Hanson was quoted in The Sun as saying, “ The report w ill require a good deal o f investigation. Subse­ quent action to be taken in relation to the report cannot be determined until inquiries are completed and the whole information carefully assess­ ed.” *

*

THE M AKING O FA MONSTER PART ONE, in which a Sydney heroin dealer is m urdered

* Peter Debono, 34, whereabouts now unknown, is a straight business­ man. He was formerly a partner in Hutchinson Surfboards, and the * Fll call Jan O’Truba “ Janni” , pro­ manufacturer o f ‘Pete’s Potion’ , a nounced “ yawnee” , because it seems I surfboard wax. weird not to.

Once there were 25 detectives on the case. Now there are six. A couple o f times a friend went with me on this job; usually I went alone. I did about 30 interviews, and quite often I did not follow up a lead because I was feeling chickenshit, or lazy. Fve got a story, but the police Still don’ t have a case. They have a story, though. While the people who were interviewed in the O’Truba case were not charged on their own ad­ mission o f drug use,* there’ s no doubt that the CIB has learned a lot o f concrete details about who’s doing what in town, th e police have been making spectacular seizures o f mari­ juana . . . and often big drug busts are reported in the straight press with allusion to a “ new lead” in the O’Truba murder. Jan O’Truba is 7 months dead as I write this. The intra-departmental inquiry has made no progress, as far as I know, although I understand several police have tried to resign, and were refused permission to do so. *

Janni O ’Truba, dead at 20. “a very mild sort o f man” driven by dope hunger.

*

*

I believe NSW police sell dope. In fact, I met a guy who claims he has a friend in the consorting squad, who sold him grass. This guy would make a good witness, and with a few pieces o f collaboration, there would be enough there for a brief. But he’s not going to do anything like that, he regards the cop as a mate. He told me the story because he was de­ fending his mate, in a way. He said his mate thought it was cool to re­ cycle seized grass back into the mar­ ket, but uncool to recycle smack. “ [Junkies] are too easy to make talk, all you have to do is hold them in a cell until they get sick. Junkies would give you away too quick.” Debono, the man who middled the dope to Jan O’Turba, was not a junkie. I don’ t think anyone could be shocked by this. In 1967, a group o f former NSW police were exposed as the organisers o f a courier system moving SE Asian heroin to the east coast o f America.t 15 arrests were made, and one ex-cop, John Eagan, became a rather romantic figure, who evaded Interpol for several years. Since O’ Truba’s death, Australian papers have carried stories about the loss o f several hundred pounds o f heroin, including the famous French Connection smack, from the property stores o f the New York city police. No one I spoke to on this job gave me any good reason to believe that police are directly involved in importing, although there’ s a rumor that Sydney’s most famous crims, who have good connections within the force, are moving rapidly into the import business. However, there’s even a phrase, “ short­ booking” , for the practice o f charg­ ing drug offenders with possessing less dope than they were actually holding. More hearsay: A friend o f a small­ time heroin importer told me his mate had claimed he’d been holding 3V2 pounds o f smack when busted. A pound was produced as an exhibit; “ he told me his shit got back onto the street before he could get bail.” *

*

*

I was in Sydney last November, tired o f doing production work on the paper, the work that goes on in Melbourne. I wanted a good excuse to get out on the street, instead o f being in an office hassling, and I wanted to know more about Sydney, where I haven’ t operated as a re­ porter. We needed a good, funky series on something like murder and dope, because o f the problems we were having with circulation. Some o f the people who visit the Sydney office were raving a bit about the O’ Truba case:i a lot o f heads and freaks were being pulled in for questioning, the town was nervous. The inquiries then were still centred north o f the Harbor, and obviously a lot o f shit had been shunted south while the heat was on. Yahoos were touting caps o f smack around unusual places

*

All I need to write something down, is to believe it. The police have got a harder job; they have to prove their allegations according to the rules o f evidence, which I do not have to do unless someone wants to writ me fo r libel. “ You can point the bone at anyone,” one cop told me, “ and so can I. But proving a, story’s another matter.” The police have done several hun­ dred interviews. They have four 14 inch rows o f salmon and green cards, each with a name at the top, each containing a precis o f the significant things that name said. A t the end o f the fourth row, there are a few inches o f green cards, jobs left to do, leads left to follow.

Page 3

* That’s the way the police see it. A user said, “ You ought to say most o f them weren’ t charged on their own admissions.” On or about the evening o f August 13, 1971, Janni O Truba went into this chemist shop. According to its owner, Allan Hughes, O ’Truba '"threatenedTom (sloane) with a tomahawk.” Sloane opened the dangerous drug cabinet, and then laid on the floor, as he was told. Janni and his friends took everything in the cabinet, and p u t it in a sack and a pillow case. ' Sloane was still on the flo o r when Janni was arrested, just around the comer. The shop has been robbed tuice since then. Once on October 15, 1971, and again on July 9, 1972, when Paul O ’Sullivan was minding the shop. A young man came in carrying a shotgun. Hughes says, “Paul refused to open the cabinet, so the robber took $180 and ran ou t to a car outside. I d on’t think he was a junkie. I think he hired himself o u t to junkies. They were sitting in the back waiting fo r the stuff, and then they’d pay him. Paul lost his temper and chased the bloke outside. As the car left, they shot at him. H e ’s only g o t 20% use o f his left hand now. I can’t verify i f they were caught — I think he shot a policeman later, B u t I ’m n ot sure.” Since O ’Sullivan was maimed, a patrol system has been set up. Hughes had this to say about O ’Tmba: “ We all fe lt a bit sorry fo r the young bloke. I don’t think he g o t a very heavy sentence anyway . . . but it seemed that as soon as he g o t out, he g o t shot. I d on’t know ivhat should be done except perhaps do like in England. I haven’t g o t any hard line one way or the other. I ’m an old libertar­ ian myself. I don’t give a stuff how people want to knock themselves off, as long as they d on’t hurt anyone else. ”

t Alfred McCoy (The Politics o f Heroin in Southeast Asia) says this group was buying kilos from chiu chau labs in Hong Kong, and selling it for $34,000 in America; the scam involved deals with duplicate pass­ ports, and special bodypacks that made the couriers look “ pot-bellied” . Estimated turnover o f the operation before it was busted was $22.5 million. McCoy comments: “ A l­ though these arrests drew a great deal o f attention in the press, US narcotics officials regarded the Aust­ ralian ring as a freak phenomenon with little more than curiosity Yalue.”

like push pubs, the Newcastle and the Drydock, to people who had no experience o f it. Experience was being collected. Friends o f mine, a star ad. sales­ man, a sub-editor on a daily paper, had tried their first blasts, liked it . . . but were leaving it at that. Some did not leave it at that. I checked my impressions, later, with the Drug Referral Centre in Craigie Street, Darlinghurst. Trevor Wilson, the director, said that the case load o f the centre had tripled in five months following Janni’s murder. Part o f the increase may have been due to the heat — established users might have been buying out o f a bad scene — but staff members noticed that there was an increase in clients who were novices, people with white collar jobs. *

*

*

An old reporter, Jack Ayling, once said, “ Murders are the toughest stories to cover. People don’ t want to talk, and you don’ t know who you’re gonna run into.” A t this stage, I didn’t know much about how junkies were scoring in Sydney. I didn’ t have any contacts close to the police, and I didn’t have any contacts on the north shore scene. It wasn’t the sort o f story you’d make a messy dive into, even if the paper had the kind o f money to send me out in cabs buying people presents, which it doesn’t.* When I farmed for leads, it was mainly through people south o f the Harbor« Some had dogmatic explan­ ations for the murder. For example, “ I heard that O’Truba hired a bloke with an iron bar, to go discourage someone who was trying to collect money from him after a brass, and the guy turned around and hired three gunmen to go see O’ Truba.” Et cetera, “ So how do you know this?” IT was told.” It occurred to me that every boy racer in town was probably claiming inside knowledge. I just didn’ t want to meet the boy racer who actually knew. Maybe you only experience yourself. Fd just done one woman wrong, and couldn’ t do right by the next. The city was giving me a few weeks o f those evenings when there’s no place you can go, except to meet strangers, and the only reason I had far meeting strangers was to talk about murder. Tenderly, many o f them suggested I might get shot. Back at the office, no one was sympathetic. I whinged to Jon. Jon said, “ Nobody asked you to do this story.” Phillip was more en­ couraging. He giggled, got an old Rock mag from his pile o f exotic publications, and read me an excerpt from an interview with Joplin, pub­ lished two weeks before she OD’ d. “ They don’ t want their blues singers rocking,” she’d complained, “ they want their blues singers dying.” Then Jeune Pritchard from G TK came in, and mistook me for Ian Meldrum, the star o.f Go-Set. I missed the brotherhood o f reporters. *

*

*

Once, while employed by Gordon Barton, I asked a widow for a picture o f her dead husband for his paper. That’s why everybody hates me. So I visited the brotherhood at our club, down by the electric train line. No blue jeans allowed, and women can’t go in the third floor bar. The building is sclerotic inside with scales o f framed daybills ann­ ouncing the relief o f Mafeking, the arrival o f LBJ, Holt’s drowning, the birth o f quintuplets. It was good up there with the boys, eating saus­ ages, drinking white wine, and gossip­ ing. Most reporters are bored with the stories they write, and girlishly excited by office politics — “ Jesus, he’s one o f the great survivors! Fatty thought he had it wrapped up, but then he gets Murdoch on the ‘ phone, a three-way conversation, and puts the most damaging things Rupe says in the memo, and then cuts Fatty out o f the meeting . . .” One o f my brother reporters is a specialist. He is a drug reporter. He came up through medical reporting, is in touch with the literature, has worked in New York, London, and now he’ s looking over this scene, plying our trade. The politics, he explains, are a little complex. Most o f the heroin is made from opium grown in the Golden Triangle. The opium growing is controlled by pro-American, anti­ communist forces. The C IA allows them to sell the stuff, through various connections, to the Mafia’s American operations. In fact, the * Some o f Janni’ s friends were app­ roached by daily reporters, with offers o f up to $250 for “ the story” ; one o f them said, “ Look, I know you’ve heard junkies will do any­ thing for money, but I told him to fuck o ff.”

The Digger

Page 4

March 10 — 24

illustrations by Peter Dickie

THE M AKING O FA MONSTER PART ONE, in which a Sydney heroin dealer is murdered CIA’s airline, Air America, is used to fly the stuff o u t . . . now maintaining anti-Chinese guerillas by selling dope to American niggers was cool, but when smack spilled out o f the ghettos into white high schools, Nixon saw that something had to appear to be being done . . . so now there’s this big international liason between pol­ ice forces, to exchange information. “ The Australian customs people are participating,” the drug reporter told me. I laughed. “ The customs people hardly ever seize an amount o f her­ oin. They seize untold amounts o f grass and acid, and my mate Jordan says that they’re the ones who are actually arranging those imports, to run up the scores. But heroin, they’re not scoring.” “ Well, there’ s a policy — look you can’t print this, it comes to me in confidence — but they’re primarily concerned with mapping the patterns o f the traffic. They’re not going to just pinch couriers, they’re waiting to get a picture so they can pinch the big guys as well. They might know that someone’ s bringing in heroin, but they might just watch him — they might watch him for two years, his associates and everything.” “ You mean they told you they were knowingly allowing smack into the country, to watch it . . . what did they tell you, exactly?” “ I didn’ t put it that way, you can’t go around saying that. It just wouldn’ t wash politically. Naturally, they’ve got to say they’re stopping everything they know about.” *

*

*

The drug reporter had been going around the traps. “ You’ve got to miss a shave and a shower for a few days, hang around in pads until they finally talk to you,” he said. People had talked to him, told him that kids were being beaten, that cops take bribes, that cops recycle confiscated dope. He believed that two or three members o f the drug squad were bent, and a few consorting squad cops were getting dope from there to take out to their connections. “ Con­ sorting squad’s got a perfect reason to hang around with criminals, you see.” He said his story had triggered the police intra-departmental inves­ tigation. “ The lynch-pin effect,” I remark­ ed to another reporter, an old friend. We’d done a job a few years before, where it seemed as though everybody we interviewed felt they’d singlehandedly changed the course o f hist­ ory. After we’ d been on the job for a few months, we began to believe it ourselves. The drug reporter didn’ t know what we were talking about. He told me that the “ iron bar” theory about O’Truba wasn’ t correct. “ It wasn’t in O’Truba’s character,” I think he said. The drug reporter had his own top three theories: 1] That a guy busted on heroin charges had suspected O’Truba o f dobbing him in, and had felt bad enough about it to let a contract;

2] O’Truba had brassed one per­ son too many, a person who had come back with a gun; 3] That O’Truba and another guy were risks to the big-time crime organisers, possibly a cop amongst them, and so O’Truba was offed to eliminate the risk. The other guy had escaped. The drug reporter was emphatic that the “ shooting wasn’ t just a typi­ cal junkie murder. There was no torture, like you see in the States in junkie murders. This was an execu­ tion, a very neat and professional job. Shot three times at close range with a pistol, far enough away so that there were no powder bums. . . it could have been that somebody on the north shore rang up somebody on the south, and booked a job. He might even have been surprised when it happened.” There are rumors that a lot o f murders are done in Sydney which become mere entries in Missing Per­ sons, because the bodies are never found. The question that reared in my mind was, was O’Truba’s murder unusual,* or was it only unusual that the body was found? The drug reporter said he thought murders were pretty common. “ We know o f four or five others.” He worked close to the police, and liked the security o f being part o f a large press group, which he felt made him an unlikely target fo r organised crime. “ I mean, if a reporter is shot, the Chairman would ring up the Prime Minister, you know — the big boys don’ t want that kind o f trouble.” He thought the cops on the case were good, and that they had plenty to work on. O’ Truba was about five weeks dead then, I think. The drug reporter said, “ They’d have dropped it by now, if they had nothing to go on, but they’re talking about Christ­ mas. It’ s the same as you and me — if you’ re out for a week, and don’ t write a story, they ask you what you’re' doing. If you go out for the second week, you got to convince your editor that you’re on to some­ thing.” I asked him what he thought the story was. He laughed as the lead came to him. It was a little off-beat. “ All because o f the murder o f one little junkie, they’ve heated up the whole Sydney scene,” he said. *

*

*

Like a will, I wrote out the details o f my rendezvous, and slipped them into a drawer o f Jon’s desk. The kid turned up, only a little late, * In fact, O’Truba is the only junkie murder in the experience o f the NSW Special Crimes section; “ the only one we know of, anyway,” according to a cop. NSW has no central homicide squad, as in Vic­ toria. Most murders are handled from local police stations — which only makes sense, since most murders are the easiest crimes to solve. The Special Crimes detectives are brought in in those rare cases where homi­ cide is not promptly followed by either suicide or a confession.

at the house o f a mutual acquaint­ ance. He was a tall, lean, muscular 17-Y-O, who was concerned to re­ main anonymous. “ The jacks are on my back.” Besides, he explained later, he came from a good home; his family is connected with the Liberal Party, and so on. A week after Janni was killed, the kid came back from lunch and his boss said the police had rung up five times. He didn’t ring back. A t home, the ’phone rang and his mother said, “ Sid’s on the ’ phone.” Sid who? The voice on the end o f the line said, “ Is it cool to talk?” This was strange. It came down to, “ We’ re investigating the murder o f Jan O’ Truba. We don’t want to dis­ turb your parents, we just want you to come down to the station to talk.” The kid had preferred to be inter­ viewed at home. He’d had mates who’d found the Manly cop shop heavy. He didn’t have much to tell them anyway. He told me he’d dealt with Janni two ways. He wasn’t into shooting shit himself, but sometimes he came by some chemist stuff, and some­ times Janni came by things he was interested in .f On two occasions he’d helped Janni bust a surgery, by un­ latching a window during a visit, so O’Truba; could climb in at night. What effect had the murder inves­ tigation had on north shore heads? “ It’s quietened things down* something shocking,” said the kid., t The kid’s first stone had been o ff Ikon pressure pak, a $1.70 product used in pubs to frost glasses. This I’d never heard of, but apparently it was bigger than glue sniffing at one stage, north o f the Harbor. The kid went onto grass for health rea­ sons, and was getting into mush­ rooms when I spoke to him. * The kid told me a good story about how lively things were. February year ago, he’d been tripping with some schoolkids in a flat. One kid left the flat, went downstairs to a woman’s flat, and got into a disagree­ ment which was consummated when the woman hit the tripper over the head with a blunt instrument. The kid died; the woman wasn’ t tried. The younger you are, the prouder you are o f your friends’ deaths.

“ I know people who’ll hassle all Friday night just so as to have some dope for Saturday night, just smok­ ing shit, that’s how hard it is.” So he motored o ff under his surfboard rack. I realised I knew little about what was happening. I wondered if the people who knew knew about me. The lynch-pin effect was setting in. *

*

*

The kid gave me the name o f some places where you could maybe score on the north shore, but The Digger's permanent financial crisis, and lack o f a bodyguard, kept me from going up there arid just hanging out. I fronted a few people. Som e, intimated that they knew things, but shouldn’ t say what. Fd started to rave about the story at the office, and people would turn up the stereo. I got depressed. I got a letter. The first part o f it went like this: Janni was a dog no one very unhappy therefore. Drug squad into Bay 2 wks ago . . pulled out a few o f the heavies . . . inter­ viewed them on this. A t same time pulled in one — badly bashed up when he arrived A.R. — (the guy in Melb.) — picked up in Melb. - - - for 3 days . . tried to heavy it on him . . they put him in L.B. for 21 mths for breaking parole (he’ll be asked this week if he feels like talking . Guy called R.B. — also pulled . . . charge is armed robbery — out on bail . . . worry that they were going to blame it on him . . . P — (was at Darlinghurst) . . . biggest speed freak in Sydney. Watch out for the female J.S. — . . . she’s a prime dog & gives inform­ ation thru to cops . . . she hangs around — or did — the Aristocrat at the Village . . . Now the weird thing was that I didn’t know who my correspondent was. The note went on to say that Janni had worked for my informant for six months, that he “ was a little guy” who distributed for the heavies, and that an attempt would be made to get me the names o f the cops in­ volved. My correspondent believed that the murder was probably done by a cop.

I got a midnight ’ phone call, from Melbourne. A friend there had rustled up four addresses and three names, from an acquaintance o f O’Truba’s who was cooling it. Tw o o f the names and addresses related to places where amounts could be scor­ ed in Paddington. One o f the names, and two of the addresses, related to a narc, reputed to be into the recyc­ ling business. “ You may not want to see any o f these people,” my friend suggested gaily. *

*

$

Shortly thereafter, my life began to take on a new meaning. A woman who was pissed o ff at me, because o f all the favors she’ d done me, and all the favors I hadn’ t done her, began .teasing me about arranging appoint­ ments with some o f her dreadful friends “ who might know something about it.” Then there was a freak-out with another friend, who paid out on me for using her, ripping her o ff for information, contacts, &c., Who said, “ I just don’ t trust you anymore,” and who reckoned I was about to publish a story that would damage her friends, or at least make it diffi­ cult for them to score their dope. Around at the office, people were understanding. “ You’re bitter, that’s your problem.” “ No more heavy shit, please.” “ Well, you seem to go in for these extraordinarily heavy manipulative games.” Well, yes, it was a bit silly to be doing it the way I was doing it, so I hitched a few hundred miles out into the country, where a friend o f mine rents a pink farmhouse. I read a Blaise Cendrars novel. I chopped some wood, heated some water, and got into the tub with Bacon’s Wisdom o f the Ancients. It put me to sleep. I began to see that people’ s perceptions o f a given situation were much the same, but that their con­ ceptions o f the meaning o f those perceptions could be radically diff­ erent. You know what I mean? *

*

*

1] Monotheism. The official version. A parable about Mr. Big, the symbol o f the unity o f evil, who knows about the dope, takes a cut

without seeing it, and who only intervenes in crises. He okays con­ tracts to Hitmen, arranges protection through channels, produces large finance. His trusty lieutenant direct­ ly manages imports, splits the dope to lay it out amongst the bosses o f the various turfs. The bosses have their gangs, who push the dope themselves, or middle it in amounts to junkie pushers. Children are seduc­ ed, become junkies, and have to find the money in vile ways. It’s a regular monopoly, and if some yob brings a few kilos into the country on a body scam, to lay out on some boss’s turf, the police aren’t the only ones lookin’ fo r him, Jim. Arrayed against Mr. Big are the forces o f Good, us crusading report­ ers, police, social workers, you know? I mean a few reporters, police, and social workers may be corrupt, but they don’t get away with it for long. 2] Poly centric universe in flux. How it looks to any o f us heads here. The supply o f dope is diverse; in the first place, any shooting shit imported into Australia has to com­ pete with shooting shit stolen from, robbed out of, or embezzled from local chemists or warehouses at an annual rate o f 52 kilos. In the second place, it’s obvious that not all the imported shit is going through the same hands. Maybe a lot o f heroin coming from the waterfront does go to Chinese connections, but not all o f it does. I met a former reporter, a friend o f mine who turned hippie, who’s scoring some o f that brown, opium a few o f you may have seen around, from a steward he met in a pub. More stuff comes in on body scams, o ff liners and iairplanesi Who knows how much? Some o f it must come through in the baggy crotch o f underpants, on sweaty people who are shitting themselves to get rid o f it to some, friend who’s actually used ! the stuff; a few people must have scored a run o f one-shot deals, and some have even gone so far as to organise couriers. A t least one o f these guys was paying o ff someone in customs, who came undone a week before O’Truba was shot. Anyhow, maybe there’ s someone left in cus­ toms who leaks some seized heroin. And maybe the police are doing the same. As you worry around the edges of the Sydney smack scene, you pick up a pattern familiar to those o f us who tried grass and acid but never went onto the harder stuff. Nearly every continuous user is also a seller. It only makes sense. I f you buy your smack in caps, o ff the street, you get four to eight hits from the $30 cap — maybe more, if you’re lucky and don’ t OD discover­ ing that you’ve made a good buy. A t those prices, a decent drug habit could cost $1,000 a month, and you have to run around all the time finding the next day’ s dope, or risk getting sick. Now: a block in a bag might make 25 caps, giving it a retail value o f $750. But: that same block in a bag can be yours for, say, $350 on up. So if you can find $350, and you’ve got friends in need, you can have half the bag for yourself, and get your money and expenses back with the other half. I don’ t know how many junkies there are in Sydney. Who does? But if there are 1,000, 200 are pushers as important as Janni O’ Truba, a guy who taxed his friends to make his? habit. The myth o f the pusher is a joke in this world view, like Santa Claus. There do seem to be some diff­ erences.5between this scene and the hallucinogen scene. “ Heroin is a very habit-forming drug,” one junkie told me. Another saidy “ A junkie who is sick is a very untrustworthy person, especially about c(ope.” This is un­ like the marijuana scene, where heavy users can stop smoking with no more symptoms than a profound four-day

depression, and palsy o f the will; and, as you all know, potheads are very social people who have a deep contempt for any form o f ripoff. 3] Paranoic macho marxist sus­ picion. The transformational vision. Even 1,000 weekend heroin users would mean a gross turnover o f $30,000 a week, and you could make out a case to say that the total turnover in shooting shit in Sydney might run as high as $100,000 a week. It is a market with growth potential. Heroin gets a lot o f pub­ licity, and within the subculture, it’s got an image you can’ t beat. Junkies usually describe them­ selves as callous users on the outside, people who have a front, who lie, manipulate, and see through the world’s moralising bullshit. Inside though, they remain tender, vulner­ able, soft, uncertain that they have ~kny worth at all. Love is always,\ doomed, because dope comes first;7 but, given the effects o f a steady supply o f opiates on the male sexual reflexes, sex can’t get to be a prob­ lem. The life is a wonderful time structure. You have secrets, you have friends who share them, and if you feel a little anxious you can act out, because ybu’ve always got to keep hustling for dope — there’s never enough tomorrow. Junkies have to work for their habit; they have to compete. It’s a wonderful way to create capital and enterprise and involvement in the system. Look at me quick everybody I'm beautiful and I w on't be here long. I don’t know how many adoles­ cents actually dig being stoned — probably most o f them do. But who could resist the self-image? Some people say, “ I may stop shooting, but I’ll never be an ex-junkie.” As Yurick observed in the Monthly Review, * junk is the perfect capitalist product. It’s illegal, so it can’ t be taxed for social purposes, it’s cheap to produce, the suppliers control the price, and the consumers have got to have more o f it all the time. So capital and expertise move into the market, according to the rules o f free enterprise. The untidi­ ness o f world view [2 ] begins to evolve into something more orderly. The cops begin busting the small­ time importers out o f the scene. The crims begin supplying existing middle-men,and lean on them. There are demarcation disputes,: and selec­ tion proceeds according to the rules o f the survival o f the fittest. A t the lower level, the action attracts des­ perates, and desperation is contag­ ious. From top to bottom, the scene is becoming heavier. In fact, the scene comes to re­ semble, superficially, the hierarchic arrangement o f world view [1 ] . . . except that Mr. Big isn’ t sitting up there alone, the bright and solo aviator o f the unity o f evil. He’s just another director on the big board, a board with representatives from the various conmingled powers o f our modem, healthy bourgeois society — businessmen, bureaucrats, cops and politicians. The board is integrated with the media, in touch with the parties, in fact, it’s one o f the instruments o f the best and most patriotic people, people who want to preserve our way o f life. These people may have disagreements amongst themselves, but everything can be fixed. Hasn’t everything al­ ways been fixed? * Sol Yurick, ^Political Economy o f Junk” , M onthly Review, Dec. 1970 (Vol. 22/7). A good article for all you freaks who think dope is a revolutionary influence. N E X T ISSUE: A fter freaking himself out, our reporter gets on with The Job. Janni’s life, and how it led up to the night he was shot.

March 10 — 24

The Digger

Page 5

Gub’s blackMass by Bobbi Sykes Looking from the outside in, if would have been no surprise to find that the Eucharistic Congress held in Melbourne was a continuation o f the Australian Bi-Centennial Celebrations, held perhaps three years later than most. (Typical — catholics would never celebrate their bi-centennial at the same time as the protestants). The attendant pomp and pageantry ensured that, for catholics at least, 1973 would be the remembered year, rather than 1970. Catholicism has had, and continues to have, a none-too-kind image in Australia, particularly to those who are not involved and therefore are not standing so close to the trees that they can’t see the forest — but also to an ever-growing number o f disillusioned catholics within, judging from the increasing number o f ‘drop-out’ priests, nuns, and empty churches. Exposes, obviously done from the ‘ inside’, such as appears in Nation Review (Feb. 23—Mar 1), under the not-too-concealing non-de-plume o f ‘ Francis Xavier O’Ferrett’ have become so common as not to cause hardly a ripple, even through the supposedly staunch ranks o f avowed catholics. It would, at this stage, come as little surprise to see the Melbourne Truth sporting such succulent headlines as ‘HOW I OVERCAME M ASTU RBATIO N by Father Jones,’ or ‘HOW I RELATED BETTER TO GOD A T THE NUDE ROCK FE STIV A L by Father Smith’. We are now in the age when anything can be expected, and catholics can be relied on to try to out-do protestants in every field. There is a common saying amongst the blacks in Australia, amongst the indigenous o f all colonized countries really; that ‘the white man came with the Bible when the black man had the land; now the black man has the Bible and the white man has the land’ . This would seem especially true in Australia. In this year, which will also (hopefully) be remembered as the Year blacks

got back some small pieces o f their own land, it is ironic that the catholic Congress also courted, to a greater degree than ever before, black participation. It is ironic also that while the Federal Government are making all the noises and going through all the actions o f sorting out the Land Rights confusion, high-ranking members of the Catholic church, in true Christian (?) spirit, are louding re-affirming their own attitude — ‘What used to belong to thee belongs now to me — and don’t let’s entertain any thought about that ever being any different’ . Bishop O’Loughlin, Darwin, practically had apoplexy and stated in unequivocal terms that church land holdings in the Darwin area, which he claim ed in ungenerous terminology to be ‘his’, would certainly not be going to the Larrakia tribe, whose tribal grounds covered Darwin and surrounding area. There has been over the past decade a marked lack o f co-operation by the churches in the area o f Land Rights. As well as owning, for church use or further speculation, the highest piece o f land in each and every town in Australia (check it out; the church on the highest hill is always catholic), the Catholic church also has some vast pieces in the outback. While originally the catholic priests and helpers would sit on the land to wait the extinction o f the people, and hold the hands o f dying tribes, receiving money from the governments to do so, the tribes can no longer be considered to be dying out, yet the catholic presence remains, and the hand-holding still continues, not so much as a Samaritan duty, but rather as a measure o f control. It was interesting and revealing to listen to the terminology used by Christians to describe their non-white brothers, that same terminology and worse that has been put down as a subversive effort on the part o f whites who wish to cause further splits in the newly-forming unity being promoted by blacks in the south. Black people were further split up into groups o f ‘full-bloods’, ‘half-castes’, ‘quarter-castes’, and — a

new one to me, ‘part-bloods’ , though what the other part o f their blood consists o f is beyond me, unless it is wine or water. Black reporters covering such sessions as the white sections o f the Eucharistic Congress must surely be tempted to write equally descriptive reports on the speakers, so that the local bishop becomes a full-blood English, the parish priest a part-blood (Irish), and the Pope, a full-blood Italian. It is interesting that even the local dailies promoted all non-white participants and speakers into racial or ethnic origin groupings, i.e. tVietnamese, Black American (though they don’t get the same ‘half-caste’ treatment), while western and central

W hat the escapee has to say about h is jailers Last week, the Victorian Minister for Social Welfare said that some Pentridge screws might be prosecuted because o f recent escapes. The Governor o f Pentridge fell over with a heart attack. The Melbourne Herald ran mugshots o f seven escapees across the top o f its front page, to assist dobbers. On latest figures, escapees from custody in Victoria are running at just under 40 a month. Haven’t the prisoners had an Inquiry into their grievances? Why won’t they be good? Read on. Michael Stephens, 26, is on the lam. Out o f the last 10 years he’s been free for two, and most o f that was spent on the run. Last week we blew two joints o f fine Nepalese hash . . . which made it possible for him to speak about these experiences in an hysterically funny conversation. Laughter was the only way he could bridge the gulf between the beauty o f that late summer day, and the black past he was speaking of. Bom in Adelaide, he moved to Hobart when still young. His first conviction in 1959, was for truancy: two years probation. He moved to Melbourne, did leaving at Box Hill High, and got his matric later — in jail. His first experience o f jail was in 1962, three months in Pentridge for shoplifting a shirt. “ I was in J Division, yogs, it’s called, for young offenders’ group. It was very frightening.” A fter getting out he did a spell in Sydney where he got three months for stealing silver out o f a gas meter. Then in November ’64 he was picked up again in Melbourne for ‘signing cheques — ‘A few hundred quids worth I think. I never had any legal aid ever. . . got three years with a 10 month minimum but I’d already been in remand for three months because I couldn’t pay bail so it was 13 months altogether.’ ‘I had a really bad time. Got stuck in H division twice — once for a month and once for tw o weeks. H Div. is the maximum security and punishment division, where they bash people. There are two groups in H — the long-term security group who do the cleaning up, catering and work in the brush shop. They have radios, smokes and can talk to each other. ‘The others are in the labor yards — that’s where I was, it’s a solitary confinement group. It’s called the slot, or the go-slow — ‘cos you can’t go slow. Down there you gotta march around really quick — on the run. We worked in the labor yards from 8.00 till 3.30 every day. ‘Each guy has a yard to himself,

about 10ft x 6ft, surrounded by 13ft bluestone walls with barbed wire on top. You’re given a 3-gallon bucket, a 14-lb and a 7-lb sledgehammer (so you can work with both hands I suppose) and a bluestone block. Every day you have to fill the bucket with thumbnail size bluestone chips. They pave all the paths with it. Th ere was never any contact with anyone else. Even meals we had separately and showers and we lived in constant fear o f bashing from the screws. Food was the same as everywhere else in the jail — vile — weevily porridge for breakfast. A five-minute break during the morning — but we had to walk up and down. ‘By 4 p.m. we were locked up for the night. N o radio, no smokes, no contact. T h e month I got in solitary was for having an unauthorised letter in my possession, that I was going to smuggle out. The two weeks were for contraband — I had a book with no security stamp on it. ‘In December ’65 I was out on parole. I got a few jobs, was a drag queen down in St. Kilda — but those days it wasn’t very heavy, just the odd fine. I did get four months for living o ff the immoral earnings o f my defacto, but I was out on bail appealing it’ . He was wanted for breaking parole when he appeared before a magistrate on a prostitution charge. He was fined, and asked for time to pay. The magistrate agreed and Stephens walked out. The magistrate didn’t know about the warrant out for parole breaking — for three months he avoided capture. He had a job at the PMG as a mail sorter which involved walking past the Bourke St. West police station every day. No one ever bothered him. Then, in August o f ’67, speeding out o f his mind, he was spotted. Doped up, he ran away. They fired on him and missed but he was caught on the hoof, gobbling handfuls o f meth. so that it wouldn’t be found on him. On the way to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, in another feat

o f methedrine daring, he leapt from the car, adding one more escape charge to the rapidly growing list, which earned him a total o f five years. The first three months he spent in H division for allegedly assaulting a screw. They remembered him in H division, and the baton-beatings got heavier. A fter this, C division seemed like heaven. ‘C Division was beaut, really funny . . . It was built 140 years ago, condemned in 1939 and is incredibly dirty. There’s no water or sewerage in the cells — just a bucket. ‘Even in H division there are flush toilets. O f course people try and drown themselves, but they have special cells for people like t h a t . . . obso [observation] cells in G, H and A Divisions’. ‘In there, you’re given quilted stiff canvas blankets . . . so you can’t hang yourself. The cells are about 8ft x 4 ft but a foot away from the door is a floor to ceiling grille so the screw can stand inside and look at you in iiafety. Then in the door itself is att observation hatch. They have about a ten foot ceiling with a tiny window right at the top. It’s all bluestone painted sunny colors to keep you happy. . . ‘I was . . . out o f my mind in there.’ Stephens arms are covered in scars. T tried to kill myself plenty o f times in the obso cells. I used to cut myself up with glass — light bulbs. Right back when I was 14 I used to push it a bit, I took a lot o f ritalin . . . just to see how far I could go and still come back.’ ‘C ward is known as Dodge City, it looks like a western jail; the cells have no windows, just a tiny slit at the top o f the domed roof. The doors open straight into the open — so on rainy days w e’d all get into a couple o f cells. There are all sorts there — blokes doing murder, blokes doing vag., some on 10 days, some on 10 years. It was really good, so grubby, you could do what you like. T h e screws j didn’t hassle us much except to search us about once

definitely should have been is the — alone. Maybe he turned over in his great catholic and other mission grave when the Aboriginal Mass was rip-off. Urban blacks have long performed in Melbourne. And the condemned the practice o f religious catholic priest who passed out in orders who sought to impose their front o f the altar in drunken stupor Christian religion onto captive blacks from too much tippling at the altar on reserves. Since the missionary was wine, was he there, with his associates, talking about the also the distributor o f food rations, problems o f alcoholic excesses in the the acceptance by tribal people o f the Our Fathers and Hail Marys was blabk community? the same foregone conclusion as their The many priests who travelled acceptance of the food. This from all over Queensland to be enforcement o f religious beliefs was - present at the ceremony wljen the not bothered with on State-run new Bishop for North Queensland reserves, nor was the instilling o f was proclaimed, and who stayed up so-called Christian morals. Nor was until three o ’clock in the morning the practice of stripping the telling dirty jokes at the top o f their indigenous religious objects and voices in the still night; much to the tribal artifacts o f their spiritual annoyance o f people in a half-mile importance, while continuing to radius, all o f whom had to work next encourage the people to undergo the day (the people, not the priests) and soul-destroying process o f making many o f whom had to nurse their them, without being able to attach awoken children, which included religious importance to them, for sale myself — were they too, with typical in urban areas at greatly inflated hypocrisy, down on the old bended prices. Brothers to whom I have knee in Melbourne? The spectacle o f the catholics, spoken admit that they sell their hand-carved and elaborately painted ‘showing their strength’ so to speak, didgeridoos and artifacts to Christian in their flaming robes and colorful missionaries for sums up to $4, while; array, with police and military I have seen these same objects escort, called to mind the papal fetching prices up to $80 here in armies as they marched around Sydney, and never less than $30, and central Europe conquering pagan sums exceeding $200 on the markets lands and forcing Christianity or in U.S.A. and Europe. death onto those conquered in the I wonder also what type o f name o f Christ in earlier times. people attended the Congress from Perhaps also reminiscent of Queensland. Being my home-state, I not-so-distant times, the flowing am very familiar with many catholics robes, the elaborate head-gear — from this area, more so since my own could it not call to mind the primary education was received at a infamous Ku Klux Klan, who also catholic school. Many o f the nice wore the Cross, and who carried on white catholic girls, who were more their work o f extermination o f familiar with what is meant by V.D. blacks and jews in the name o f white before they knew what is meant by Christianity? ' pi, must now be women with families It is significant that, even while o f their own. Many o f the little virhite the Congress was in progress, and catholic boys who would say their even though some blacks were still final ‘amen’ for the day and be participating (though admittedly outside the school in 30 seconds flat, after a group o f 30 blacks had throwing stones and calling ‘ nigger’ walked out in disgust), the to myself and my asters, must be Aboriginal Advisory Council called grown men, and at least one is a together by the Government, and convened in Canberra, passed a priest. One o f the girls in my class had a motion condemning the Eucharistic devout catholic, Mass-every-Sunday- Congress for racist views. It would type grandfather, whose sole claim to seem, since the motion was passed fame was that he had found a couple with less than a half-dozen dissenters o f aboriginal men still loose in the out o f a possible 60 or more, that the bush following the infamous majority o f urban blacks, and even round-ups in that area at the turn o f the Government appointed tribal blacks, have not been deceived by the century, and had managed to rope them together by the neck, and, the hypocrisy as practised by with him riding on horseback, had catholics and ordained members o f managed to drag-lead them into town the catholic church.

europeans were permitted to dignity •of just retaining their names. It can (and is) being said that at least the catholics tried to promote inter-racial co-ordination in their Congress, particularly with the innovation o f the Aboriginal Mass. However, before attempting to inject the entire catholic community with pseudo-liberalism, the very least that should have been done prior to the Congress was to inject the ordained participants with a bit o f the same, so that divisions between the ranks could have been kept to a minimum. Father Peile, who harks from the Kimberley area, and therefore is in direct contact with blacks, feels that teaching Aborigines in their own

language, or even teaching them their own language is artificial. Peile feels that it would be more like a code used amongst blacks to keep whites out. However, the Sydney Catholic Archdiocesan Committee for Migrant Care had no such misgivings. when they recommended (not at the Congress, but on Immigration Sunday, 25/2/73) that English-speaking migrant children be taught the language o f their parents. Apparently speech in Italian, Greek, German, etc. is merely for easier communication between members o f those nationalities, but Aboriginal speech would constitute subversion if ‘they’ were allowed to use it. What was not discussed but

a week. They’d turn up a few things — tea, knives, stuff like that. Everybody had a knife, we ate with them . . . some sharpened up till they were like stilettoes. ‘There were lots o f fights — from slaps to iron bars — over everything . . . reneging on your debts, lovers’ quarrels. . . mostly really trivial things. I kept quiet, did my matric and got out in December ’71, with one year and eight months o f parole to get through.

— but they’re the only place to go — Trigger Vodden the deputy governor. you just wander from one to A fter that, harassment grew against another. all o f us who gave evidence — petty ‘Everyone has their dope — charges, abusive language, having a valium, librium, largactil “ to help fat lamp in my cell, spitting — a lot you cope with the situation” as they were true but we were under attack ¿ay — everyone takes chloryl at night all the time. you can’t sleep otherwise — with ‘I was becoming known as a guys like Angelo Wombat groaning radical — a ratbag anyway — and all night. There are three good screws outside people were sympathetic and in G ^- they’re the only good ones in helping me. But inside they’d do the whole jail. things like taking me to the dentist ‘Bartholomew does fuck all — on the other side o f the jail when my he’s the one who decides who goes in lawyers were waiting for me; and there — he’s the prison shrink — but they told my lawyers the wrong date he doesn’t work on them . . . just for one o f my hearings, so I had no sees people for fiVe minutes and then defence.’ writes reports that keep people there Stephens’ appeals backfired. 90 for years. days were added to his sentence. ‘ In August o f 1972 I went crazy Back in G division he refused to wear spending 17 hours a day in a green prison issue shirts; he made himself a concrete box. I went berserk — red poncho, refused to cut his hair, smashed everything in the cell and wore a blue spot on his forehead. painted the walls in ink and blood. This bizarre figure leapt out o f Straight after this Oldmeadows line brandishing at a visiting justice (another pychiatrist associated with an article from the Melbourne Age, the prison system) and Bartholomew concerning thé alleged bashing o f wanted to certify me. They can do prisoners in Bendigo jail, and this under Section 52 — they can describing deputy governor ‘ Trigger” take you out o f prison and put you Vodden as “ Managing Director o f in hospital. It’s just their decision Brutality” . and there’s no way o f appealing. T was standing next to one o f the ‘ But I had pulled myself together people Vodden had bashed. I told by then. I said they could certify me Vodden in front o f 200 prisoners and send me to Mont Park but not to that he was a fucking liar when he J ward . — the asylum for the denied any knowledge o f the criminally insane in Ararat — that’s a 1 bashings. really heavy place — shock ‘Nothing came of these treatment, paraldehyde, largactil. It’s confrontations, except more a jail run by the mental hygiene harrassment about refusing to cut my authority. hair. ‘Once they’ve got you in there T h e enquiry was a farce. Keith they can keep you in there for as Hull documented a lot o f heavy stuff long as they like . . . it’s worse than happening in G division. H division. Now and then people ‘ He took his material to come back like Saint Durkovik. He’s Bartholomew and Kelly (a barrister a Macedonian, about 50, well-built associated with the prison enquiry) and brown, gives o ff very good vibes and suggested that a special part o f but he never speaks. Ten years he the enquiry concentrate on the was in J ward and now he just stands problems o f G division. They agreed, in the yard smiling and praying to Keith drew up an agenda and a the sun. They reckon he killed his special meeting was held — only no wife but he was deemed unfit to inmates or screws were allowed to plead because o f insanity so he’s appear, before it, the only never been tried. People are turned sympathetic doctor, Dr Levied in the into vegetables. jail was excluded and they didn’t ‘They have a habit o f sending consider any o f the things on Keith’s troublemakers to J ward — Peter agenda — I’ve read the fucking Evans, Claude Thompson and Wayne minutes — all they talked about was Burrows are all there now because asthma, airconditioning, new they were too troublesome to the industries for the inmates — screws. Keith Hull who escaped from Bartholomew had already sabotaged Beechworth last week was in the inmate self-help schemes by refusing same boat. to give them his recommendation— ‘ One o f the other doctors and the building of a new supported me and they decided not observation block separate from the to certify me at all. I’d already got rest o f the jail so it wouldn’t disturb the 15 month sentence cut to nine the rest o f the prisoners . . . shit. months, so I wrote to the Parole T was getting pretty angry by Board and threatened to go on a now. The Parole Board hearings kept hunger strike and jack up completely being put off, and Bartholomew was unless they released me on October l e t t i ng r e al l y bad things 18 — when my time was up. happen. . . he always sided with the They freaked . . . said they screws. There were things he could would consider my sentence as soon have supported, yet he kept as possible. But things started doublecrossing us, going behind our happening. There was the prison backs — like lying about the parole enquiry — I gave evidence against reports he sent in.

‘I ’d been working at the Kew Cottages for retarded children for about two weeks when my defacto Angelique came around. About a year before she’d been in a fairly big bust out from Fairlea — about six I think it was — she was in on conspiracy to rescue a guy called “ the gentleman bank robber” , Kenny Ashmore. She, another chick and a guy, all stoned out o f their minds, tried to get him out o f the Malvern lock-up by sawing through the bars. ‘We hired a car and split for WA, taking her baby — the father was the guy I’ d been going with in jail for a few years. We weren’t long in Perth before we got arrested after I backed into another car. They sent us back to Victoria. Angelique got six weeks for escape and I got 15 months. So it’s February ’71 and I’m back in Pentridge. ‘The jail was in a real ferment — things were starting to happen in there. T h e guy who’d started it all back in 1970 was really wild — Steve Sellars, the first one to defy H division. He climbed on the wall, freaking on acid, shouting that he wanted to shoot the governor. They kept him locked up 23 hours a day shaved his head — but he was too much o f a menace to keep in jail. They had to let him go. ‘I moaned and groaned to the governor, the visiting justice, — by way o f organised complaint there was a prisoners’ action group but there were too many fuckwits on it and it was split between conservative crims who didn’t want to rock the boat and wild freaky radicals who wanted to go the whole way. ‘ I refused to appear at the governor’s court and got seven days in H division for it. They thought I was a bit dippy because I went down there with red and blue stripes painted on my face. T h e y put me in G division to get rid o f me. The shrink division it’s called, or Allan Bartholomews’ private zoo. In there you walk around all day, lie in the sun and listen to records — there used to be a plastic toy factory but the inmates got so sick o f it they burnt it down. So now there’s nothing to do. It really is like a zoo — there are all these wire cages — they’re not locked

j

Stephens says he knew o f an old drunk sent to an observation cell. The drunk, a Michael McEwen, complain­ ed o f illness, but was ignored. McEwen was found dead in the morning. T h ere was a epidemic o f suicides for months — people swallowing knives, eating light bulbs. Some he’d certify, some he wouldn’t, some he’ d put in obso cells, some to Mont Park, some to J ward, some were charged with self-inflicted wounds. He could have stopped All that but he didn’t. He was tryihg to get rid o f Levick too. Levick is a good shrink, he’s worked there for 14 years and all the screws hate him. Bartholomew wanted him o u t . . . ‘Just after this the Parole Board hearing came up. It was on January 24 or 25th ’ 7 3 .1 was very confident. Lots o f people spoke for me — even a catholic priest, for tw o hours. I was told that all the jail officials put in good reports and that even Bartholomew had. It looked like virtually everybody wanted me out — I was very hopeful. ‘That afternoon I went down to find out what the decision was and I was told I had been knocked back — to be considered again in June ’7 3 .1 was very angry and stomped around the corridor swearing. Senior Greer (we call him Germaine) heard me and shouted “ and you can get fucked too ” at me. I just laughed and went back into the office. ‘The next thing I know Greer came hurtling into the room, threw me against the wall and then pushed me up against the window so I almost fell out. I was just about to take a swing at him when the guy whose o ffice it was got between us. . . he didn’t want a brawl in his office. ‘I said I was going to charge Greer with assault and that I had a witness. Greer ran o ff to ring up Vodden and tell him I was going insane. Vodden ordered me into a strict observation cell — they’re very special. There’s nothing in them at all — not even a bed, just concrete. You’re naked and all you have are the two heavy canvas blankets. I was in there for 24 hours. ‘Levick came to see me and reckoned that they’ d destroy me if I stayed in jail and he’d put it on Bartholomew to certify me and send me to Mont Park. . . I agreed, anything to get away from the Prison Authorities. There’s no appeal on Parole Board decision, I had no other choice. T h e next day I was certified and in late January I was sent to Mont Park — it’s a mental hospital with a ward called M2 where they keep “ security risk” patients. T h e next day I discovered that moves were afoot to send me to J ward. That was what Bartholomew was planning. T h e sources were reliable so I split. . . fast.’

Page 6

The Digger

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR ?

This is a guide to methods o f avoiding unwanted pregnancies. The column to the left, under the Cobb cartoon, describes how pregnancy happens. The table under this box gives the odds o f pregnancy happening, when various methods o f contraception are used. Most o f the rest o f the guide is devoted to descriptions o f contraception. We have tried to make it clear. Dr. Carl W ood’s survey o f mothers at a Mel­ bourne hospital shows that about three out o f four women have sex before marriage. However, only one in twenty o f these women use an effective method o f preventing pregnancy outside marriage. Obviously, many people do not realise they can get protection against un ­ wanted pregnancy. Everyone is entitled to use contraceptives, if they want to. A legal adviser to a family planning clinic tells us, “ there is no law against prescribing contraceptives, even for girls under .”

16

Your chances of gelling pregnant sm ossa

How pregnancy happens To be able to prevent pregnancy it is necessary to understand what happens to your body during the sex act. Contra­ ceptives are methods o f preventing con­ ception, which is the beginning of preg­ nancy. The main sexual organ o f the male is the penis. Usually it hangs loosely and is 2” to 4” in length. The size o f the penis varies greatly, but its size does not effect its sex use. Hanging beneath the penis is the scrotum, a small bag containing the testicles. The testicles produce the male sperm which fertilise the female ovum (egg). Sperms are being produced all the time, in millions. They pass up a tube from the testicles into the body and are stored in two little sacs called the seminal vesicles. The seminal vesicles produce and store most o f the seminal fluid, which provides nourishment and protection for the sperm. The prostrate gland also helps produce the seminal fluid. When a male is sexually excited the penis becomes erect, grows rigid and in­ creases in length and thickness. At any time during the man’s erection a few drops o f fluid, perhaps containing some sperm, may ooze out The climax of sexual excitement — the orgasm — is accompanied by vigorous con­ tractions centred on the penis. The semen (seminal fluid, mixed up with 200 or 300 million sperm) shoots out along the ure­ thra (ejaculation). The sperm which can­ not be seen by the naked eye is rather tadpole shaped, with a/ roughly round head and very long tail. The movement o f the tail enables the sperm to travel in the seminal fluid. As the first description shows, the man’s part in reproduction is relatively simple ■n - ' :ghtforward. A man is able to : ■ almost at any time and sperm are r ’ iced all the time. i woman, however, is quite different. Her part in the process o f reproduction is controlled by a cycle o f about 28 days’ duration. During this time usually only one

egg is produced and this egg can only be fertilised over a 12 hour period. A female becomes sexually mature at about 12 to 15 years. At this time her menstrual cycle (period) begins and con­ tinues until menopause (change o f life) which usually occurs between 40 and 50 years. Fig. 2 and 3 show the basic shape o f the female reproductive organs. The vagina, usually about 4” long, is the passage lead­ ing to the uterus (or womb). During inter­ course (the sex act) the penis penetrates the vagina which can easily stretch. The penis cannot enter the uterus. In virgins (girls who have not had sexual intercourse) the entrance to the vagina is usually partly closed by a piece o f thin skin called the hymen. When the virgin first has intercourse the hymen is broken or stretched and a few drops o f blood may occur. There are so many differences among girls that some have no hyman at all and it is difficult to tell whether a girl is a virgin or not. The opening to the uterus is called the cervix. It can be felt by the tips o f the finger and points downwards and back­ wards into the upper end o f the vagina. The sperm must pass through the cervix to enter the womb. The womb is roughly pear-shaped and its walls are normally touching (except during pregnancy). At its top end, the fallopian tubes lead o ff from either side. They curl backwards to­ wards the ovaries which lie inside the body below the small o f the back. There are two ovaries. Each month, one > or the other releases one egg (usually about | fortnight before the beginning of the

monthly period). This is called ovulation. The egg is drawn by the finger-like ends o f the fallopian tube into the tube itself and travels along it into the womb. After ovulation (the releasing o f an egg) the lining o f the womb prepares to nourish a baby and gets thicker, with more blood going through it. An egg attaches itself to the walls o f the womb only if it has been fertilised by a sperm. If an egg is not fer­ tilised the lining o f the womb gradually disintegrates — usually about a fortnight after ovulation. It looks like and contains blood» and seeps down and out through the vagina. This is the monthly period. The first day o f bleeding is called the menstrual cycle. The bleeding usually lasts from three to five days. After the period, the walls o f the womb once again start to build up and the cycle is repeated. This cycle is controlled by two sex hormones produced by the ovaries — oestrogen and progesterone. When a woman has intercourse, she may have one or more orgasms (a climax o f sexual excitement centred in the clitoris but affecting her whole body). She can still become pregnant even if she doesn’ t have an orgasm. Avoiding enjoyment of sex does not prevent pregnancy. In rare instances, pregnancy may have been caused by male ejaculation outside the vagina., during “ dry rooting” . When sperms have been deposited in the vagina they swim in all directions. Many get left in the vagina and die after an hour or two (the natural moisture in the vagina is hostile to them). A t about the time o f the month when the woman ovulates, the mucus in the entrance to the womb be­ comes thinner, more watery and sperms can swim through it more easily. Some sperms find their way up through the cervix into the womb. A few will pass through the womb and along the fallopian tubes. If an egg has just been released these sperms may meet it. Once one sperm pene­ trates the egg it changes so that no other

sperm can do so. The fertilised egg moves down the tube into the womb. There it is nourished by the lining o f the womb and the embryo starts to develop. Most women who have sexual inter­ course frequently during a period o f 12 months, without using any contraceptive, has nearly a 70% chance o f becoming pregnant. The aim o f contraceptives is to interrupt some stage o f the process described, and reduce these odds. - WWGWL

Thanks This article has been compiled from various sources, and with the co-operation o f several chemists and doctors. The Digger is especially indebted to the Working Women’s Group, Women’s Liberation, for permission to use long extracts from their pamphlet, What Every Woman Should Know. Attribution to WWGWL will be seen throughout the article. This excellent pamphlet has been, and will continue to be distributed free to young women in high schools. Women in high schools who would like to form or join groups to discuss these and other matters may contact local Women’s Liber­ ation groups. Consult the contact list on this guide. The pamphlet is available from Diane Olive, 3 Giles Street, Chifley, 2036, NSW. It is sold individually for 20 cents. Money from individual sales and donations (which are welcome will help the publications group.

What are the chances o f pregnancy? While only girls get pregnant, boys should also take notice. Fathering an unwanted pregnancy can be a crisis in your life — and no matter how much you suffer, you know that your lady friend probably suffers more. The table below shows the effectiveness o f various methods o f contraception. How are the numbers arrived at? In each case, research findings were written down in terms o f groups o f 100 women. The women have regular sexual activity. Each NO contraception Douche

115 3 0 -4 0

Rhythm (use o f a thermo­ meter greatly increases effectiveness)

1 4 -3 0

Chemical spemicides

1 0 -4 0

groups uses only one type o f contraceptive e.g. the pill, for a year. The number in the right hand column is the number o f pregnancies among that group o f women for that year. For the pill group, there is only one pregnancy (it varies between .3 and 1). We see that for the group o f 100 women using no contraceptive, there are more pregnancies than there are women! That’s because some women had time to begin a second pregnancy within the year of the study. Condom (increased effectiveness with chemical spemicides)

7 -1 4

Diaphragm (properly used with spermicidal jelly)

1 - 12

IUD

2 -5

The Pill Withdrawal

0 .3 -1

18 Sterilisation

0.003

This table was constructed from the following sources: Birth Control, Ernest Havemann, pub. Life; Sex and Fertility, Clive Wood, pub. Thomas and Hudson; What Every Woman Should Know, WWGWL. Where sources disagreed, the extreme ranges were given in our table.

Word's meanings Intercourse: In this guide, we’ve used the word intercourse to mean the act o f putting the penis into the vagina. Collo­ quial terms that mean about the same thing are fucking, rooting, screwing, etc. Penis: See illustration. The stem o f the male genital, which becomes erect; Collo quial terms include cock, prick, dick, etc. Vagina: See illustration/The deep hole in the female genital. Most colloquial terms such as cunt, twat, pussy, fanny etc. are used to refer to the whole female genitals.

Condoms French letters, or frenchies, are the common name for condoms. Condoms are also called rubbers, sheaths, frangers, or prophylactics. Whatever you call them, they work in the same simple way. The condom is rolled down over the erect penis, and covers it like a waterproof sock . When the male comes, the semen spurts inside the condom, and is held there. I f the condom doesn’ t leak, the sperm are prevented from swimming into the womb. Because the condom prevents direct contact between the penis and the tissue o f the vagina, it is a valuable means o f pre­ venting not only pregnancy but the spread o f venereal disease. If your partner has VD, or VD is suspected, a condom is strongly recommended. Next to the pill, the condom is the most frequently used sort o f effective contra­ ception. It is available at most chemists. Some chemists, however, do not stock it because o f moral or religious objections to contraception. And some chemists who do stock it may make jokes at your expense. If you run into some jive from a chemist, walk out o f the shop, and go to the next one. There’s no law against you buying it. If you’re embarrassed, you may want to pool together with your mates and send the least embarrassed guy into the shop to make the buy. Bulk buys are cheaper. Condoms are also sold in many barber shops — so if the headmaster sends you out for a haircut, you may be able to score on school time. Condoms come in standard and lubri­ cated varieties. The usual price for stan­ dard condoms is 40 cents for a pack o f 3 , and $1.40 for a pack o f a dozen. The usual price for lubricated condoms is 50 cents for 3, and $1.80 for the dozen. Condoms are made o f very thin rubber latex, and are usually sold rolled up in a packet. Unrolled, they are cylindrical in shape, open at one end, and closed at the other end. Some have a sort o f pocket at the closed end to hold the semen that’s ejaculated. The condom is usually about eight inches long when unrolled, and most men are left with a bit extra, unrolled, at the base o f the penis. Even the best brands are not always perfectly waterproof. Consumer tests show the following leakage rates for condoms in popular brands: Durex, Silvertex, and Superchecker.

3% to 9%

Durex Gossamer.

10%

Wet-check.

29%

Checker.

0%

Condoms are alsoknownto burst or be ripped during use. Justbecausea condom

fails to contain the sperm, doesn’ t mean pregnancy is inevitable. However, preg­ nancy is made quite possible by such failures. Because o f the likelihood o f leak­ age, and the possibility o f breakage, it’s wise to use one o f the spermicidal vaginal jellies listed below as a lubricant on the condom. This isn’t just a belt-and-braces suggestion. The lubricated brands o f condoms have higher leakage rates, and a little extra lubrication is often necessary for a pleasant entry with a condom. Condoms reduce sensitivity. This can be a good thing for young men, who have trouble staying with it long enough to satisfy their partners. A few tips: The penis should be stiff before the condom is rolled on. You should leave a little bit o f room at the end for the semen. The condom can be rolled on in two ways — the right way, and the wrong way. The right way is to have the roll on the outside, so it just rolls on. The wrong way is to put the condom on back­ wards, so you have to shove it down unrolling it from the inside. This takes longer, and if you use your fingernails, you can rip it. After the male comes, it’s wise to with­ draw before the penis becomes limp. If the penis is allowed to go limp in the vagina, semen may leak out o f the condom around the base o f the penis, increasing the risk o f pregnancy. Also, the condom may stay in­ side the vagina as the limp penis is with­ drawn, spilling semen out o f the open end. There is never any difficulty getting the condom out, but this defeats the purpose o f using it in the first place, which is to make certain that the semen doesn’t get in to the vagina. The condom is cheap, unless you are using a lot o f them. It is the easiest contra­ ceptive for teenagers to obtain. It is one o f the few ways o f preventing pregnancy which males can practice. It prevents the spread o f VD. If you are male, and your life includes casual sex with your women friends, using a condom is a simple way o f showing thoughtfulness and courtesy.

Pills The pill is very effective. It is also the most widely used form o f contraceptive in this country. However, you have to see a doctor to get it. He or she will examine you, and take your medical history. It’s said that young women shouldn’t take the pill until they are “ physically mature” . Some kinds o f diseases make taking the pill unwise, so the doctor ought to be satis­ fied you do not have these diseases before he puts you on it. You buy the pill at a chemist. The Labor government has repealed the Liberal luxury tax on contraceptives, and from April 1st it will cost $1.00 for 2 months’ supply. It’s quite legal for a doctor to prescribe the pill for any girl, even under the age o f consent, but some GPs seem to think they can make up laws for girls. According to professional ethics, a doctor is not allowed to repeat what a patient has told him, but ethics are made by adult males, and if you’re young and female you may not rate ethical behaviour. If you’re hesitant about approaching your family doctor, for fear o f sermons or tattling to your folks, perhaps one o f the telephone numbers on this page can locate you a doctor who’s cool. The Family Planning Clinic in various

cities can help. They have doctors on their staffs. Although the clinics have to play “ respectable” games, with politicians and so on, they’re usually quite straight and helpful with you. Once you have the pill, you must remem­ ber to take it regularly — about the same time every day is best. Women who are unmarried need an ex­ tremely reliable form o f contraception, be­ cause single mothers are given such a tough time. The pill is about the best. “ If you go through life without getting married, you have to weight the growing risk o f thrombosis with the pill against your need for an utterly reliable contraceptive (and, of course, the health risk from preg­ nancy grows too). The choice isn’ t an easy one: the answer depends on how important you yourself consider each o f the different risks is. “ People have now been using the pill for about ten years. In Australia and New Zealand over a third o f married women under 45 now take it. “ From ths'ftrst tentative trials with one ingredient the pill has now blossomed into many different formulations. Although people tend to lump them all together as “ The Pill” , there are great differences be­ tween some brands. “ The pill is the first method of contra­ ception, other than sterilisation, which can be virtually«400% effective. “ As with many other widely-used drugs, there is still a great deal that is not known about the pill, how it works and how it affects women. It will probably be many years before it is fully understood. And there is little doubt that, in the next few years, many new brands and types will be introduced. “ There are now three basic types o f pill on the market, combined, sequential and continuous. “ All three use synthetic hormones — oestrogens or progestogens. They are simi­ lar to natural hormones — oestrogens and progesterone — occurring in the body. There are only two types o f oestrogen which are currently being used in the pill but there are about 10 different progesto­ gens. The synthetic hormones are usually derived from plants. “ The combined type o f pill usually stops eggs from being released from the woman’ s ovaries. Very occasionally, though, an egg may be released, but the pill then prevents pregnancy in other ways. It changes the consistency o f the mucus in the cervical canal, making it more difficult for sperms to swim through. And it changes the way the lining o f the womb builds up each month, so that it cannot receive a fertilised egg. The periods o f a woman on the com­ bined type o f pill are therefore generally lighter than normal. “ The sequential type also usually stops egg release, but the lining o f the womb and the cervical mucus are less affected (though the lining does not build up in quite the same way as normal). “ The continuous type sometimes stops egg release, but sometimes doesn’ t. And it probably changes the lining o f the womb to some extent, and makes it harder for sperms to get through the cervical mucus. The woman may have heavier periods than normal, or irregular ones. She may have light bleeding at odd times — particularly when first starting on the pill. Brands o f “ combined pill” include such heavy dosage lines as Lyndiol 2.5.Sequens is an example o f the “ sequential pill” . “ Th ecombined pill is the most effective reversible method o f contraception. Pro­ vided the woman doesn’t forget pills, accidental pregnancy is unlikely indeed. If she forgets, the risk increases with the number forgotten. “ The sequential pill is less reliable than the combined type (though still very re­ liable). And missed tablets are more serious than with the combined pill. “ The continuous pill has not been out long, so only a few trials have been con­ ducted. It seems to be less effective than the combined pill, and probably less effec­ tive than the sequential one. “ In the last few years the results o f a number o f investigations have been pub­ lished, and it is now certain that there is a link between pill-taking and some types o f thrombosis (blood-clotting). “ The most recent figures suggest that, o f most women on the pill, about one or two in every 100,000 under 35, and about four in every 100,000 older women, will die o f thrombosis each year, who would otherwise have survived. The risks o f thrombosis for women not taking the pill are about seven times smaller. “ It is important to get these risks — which at first glance are alarming — into perspective. They are small compared to many others that women take. Driving or smoking, for instance, you run a greater risk o f death. “ Perhaps more important is the fact that about 24 in every 100,000 pregnant women die every year as a result o f their pregnancy. Women using less effective forms o f contraception are more likely to become pregnant, and run this risk. “ This, o f course, is looking at the risks over a large population. For the individual, there are many other factors to be con­ sidered. If a woman has had thrombosis in the past, it probably is advisable for her to avoid the pill if any other reliable method suits her. On the other hand, women of blood group O run less risk o f thrombosis than women o f other groups. “ As it appears to be the oestrogens in the pill which are primarily responsible for such risk as there is o f thrombosis, the progestogen-only continuous pill may well carry even less risk o f thrombosis.

“ The pill can cause a number o f minor changes in a woman’s health. Some are good effects, others can be irritating or un­ pleasant. “ Different brands may have different effects. An unpleasant effect can very often be cured by changing brands. “ No two women react in quite the same way to the pill. For instance, a few women find it changes now much they enjoy sex. But, some enjoy it more, some less. GOOD EFFECTS “ The pill has a considerable effect on the menstrual cycle, and \w>men who nor­ mally have painful periods, or very heavy ones, very often find that the pill cures them partially or completely. “ Many women get pre-menstrual ten­ sion. This might show itself as depression, irritability, headaches, or just a general feeling o f being bloated. The pill very often relieve these effects. “ Acne is also often helped by the pill (although occasionally it has been known to get worse). “ Some women worry about lighter men­ strual bleeding when they are on the pill. These worries are entirely needless. U N PLE A S A N T EFFECTS “ Some women gain weight when they start the pill: this may happen for only the first few months. The cause may be a better appetite, in which case you wouldhave to watch your diet. Or it may be the hormones in the pills, in which case a change o f brand may help. The breasts tend to get bigger. “ The pill occasionally may cause head­ aches or migraine, and there is some evi­ dence that women taking it may be more susceptible to depression. “ Occasionally women with contact len­ ses find that the pill makes their eyes more tender. You should tell your doctor at once. You may have to give up the pill or the contact lenses, to avoid the risk o f eye damage. “ Vaginal discharge is sometimes increas­ ed, and, if there is already a mild infection, the pill can make it worse. The pill can also cause a dry vagina (in which case a lubrica­ ting jelly might help during intercourse).” The Pill greatly increases your chance o f getting thrush (monilia). The symptoms are a white, crumbly discharge, and itching. It’s curable; see the doctor who prescribed the pill for you. “ It’s necessary to be sure that a woman is not pregnant when oral contraceptives are prescribed. This is important because some oral progestogens may cause female foetuses to develop masculine characteris­ tics if taken during the first 13 weeks o f pregnancy. Normally, this presents no risk, since the treatment does not begin until after five days o f menstrual flow. However, after the birth o f a child, there may be some months without menstruation. At this time particular care should be taken that the woman is not pregnant. It may be necessary to wait until the first cycle or to carry out tests. “ In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration still recommends that the pill should not be used for more than four consecutive years. This is probably a wise precaution until more is known about the long-term effects. It is also advised that a medical examination and a smear test be performed regularly. “ If you cannot find a doctor who will prescribe the pill for you, contact the Family Planning Association.” - WWGWL

Diaphram& Spermicides There’s a set o f contraceptive methods that involve putting things into the vagina before the penis is put in. These various things prevent sperm from swimming into the womb from the vagina, after the male ejaculates, or comes. The various things that are put into the vagina fall into two subsets. Subset [A ] is the “ mechanical barriers” — objects that block the sperm’ s entry from the vagina into the womb. Women have used sponges with strings attached for thousands o f years for this purpose. More modern devices, such as the diaphragm and the cervical cap, are available to you. Subset [B ] is the “ spermicides” — chemicals that kill sperm, or at least stop the sperm from swimming. We have put both o f these subsets under the same heading, because spermi­ cides and barriers should be used together. The diaphragm is no good unless it has been filled with a spermicide, and the condom is much more effective if it is lub­ ricated with a spermicidal jelly. On the other hand, the most effective form o f spermicide, a good chemical foam which will work its way into the folds o f the vagina, is still not the most reliable contraceptive if used without a barrier. The best foam still gives you one chance in five or ten o f becoming pregnant over a year’s use, unless it is used with a barrier. Many doctors and family planning clinics can fit you with a diaphragm, and show you how to put it in and get it out. Until you get the hang o f it, you may be a bit clumsy about this, but persistence over­ comes all difficulties. You’ll have to learn a bit about your individual shape inside. Intelligent combinations o f spermicides and mechanical barriers work quite well, although they require a bit of foresight to use. According to the Working Women’ s Group, Women’s Liberation: “ They pro­ vide an acceptable alternative to women

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March 10 - 24

3UIDE TO CONTRACEPTION who are not yet convinced o f the safety o f oral contraceptives, who are susceptible to their side effects or who do not like the routine o f oral contraception. They may also be used while breast feeding without fear o f inhibiting lactation or affecting the child through the milk.” “ A diaphragm, or “ dutch cap” , consists o f a soft rubber dome with a circular metal spring enclosed in its rim. It is inserted by squeezing it sideways and sliding it along the back wall o f the vagina until it rests be­ hind the neck o f the uterus. The front is then pushed up behind the pelvic bone and the expanded ring keeps it in place. A check that the cervix is covered can be made by feeling this structure through the dome with the index finger. Some women, particularly those who cannot reach the cervix with their fingers, will prefer to use a plastic applicator for insertion.

“ A diaphragm must always be inserted before every act o f sexual intercourse and must remain in place for at least six hours after intercourse. It can then be re­ moved and a douche used, if desired, to re­ move the jelly that remains in the vagina. But the douche is not necessary — and must not be used under any circumstances for at least six hours. Many women routeinely insert the diaphragm each night. Once it has been properly inserted, it can stay in place safely for 24 hours without causing any discomfort. “ When properly fitted, neither partner should be aware o f the presence o f the dia­ phragm. The combination o f a well-fitting diaphragm and an effective spermicide will give a high degree o f protection if used con­ sistently and intelligently. There may be a slight risk o f displacement during inter­ course because the upper vagina relaxes

phragm but tests have not yet shown whether this is so or whether there is some inherent weakness in the diaphragm. There are two brands listed in Australian pharma­ ceutical catalogues — Ortho andKoromex.” * * * Spermicides come in a variety o f forms, and are available without a prescription at a chemists. Both the foam and recommended brands o f jellies, pastes and creams can be injected at the top o f the vagina with an applicator that looks a bit like a big syringe. Some o f the products may be used to smear on the surfaces and rims o f diaphragms, or to lub­ ricate condoms. Manufacturers may recom­ mend these products for solo use. What they don’t tell you is, that used without a mechanical barrier, the risk o f pregnancy is greatly increased. The applicator is filled from the nozzle o f the tube or aerosol can o f spermicide. The spermicide should be placed around the cervix, at the top o f the vagina. To achieve this, the applicator should be in­ serted into the vagina as far as it will com­ fortably go, and then withdrawn about half an inch. The plunger is then depressed, and the spermicide is oushed out o f the barrel o f the syringe. The applicator should be pulled out with the plunger still de­ pressed. I f the spermicide is being used with a diaphragm, a second dose should be shot up before you repeat intercourse. All this rigamarole may sound like a drag, but between friends, it can be good fun. Consumer tests show that o f 11 brands o f such spermicides on sale in Australia, only 5 brands are satisfactory. These brands are: Delfen Koromex Jelly Ortho-gynol Preceptin and Volpar Paste. All these products cost $1.55 for an 85 gram tube. An applicator is $1.04. In case you are offered them by a chem­ ist as a substitute, the brands a Canberra Consumer’s Group considered unsatisfac­ tory are: Nocturne, Ortho creme, Pax, Promalthus, Proveen, QT. Delfen foam, in a pressure pack, costs

with people who believe in this idea. They may attempt to persuade you to abstain from sex, rather than help you avoid * * * pregnancy, The rhythm method is based on the fact Other spermicides come in the form o f that, ordinarily, a woman produces a ripe foaming tablets and soluble pessaries. egg only once a month. There is a period o f Foaming tablets are simple to use. Un­ no more than 24 hours when this ripe egg fortunately, they aren’ t much good. Con­ can be fertilised by the male sperm, and be­ sumer tests o f ten brands available in Aust­ gin to develop into a baby. If fertilisation ralia showed all o f them to be unsatisfac­ does not occur in the 24 hour period, the tory. egg breaks apart and disappears. Soluble pessaries (also called supposi­ The rhythm method, however, calls for tories and vagitories) have a spermicide more than a day o f sexual abstinence. It mixed in a gelatine or waxy base, and are has to take account o f two, more facts. The shoved deep into the vagina a few minutes first is that sperm can remain active in the before intercourse. womb and fallopian tubes for about four If intercourse is delayed for more than days after intercourse, and still be able to half an hour, another one should be shoved fertilise the egg. So there are about five up there. days in each cycle when intercourse may Pessaries should be used with a condom result in pregnancy. or diaphragm. They must be stored in a The second fact is that it’s very difficult cool place; a car is no place to keep them. to know exactly what day the ripe egg will After testing, only one brand o f spermicidal be released from the woman’s ovaries. pessary could be recommended. Its name We cannot recommend another two is: Rendell's Wife’s Friend soluble pessary. techniques that are sometimes used as All spermicides have the ability to contraception. One is douching, which affect living cells. Some spermicides may involves interior washing o f the vagina cause irritation o f the vagina, or the labia after intercourse. You may have seen (the lips o f the cunt). Changing brands may various devices made for this purpose — solve the problem; on the other hand, it such as a large rubber bulb which squirts may not. water through a spout. A douche can wash away some o f the semen deposited in the vagina after intercourse, but since the semen is often deposited very close to the en­ The intra-uterine device, or IUD, is in­ trance to the womb, some sperm can swim into the womb almost immediately. The serted in the womb by a doctor. It seems to prevent pregnancy by stopping the ferti­ douche water may not reach the sperm there, and even if the water contains some lised egg from getting attached to the side o f the womb. IUDs are not as effective as spermicide, the sperm are on their way to­ wards a potential pregnancy. the pill, but they have, several advantages. Douching does some good. Of 100 You don’ t have to remember to take a pill women using only a douche after inter­ every day, and you don’t have to prepare course, only 31 will become pregnant in before each act o f intercourse, as you do the course o f a year’s sexual activity. This with many other methods. compares with an unprotected figure of The cost o f the doctor’s insertion varies. 110 to 115 pregnancies among 100 women The job can be had for $25, and IUDs can who use no contraceptive technique what­ be left in place for several years. You may soever. be able to claim on medical benefits. Many On the other hand, douching does very doctors who do abortions also insert IUDs, little harm, and doesn’ t interfere much and if you have to get an abortion you may with sexual enjoyment. Some women use a inquire about getting an IUD. douche as part o f their normal toilet Many doctors will not insert an IUD into a womb that has never been pregnant, so if habit, without trying to use it as a contra­ you are a young girl who has not had a ceptive. Withdrawal - is slightly more effective child, you may have some difficulty getting one. Like any contraceptive method, than douching, especially if a douche is used afterwards, with a spermicidal solu­ IUDs have their drawbacks. Some women tion. Both douching and withdrawal are can lose an IUD from the womb without knowing it, and continue to have sex with­ very old-fashioned methods o f contracep­ tion. Withdrawal was responsible for most out protection without realising that they are at risk. There are some stories o f preg­ o f the decline in the French birthrate dur­ ing the 18th Century; douching was par­ nancies that have started while the IUD tially responsible for the decline in the was still in place. Side-effects include bleeding, cramps, English middle class birthrate during the back-ache, for- women whom the IUD s ; last part o f the 19th Century. “ One way o f preventing the sperm from don’ t suit. IUDs come in various shapes and sizes, entering the woman, even without the use some o f the names are “ the loop or Lippes o f a condom, is for the man to withdraw loop, Grafenberg ring, Dalcon shield, the his penis from the vagina just before he ejaculates. A survey once showed that 44% coil,” and the newest IUD being tested in o f couples interviewed in Britain had prac­ Australia is called the Copper 7. Great tised withdrawl (or coitus interruptus) at claims are made for new models as they times and that for somewhere around a come on the market; these claims are usually toned down after a few years prac­ fifth to a third o f these it was still the only method ever used. In the United States it tical experience by women. has been less popular — used at times by A staff member has been using an IUD only 18% o f couples and, as the only for years, with good results. She has never method, by fewer than five couples in a had a child. “ I couldn’t be bothered taking hundred. Figures for its use in Australia the pill,” she says. were not available. “ Withdrawal is not particularly a effective technique; one reason is that fluid from the glands lining the male’s genital tract may contain sperm and deposit them There are sure to be new methods o f in the woman even before orgasm. Another contraception. The first batch o f “ morning is that the slightest mistake in timing per­ after” pills are now being tested in Aust­ mits a certain amount o f semen to be de­ ralia, so women may be able to prevent posited before withdrawal.. Even a drop is pregnancy by taking a pill after intercourse, sufficient to cause pregnancy, especially in the very near future. Long lasting hor­ since the first drops o f semen expelled by mone injections, which act to prevent ovu­ the man contain unusually high concen­ lation like the pill, but which do not require trations o f sperm. Am ong every 100 couples the user, to take a daily dosage, are also who practise withdrawal fo r a fu ll year, one being tested. survey has shown, 18 women are likely to Male pills have not gained any accept­ become pregnant. Withdrawal is useful ance. Men, who do not get pregnant, are only as an emergency measure which can more sensitive about side effects from be taken when no better method is avail­ contraceptives. Improved male pills may able. come on the market. “ Withdrawal is highly unsatisfactory Some sex acts carry no risk o f preg­ from the point o f view o f sexual pleasure. nancy. Among, these acts are abstinence, The man has to withdraw in the middle o f masturbation, and oral and anal intercourse. his orgasm and the sensation is partially The act that leads to pregnancy is a very spoiled for him. The woman has to have specific one — an act that results in semen her orgasm before the man has his and being put into the vagina, so that sperm can when young men are involved this is not swim up into the woman’s internal organs an easy situation to produce. Thus, the and find an egg. woman usually misses out.” - WWGWL

waysa laugh. I can’ t vouch for its effective­ ness. It doesn’ t taste good.”

W om b guards

Futurology

M iscellany

“ A diaphragm that is too large or too small is useless. Diaphragms may be pur­ chased without a prescription, but because the shape and size o f the female structures vary widely, it is essential that the type and size o f the diaphragm should be selec­ ted in the first place by a doctor or nurse with the relevant knowledge. The doctor or nurse will normally fit the diaphragm, instruct the woman in its insertion and re­ moval, check that she can do this efficient­ ly, and instruct her in its care. The fitting should be rechecked each year, and after any marked change in weight ( say ten pounds) or after pregnancy or abdominal operation. “ A contraceptive jelly or cream which kills sperm on contact is always used with the diaphragm. A small amount o f this jelly is rubbed around the edge o f the dia­ phragm and about a teaspoonful is placed inside the cup. The diaphragm is then put in place. For added protection, an add­ itional small amount o f jelly is then squeezed up against the diaphragm through an applicator.

D.

Photos by Ponch Hawkes

A. The condom should he rolled on the erect penis with the roll on the outside. I f you p u t it on backwards, y ou 'll lose time, and have trouble. B. The p ill is available only with a doctor's prescription. Your doctor should help you choose the right brand. Pills have to be taken every day. C. Diaphragms should be fitted by a doctor or clinic, although no pres­ cription is required. They must be used with a spermicidal jelly. D. You rub the rim and fill the cup o f the diaphragm with the jelly before intercourse, and p u t it in yourself. More jelly is then applied. The diaphragm must be worn fo r at least 6 hours after intercourse.

in some women during orgasm and the penis may be accidentally placed in front o f the diaphragm. Displacement appears to be less likely in women lying on their backs with their legs extended. “However, the failure rate o f the dia­ phragm remains reasonably high. O ut o f every 100 women who rely on it fo r a full year, about 12 are likely to become preg­ nant. “ Many o f these pregnancies probably result from carelessness in use o f the dia-

$3.90 the first time around, and comes with an applicator. Refills cost $2.90. The highest priced spermicide is being marketed as “ a most reliable alternative to the pill or the loop, provided that simple directions are followed, every time.” A 1 5 J20 gram net aerosol can provides doses. A staff member with personal experience says, “ Sometimes you lose a bit, getting the hang o f filling the appli­ cator. It’s about the consistency o f instant shaving cream, and a bit o f splatter is al-

Human beings are about the only animals that make love for recreation. Most female animals are only fertile during certain sea­ sons, when they are “ on heat” , and they are likely to get pregnant from one act o f intercourse during this period. It is also the only period when they are likely to have intercourse. We are different. Human females can have, and enjoy, intercourse at most times (even during their menstrual bleeding). While a single act o f intercourse can lead to pregnancy, the odds are against it. The egg that the sperm must fertilise is not always present, and even when it is present, a sperm may not find it. The odds vary according to the time that intercourse takes place during the men­ strual cycle. I f a woman has intercourse during the so-called “ safe period” , her odds o f becoming pregnant are reduced. The “ safe period” is the time o f her men­ strual cycle when an egg is unlikely to be present. This fact is the basis o f the rhythm method o f contraception. We do not re­ commend the rhythm method. It is one o f the least reliable forms of contraception. However, it is the only method the Catholic Church approves for Catholic married w o­ men. You may consult a Catholic Family Planning Clinic for details about deter­ mining your safe period, but the Catholic Church’s theology says that sex outside marriage is an offence against the sacra­ ment, and a sin. I f you are unmarried and still in school, you may have difficulty

Sterilization Surgical sterilisation is not always re­ versible; if you have it done, you may not be able to have it repaired so you can have children at a later date. Most doctors are reluctant to do it for you, if you are still at school. Male sterilisation is called vasectomy. It is a minor operation. The skin o f the scro­ tum is slit, and the tubes that carry sperm from the testes to the prostrate gland are tied off. The operation does not interfere with a normal sex life. It takes about 60 days for the male ejaculate to become free o f sperm, so other forms o f contra­ ception are necessary for the first two months after the operation. The Sydney Family Planning Clinic in City Road, does vasectomies. It takes a few minutes, and no rest is required. For women, the operation is more in­ volved, since the abdomen must be opened, and the fallopian tubes tied and cut. A few days must be spent in hospital.

Some advice about abortion If men got pregnant, there’d be no laws against abortion. Over the past few years, a strong movement for the repeal o f abor­ tion laws has been building up in Australia. The movement for repeal o f abortion laws has the support o f most people. Nearly 80% o f the people questioned in a recent

national survey want some change in the abortion laws. However, our Parliaments are full o f old men. These old men refuse to do anything about the problems young women face. So the courts and the police have had to shoulder the impossible job o f making un­ real laws fit with what is actually happening. What is happening? You can get a safe abortion from a properly-trained, legallyqualified doctor. Properly done, abortion is safe. Czechoslovakia reported that in 140,000 cases o f legal abortion, there were no deaths. The death rate in America from tonsillectomies is 14 per 100,000 opera­ tions. However, until the laws on abortion are repealed in Australian states, you may have to pay too much ($100 to $300) for an abortion by a doctor, and it will in volve some trouble finding a doctor to do it. Whether you are looking for a doctor to prescribe you the pill, or to refer you to a specialist abortionist, you may be able to get some help by calling one of the appropriate numbers in our contact guide. Please don’ t expect everyone who picks up a ’ phone to be perfect. They are just people like yourself, busy, moody, or con­ fused. Persistence furthereth. Remember that you don’ t necessarily trust strangers, and strangers don’ t necessarily trust you: if you want to have a serious talk it’s best to do it face to face. Whatever you do, d on't try to abort yourself. Whatever you do, d o n 't let your schoolfriends experiment with your body. Whatever you do, d on't get an abortion from someone whom you are unsure of. Medically-qualified abortionists don’ t al­ ways work in hospitals, but they always have an address you can go back to, and a proper doctor’s surgery. They will take a medical history from you, and they may want to see your parents, or at least the father o f your pregnancy. It’ s best to go to an abortionist who is recommended by someone you can trust, and who knows the difference between a good one and a bad one. A GP doctor who refers you probably knows what he is doing. The most well-wishing o f your friends can give you terrible advice, and worse treatment. We know o f a coroner’s court case where the friends o f a girl put her in a hot mustard bath, to try to bring about an abortion. A doctor could have told her that the bath had no chance o f producing an abortion. However, it was hot enough to give the girl heart stroke, and she died.

Contact list F A M IL Y PLA N N IN G ASSOCIATION OF A U S TR A LIA , 92 City Road, Chippendale, NSW, 2008. (69.5211) FA M ILY PLA N N IN G ASSOCIATION, 509 Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic., 3000. (61.2108) F A M IL Y PLA N N IN G ASSOCIATION, Beauchamp House, Acton, Canberra, 2601. (just moving: no ’phone.) If you ’phone the Family Planning Clinic they can give you the name o f the clinic most convenient to where you live or work. When you go in, a voluntary worker takes down the details o f your medical history. Then you see the doctor. He or she will talk about the various types o f birth control, examine you and then prescribe the form o f contraception thought most suitable. Most doctors will be willing to answer any questions you have. Usually the prescription is filled out at the clinic. Males are welcome at these clinics. Don’ t be put o ff by the word “ Family” . They are just as much concerned with not having unwanted families as they are about having them. A slogan they sometimes use is “ Every child should be wanted.” Women’s Liberation groups are sym­ pathetic places to contact if you want information or help. They have lists o f contacts. It’s usually best to call in and have a chat with someone. Women’s Centre, 25 Alberta Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000. (no ’phone as yet.) It’ s just o ff Goulbum Street. Women’s House, 16 Little Latrobe Street, Melbourne, Vic., 3000. (347.1564) Women’s Liberation House, Bloor Court, Adelaide, SA, 5000. Women’s Centre, 12 Bremer Street, Griffith, Canberra, 2601. Brisbane Women’s Liberation, P. O. Box 67, University o f Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld., 4067. Perth Women’ s Liberation, C/o Joan Wilson, G. P. 0. Box N1079, Perth, WA, 6001. In Melbourne, there are several places where you can go to talk specifically about a problem pregnancy. Dr. Bertram Wainer is in practice as a Fertility Control Consultant in Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, convenient to trains and trams. You should ring ahead for an appointment. The numbers are 419.2511 and 429.2887 The Abortion Law Repeal Association has evening counselling sessions in Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda. Appointments may be made by ringing 94.1630, or 94.1540. In Sydney: Abortion Law Reform Association, Box C35, Clarence Street, Sydney, 2001. (36.6016)

Page 8

The Digger

March 10 — 24 Richard Harris

Rolling the Stones away by Jenny Brown

held in Israeli jails and members o f the Braader-Meinhof guerrilla group held in West Qerman jails. The eight guerrillas gave them­ selves up to Sudanese authorities after they were promised they would not be executed. The authorities later said the guerrillas were dead men. ___ About 200 Sioux Indians took over a Catholic church at Wounded Knee, South Dakota — the site o f the massacre, by US cavalry, o f 200 Sioux men, women and children 83 years ago — late last month. They also occupied several houses in the1 town, raised barricades in a number o f streets, and took 11 hostages. The Sioux, many o f whom are mem­ bers o f the American Indian Move­ ment, are demanding a full-scale meeting to air their grievances — no jobs, chronic and severe poverty and discrimination. Senator George McGovern, the unsuccessful Democratic candidate in the last presidential elections, who talked with the Sioux, said such a meeting would not be prac­ tical because it would require the attendance o f the congressional sub­ committee on Indian affairs and other officials. The hostages were released before the meeting with the senator, and the meeting ended when the Sioux were informed that the home o f one o f their leaders had been firebombed and his wife injured. On March 5, Dick Wilson, the tribal chairman o f the Oglala Sioux, threatened to lead his people against the Wounded Knee Indians. He said he was willing to go in with 800 or 900 guns to rout the people whom he described as “ vagrants and goons who won’t work.” Reports say that' the siege is in part a revolt against Wilson’ s leadership. The occupiers said they would abandon the siege if the Justice department would agree not tomake mass arrests and would accept h proposal drawn up by the Indians, their former hostages and a clergy­ man. A delegation o f Objibway Indians from Minnesota called for the UN to send observers to protect the Wounded Knee Sioux. Australia has become the world headquarters for the training o f Croation terrorists according to documents seized recently by Commonwealth police. * * * An 89 year old pensioner charged by police with insufficient means o f support after they found him wet, dirty and with only a handful o f coppers in his pockets, was sen­ tenced to six months jail in Mordialloc Court in spite o f producing a bank book showing $125.30 bal­ ance. The conviction was quashed a month later by a county court judge who said that a man who has money in the bank can sleep under a tree if he wanted to. There was no obligation on him to use it to keep clean . . . A real estate boom and drug raids are making life difficult

don’t go out of your flamin’ mind!! cripes!! b a z z a ’s g o t a

record

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for the people the papers call The Hippies, on the Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland. Land values have risen four to 10 times in the last three years, making it hard for people who want to buy now to do so and hard for those who’ve got land to resist selling to the agents. Commu­ nards at Kurarida claim it is hard to get work and unemployment re­ lief, and that it’s all made even harder by police and customs raids for grass. An un-named police Ser­ geant was quoted: “ Grass is a major problem in the district. It has a deep hold on the high schools and a trade has developed.” The federal government plans to scrap pensions and social security benefits and replace them with a system o f guaranteed income “ before the next federal elections.” The broadened social welfare scheme will cover widowed and deserted fathers, dependent children, large families on low incomes and people with per­ sonal and social disabilities who now get benefit payments. A tapered means test, based on an acceptable minimum income, would be retained “ to keep work incentive” . . . Under a $100,000 family care plan, the SA government will lend or give money to families in danger o f breaking up because o f poverty . . . The federal attorney general, Lionel Murphy, has ordered a review o f all Australian censorship laws on the grounds that freedom o f people to hear, read and view what they wished was a fundamental human right. “ If need be, existing laws will be amended to increase penalties against those responsible for improp­ erly exposing unwilling persons to material offensive to them. Both sets o f rights are equally important,” he said . . . A Victorian state Labor government would run on the same principles, according to its arts spokes­ man . 7 . “ There are very good studies that show once a person is exposed to 20 hours o f pornography there is no longer the same titillating sensation,” an American sex educa­ tionalists, Dr. Johanna Perlmutter says. The federal government’s 23 year old ban on communist party member migrants obtaining Aust­ ralian citizenship has been lifted, . Australians and Americans should not take each other for granted, the US ambassador-designate, Marshall Green, urged, adding: ‘I don’ t think things are as simple as they have been in the past.”

A LL ON ’is OW N— WITH A FEW BLOKES ’ EOUT. IT ’S BLUE BUT IT’S BEAUT.

BARRY “ BAZZA” CROCKER

"BARRY McKENZIE’S PARTY SONGS” AVE A LISTEN TO A ONE-EYED TROUSERj SNAKE-WASHED DOWN THE GUTTER _ EARL§ CUURT BLUES - CHUNDER IN THE OLD PACIFIC AND MANY MORE

RECORDS 34733

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--------COMPANY

& TAPES 24733

* * * China’s first diplomatic mission to Australia arrived on March 3. The nine-man team is headed by a career diplomat . . . China and the US agreed to open liason offices in each other’s capitals, and to expand trade

and other contacts The US will con­ tinue diplomatic relations with Tai ­ wan . . . China invited Taiwan nationalists to take part in talks about the reunification o f China . . . And China is reported to be developing an intercontinental ballis­ tic missile larger than Russia’s largest, and capable o f hitting major targets in both Russia and- the US 1 . . The Soviet Union is still increasing its strategic defence capabilities despite various arms control negotiations, a British Defence white paper said. It had 1,500 ICBMs, 700 medium and intermediate range ballistic missile firing submarines, and 300 attack and cruise missile subs. A long debate in the New Guinea house o f assembly on the timing of independence will probably come to a vote early this month. The debate, which was adjourned on March 1, concerns the proposal o f a target date for a referendum. The govern­ ment says no, the opposition yes . . . The PNG minister for agriculture wants censorship o f the mass media — the ABC, and the paper, Post Courier. He said the papers were re­ porting things in a way “ that will break this country’s unity” and that the house o f assembly must insist on them “ reporting exactly what we want.” . , . And under amendments to corrective institutions regulations, prisoners in the territory’ s jails will no longer be paid (the present daily rate is two and a half cents a day with a five cent gratuity for prisoners serving more than two years) or get remissions on their sentences. Pris­ oners caught smoking would have their sentences increased. The deputy chief minister, John Guise* explain­ ed: “ It is becoming increasingly apparent that there is a growing demand for stricter disciplinary con­ ditions, particularly at out stations.” * * * Britain’ s birthrate; is dropping rapidly, and if present trends con­ tinue, may start falling in about 20 years. Figures given by the Regist­ rar General suggest that births and deaths will cancel each other out by, the end o f this year . . . Abortion seriously increased the risk o f chil­ dren conceived subsequently, accord­ ing to a report issued by a London group, the Foundation for Education and Research in Child-Bearing. R e­ viewing 75 publications from 12 countries, the report said that evi­ dence from those countries where abortion had been liberalised showed a doubling o f prenatal mortality rates, a 40% increase in premature births, a 100 to 150% increase in extra-uterine pregnancies , a 400% In­ crease in pelvic inflammatory con­ ditions and menstrual disorders, and an increase in sterility. Some waterside workers extended

*

*

For most shows at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse, that dog o f a venue, the audience comes early to bag good good places to sit; in front o f the grandstands, where the concrete is hard but precious. For the Stones , the queues developed first thing Mon­ day morning. The gates opened early afternoon, and two hours before the show was scheduled to begin, hot­ their ban on all US meat exports at 1 headed snarling over snatched “ seats” the end o f February, threatening that was cropping up all over: The full it could spread to other Australian twenty-five thou, were ready and ports if the government did not give waiting. a firm undertaking on a meat ‘stabb A short shower came, and blew lisation plan’ . A Waterside Workers’* away. With the tape-rock spinning Federation vigilance officer, said that through early Beatles into oblivion, the men were so angry at the high the lightshow got to work, and at local price o f meat they had no in­ eight a local band came onstage for a tention o f sending any to the US . . . thirty minute set (the best o f which The general manager o f the, was smart, Creamish jamming, the Northern Victoria Fruit Growers’ worst put-on paranoids), winding up Association suggested that Pacific with a pink-sequined stripper who Islanders could be brought to Aust­ wormed her way out o f a big white ralia each year on contract, to help bag before baring her tits and leaving. overcome a chronic labor shortage The half-hour break was murder, in the Goulbum valley , . . The but at nine the jumpy crowd stood Minister for Immigration, A1 Grassby and;laughed, applauded, straining at thought Aborigines from central Aust­ something the big white guns picked ralia should be air-lifted instead. up coming onto the track. “ There are thousands o f unemployed Since, with the set-up at RandAboriginals in Central Australia who wick, it is impossible to make the would be only too grateful for the stage without being seen, the Stones chance o f employment and train­ would be seen; and seen good and ing. I remember a few years ago we proper. In a carriage drawn by four" had a severe labor shortage in our area and we airlifted Arunta Abori­ big greys, cantering nerve-shot in the icy Spotlights. ginals to help with the fruit picking. The cold, eternal loveliness in «the It was a great success. I don’ t see opening bars o f “ 2,000 light Years why it can’ t be done again.” Cotton , growers on the West • From Home” flowed over the crowd as the Stones came on stage, and the Australian Ord River project are people.thundered at them. You could having so much trouble with dest­ see it was going to be a demon o f a ructive insects that the Federal gov­ night, yessss . . . ernment may have to make a com­ Both Sydney’s shows were noc­ plete reappraisal o f the scheme. turnal, both pulled full houses — The main insect pest — heliothis around fifty thousand, all told. armigera — has become almost The Stones have played so many immune to DDT-toxophone, the bloody concerts by now that it’s the main insecticide used to control it. crowd who makes or breaks a show, . . . The Australian Medical Associa­ and although audiences all over have tion wants the doctors to be freed to the tendency to feel it’s all a movie turn in patients they think are dan­ gerous on the road. . . . Turkey’s“ (and it does look like that) for the first few numbers, both Sydney crowds Martial Law Command has imposed got o f f their backsides and stayed o ff the first press censorship in 103 them, and they were big, and there years by banning two paragraphs o f was boogie all round the nucleus o f a speech, made 16 days before the the stage. So, the band cooked a little presidential elections, by the Repub­ hotter than they had in Melbourne lican leader, condemning censorship (Jagger sassy in a new night-sky blue

’fit) and they played “ Little Queenie” instead o f “ Johnny B. Goode” ; but underneath the creamy, the pie was still much the same — sweet Stones well-spiked spunk from their three latest albums, “ Let It Bleed” ,“ Sticky Fingers” and “ Exile ori^Main Street” , with a dash o f vintage hits in “ Jumping Jack Flash” and “ Street Fighting Man.” Again, the music was worth it all, and the Stones gang’ s managerial brilliance was both as considerate o f the audience as possible and a com­ pliment to the Stones themselves. Where Rudge, who seems to thrive on impossibilities, found five thous­ and ping-pong balls, probably on a Sunday, and had them sprayed irridescent orange, blue and yellow by Monday night, angels would fear to know, but there they were — pelting down for a good three minutes midway through the last number in sproinging, irridescent showers; ric­ ocheting o ff a stagefull o f angles, pokking Jagger’s sheltering hands, threatening to bury a hunched Nicky Hopkins as he tried to find the keys in the luminous chaos. The Stones’ last Australian show; was all kinds o f silliness — Hopkins’ Christopher Robin figure flanked, in the last number, by the golf-pro. brawn o f Ian Stewart on one side and Jim Price’s high blonde head on the other, all three o f them on the keys o f the grand piano. That Woman, Australia’ s most dedicated Stones groupie, was there in full force and Jagger and Bobby Keyes danced around in her plumed headpiece like street kids in the ping-pong onslaught. And as the stage lights cut and “ Land o f Hope and Glory” rolled in, the sky beyond the stage erupted in brilliant soft-blown streamers o f ejac­ ulated light — great fireworks ripped the heavens’ entrails open in far-off sighs. Racehorses stabled near the stage, already spooked wide-eyed by the noise from the crowd and the Stones, panicked so bad they nearly killed themselves, but out front, the chant­ ing, stargazing crowd was calmed and a little, almost sated. *

*

*

The Rolling Stones, five guys. Plus brass land piano, that’s eight.: With a touring crew o f maybe twenty — managerial, PR, sound crew, light crew, flight crew for the Constella­ tion, body guard et al, plus a few wives — equals twenty-eight. With the Paul Dainty Corporation, Bob Jones security boys, WE A reps. K and a couple o f columnists, it fills three floors o f a joint like the Kingsgate. With visitors (groupies, pushers, acquaintances, hangers-on, artists, writers and sightseers), the place teems and squirms like a night­ mare. “ There's two narcs in the lobby,” someone/ hisses at Anna Menzies, who’s out like a dead hound on her bed. A photographer projects slides o f the concerts up onto the wall $ .. there’s quite a crowd in Anna’s room. “ Ooooah,” she says. It would be no surprise to find Picadilly Circus in the lobby tonight. A ruckus in the hall outside as the security boys leave the assembling o f their magnificent smoke-bomb(ripped ping-pong shells in an empty Jack Daniels box) to deal with some more o f the uninvited army. “ It’s that woman again!” She’s been following the Stones round Australia, -claiming to be Keith Richard’s w ife and a host o f other things, kicking up a shambles all over. Turns out she’s a junky. In Melbourne, a redhead out to screw Jagger claimed blood-ties with Marianne Faithful. And later, on Jagger’s last night in the country, there was an accented lady with male trailers, who claimed she was a Balin­ ese dancer . . . Jagger walked into Rudge’ s room just a minute too soon “ Eylo Mick!” Ms Bali crooned, trapping him against a wall with her happy arms. “ Remember me from Bali?” Mick looked mildly put out, squirmed politely. “ No love, I’ve never me’ you in my life, I never forge’ a face. Never forge’ a face;” Ms Bali was asked to leave. Jagger would maybe have liked to go back to his bedroom, except that it was full o f people . . . . . .

No alibi The Victoria Police and Fitzroy Council are having a disagreement about a parking ticket slapped on an illegally parked unmarked police car by a council parking inspector. Detective Senior Constable John H. Brown wrote to the council asking that the ticket be withdrawn on tne grounds that the police were on duty at the time and apprehended a man who has since been charged with murder. The request was considered and duly refused by the council’ s Public Works, Fire Prevention and Traffic Committee. “ We have refused to withdraw lots o f others,” Cr. Brian Lennon' said. “ Perhaps they’re upping the ante each time to see which ones we’ll let them get away with.”

Larry Meitzer

by Virginia Frazer There could be another Vietnam in Thailand i f American forces are retained there, the prime minister Gough Whitlam, predicted. “ Ameri­ can use o f air bases in Thailand for operations against Vietnam has in­ evitably caused suspicions, and in fact hostility against Thailand. The continued presence o f American forces in Thailand would prolong that suspicion and hostility.” But he also predicted that Australia would never again be involved in an Indo-China war. “ Once bitten, forevery shy,” he said . . . And the aftermath: Private sources estimate that there are some­ where up to 100,000 illegitimate children o f American troops in Vietnam . . . And the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese delegations to the four party joint military commission suspended all future sessions in a dispute over the exchange o f Viet­ namese prisoners. They said they would attend no more meetings with the US and South Vietnamese dele­ gates till the Saigon government raised the number o f prisoners to be released in the second exchange from 3,000 to at least 5,000. South Vietnamese President Thieu called for talks between South and North Vietnam and the Viet Cong to prepare the way for an ‘under­ standing’ . He also said he wanted immediate elections to prevent people from the North bringing in millions o f people to vote . . . The Laotian prime minister, Prince Souvanna Phouma, said he would ask for and was certain he’d get American air support if the communist Pathet Lao kept up their nationwide attacks. Israeli air force jets shot down an off-course Libyan Boeing 727 as it flew along the Israeli-held side o f the Suez Canal, killing all but seven o f the 111 crew and passengers. Rhodesia cut rail links with Zambia after the arrest o f a white train driver by Zambian troops, and they will remain closed till he is re­ leased according to Rhodesian Rail­ ways general manager . . . Eight South African student leaders — all leading figures in the National Union o f South African Students — were served with restriction orders under the Suppression o f Communism Act. “ An inquiry has found that these students have for some time acted in a manner which could be described as creating a climate o f revolution,” Prime Minister Vorster said and refused to give details of the orders . . . On Friday March 3, Black Sept­ ember guerrillas shot their way into a diplomatic reception in Khartoum with sub-machine guns and seized five foreign diplomats. Tw o US, and one Belgian diplomat were killed, and a Saudi Arabian ambassador and his wife and a Jordanian diplomat were released after 11 hours as host­ ages in the Saudi Arabian embassy. The demands made by the Black Septemberists are the release o f Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin o f Sena­ tor Robert Kennedy, 50 Arab prison­ ers held in Jordan, all Arab women-

As Mick Jagger might try for one' extravagant snatch at detachment, objectivity; up there in the blinding, scorching lights and the whiskey sweat, with teenage horn and an ocean o f cops and riots stretched like a megalomaniac’s dream below him; so does Peter Rudge contemplate stealing the time to worry. Rudge, the Stones’ Tour Manager, just can’ t afford it. He hasn’ t slept for four days, not too straight, and though theoretically the shows are over, the organisational marathon still lopes deathlessly on. A zombie. In the oyster-colored sunrise over the Sydney metropolis this morning, or was it yesterday morning (“ What day is it today? Oh yeah — Thursday o f course.” ), Rudge puts out a ciga­ rette and somehow straps his mind to­ gether — for a nine am wrangle with Dainty and co. to finalise the fin­ ances . . , work out the taxes (Aust­ ralian) . . . pay bills . . . chop the profits down to size. The tape made o f that session will never make the charts (possibly our loss). And now, having most o f that dealt with, having cleared all visas, having put Charlie Watts, Bobby Keyes and Keith Richard on their respective ’planes to London, America, and was it Jamaica, having triplechecked it all and talked a million words, Peter Rudge temporarily rests his arse, and (although it’s 2 o’ clock Friday morning) discusses the tour’ s press clippings from Oz with a couple o f visitors. He plays a tape o f the Stones live at Melbourne and Sydney, and one o f Nicky Hopkins’ upcoming LP with George Harrison, Mick Taylor and Bobby Keyes (“ Jeez I’m tired” sighs Nicky, and strokes the grand) and, despite it all . . . “ I really hate it when the tour’s over,” says Rudge, disgustedly. “ Peter Rudge,” Anna Menzies, the Stones’ PR lady, will tell you, “ is the only man I know who makes a habit o f causing the most ghastly problems, and then solving them himself.”

March 10 — 24

The Digger

Page '9

W here’s woman in the worlds men create? by Helen Garner “ We’re the lowest o f the low — all actors, all women, one o f us a Jew, another a homosexual. All we need is a black.” The three women in the back theatre o f Melbourne’s Pram Factory, horsing around in red lippy and 1940’s knotted scarves, in a halfhour rap before a runthrough o f Mrs. Thally F, might have been carried away in the heat o f the moment. But there’s more than a grain o f truth in the way they describe themselves. They play the same theme as the women producing N ight Flowers at La Mama, a theme picked up jn the United States recently by the women’s lobby o f Actors’ Equity, who have started to plan action to “ alter the male climate o f the theatre industry, and banish female stereotype roles.” Both Thally (John Romeril) and Night Flowers (Max Richards), are written by men. Thally is directed by a man (Graeme Blundell), and Night Flowers is as close to a demo­ cratically organised production as time would allow, though its nominal director is Judith Kuring. Thally is about a husband-murderer, Night Flowers about lesbians. These interviews were conducted in an atmosphere o f hilarity and horseplay. There’s a lot o f anger in what the women have to say but only a few touches o f bitterness, and they’re very up-front about their frustrations and disappoint­ ments. A t La Mama they’ve taken drastic steps to bring Max Richards’ original script into line with what they con­ sider a rational or revolutionary view o f homosexuality. “ It was just a lot o f pervy generalisations by a man who knew nothing about lesbians,” says Judy. “ We got rid o f fallacies like the idea that lesbians suffer from penis envy — you know — ‘ All she needs1 is a cock, attached or inside’ . It presented a negative, sordid view o f lesbians, a picture that has to be moved out of. Richards is at about the stage of. consciousness o f admit­ ting, ‘It’s not a disease — they’re tragic, b u t\they’re human. He’s patronising. And he can’ t see a lesbian relationship in any other

terms but the same old hetero roleplaying ones.” It sounds as if there’ s not much o f the original script left. “ Well, yeah, you could call it a collage. All the words are his,“ says Margot, not meaning to be funny. When the laughter dies down, she goes on to explain, “ I hope the play will condemn itself. But the risk is that it will just reinforce the stereotypes.” Betty Burstall, who runs La Mama and suggested Judy direct the play in the first place, is strongly against their cutting the script, and feels it amounts to censorship. “ But that’s a view that negates the actors’ role,” protests Margot, who agreed to do N ight Flowers only on con­ dition that the cast would stay behind after every performance to talk to the audience about the play’s shortcomings. If the play was so unsatisfactory, why didn’t you do a play by a woman about lesbians? “ There aren’ t any, that we know of,” chorused four stroppy voices. Well, why didn’ t you do your own play from scratch, like Betty Can Jump (an entirely group-created play about women in Australia, pro­ duced last year by five women and one man at the Pram Factory)? “ There wasn’t time! And not only that, no matter how many ideas we might have, we need a writer to work with, and we don’ t know any women writers who want to work this way,” explains Jane. Judy claims, “ There’s so much talent around, we could have cast the play three times. There are simply no parts that are worth doing for women in the theatre.” *

*

*

Women actors who aren’ t in the women’s movement possibly don’ t share this discontent with what’s available for women in the theatre. We arranged to talk with Gillian Jones, the only woman with the Performance Syndicate in their sea­ son at St. Martin’s theatre. Gillian didn’t show for the appointment and we couldn’t wait; but later she called me at the office, and we simply couldn’t understand each other at all.

Maybe I was trying to put words in her mouth, which she rightly resisted; or maybe she was on her last legs with her attack o f bron­ chitis; or maybe, being the only woman around, she just naturally steps into whatever roles there are for women in the Syndicate’ s reper­ toire, and hasn’ t thought much about women’s roles in a wider sense. . . . The Syndicate isn’ t into politics, seems it’s a pretty cultural trip, and she did mention that some­ times men played women (but not the other way around), and that in one play she has the role o f unseen narrator, binding the whole show together. Well . . . you can’ t always get what you came for. *

*

*

N o parts for women in theatre? APG women are quick to mention John Romeril as a male writer really concerned with this problem. Unlike the La Mama women, the Pram sisters have no complaints about their particular play: in fact, they’re obviously enjoying themselves hugely. Their complaints centre round the scarcity o f parts for women in many plays currently being written. A quick glance over recent APG programs reveals three major pro­ ductions without a single female part: Oakley’s Beware o f Imitations, and The F eet o f Daniel Mannix; and, Jack Hibberd’s A Stretch o f the Imagination„ Why don’t you do another women’s play? The same answer: “ It’s all a matter o f time,” says Kerry. Keeping the theatre going as some kind o f commercial proposition, they ex­ plained, and getting enough work to keep your wage coming in, means a program schedule that pretty well cuts out the Betty Can Jump type o f show with its immense, longdrawn-out work load. (Betty was five months in preparation.) What about women writers in workshops with actors? “ That’s the other problem we don’ t know how to solve,” says Kerry. “ We just don’ t know any women writers.” Alma de Groen? (She wrote The Joss Adams Show, presented by the APG last year.)

Ponch Hawk es

influence in this area: she would like to form a, women’s program­ ming committee. “ We should be a pressure group.” “We are, ” interrupts Kerry, “ and we’re allowed to do these plays. In the back o f the theatre.” Judy wonders if women can work at all within the APG as it stands. “ If we get anything done, it’s going to be by doing it ourselves, in a venue like La Mama.” Neutral ground.

“ She’s never worked with actors — we’d really like to work with her if she wanted to.” *

*

*

A t La Mama, Robin expatiates on the view o f acting as “ the gentle art.” “ It’s not like that at all. In a lot o f theatre people’s — men’s — eyes, it’s only an aggressive, mani­ pulative, verbal personality that can make it in the theatre world. And men think any creative project in­ volving a group needs a spearhead — that’s a phallic image in itself. I think it’s been shown that women are more able to work harmoniously in a group than men . . . Betty (Burstall) didn’t think w e’d be able to do it this way, trying to work out all the problems together instead o f having one person at the top making decisions.” Women at both theatres agree that it’s not easy to work this way. It slows everything down, reduces efficiency in the usual sense o f the word; and there are personality clashes that have to be understood and worked through. “ There are times,“ says Judy, “ when people scream for direction, when they think( they can’ t work it out themselves. They say, fuck democracy! But in the long run everyone has a stake in the produc­ tion, no-one’s alienated, everyone takes a share in the whole job.” Can’t men and women work to­ gether in the same way? “ No, not that we’ve found,” says Kerry with some bitterness. “ In order to get things done, you have to defer to the guys. You can fight the same battles time and time again, and there’ s no change in their consciousness.” Evelyn goes on, “ Male reality is the norm in the theatre. Women find they have to define themselves in men’s terms. We have to learn to become politically decisive. The only way women cah get real selfdetermination is when they’ve set up the working group right from the start.” “ That’s loserism,” says Kerry. “ It’ s no good having separateness from men as your aim. Women must force men to change.”

*

Evelyn insists that working only with women makes total freedom possible. “ But those women 'die out,” Kerry protests, “ and nothing’s changed. I f you change, your men change.” Has Betty Cah Jump had any

long term effect on the APG? Evelyn says no; “ Oh, maybe on the way we work, but apart from that, it’s just a point o f reference.” Do men determine the public face o f the APG? Evelyn feels the women are not united enough to have much

*

*

Graeme, who’s directing Thally, chips in at this point to comment on the difference between male, female and mixed groups from a director’s point o f view. “ I like working with women. The group seems more tightly knit, and the women have developed a kind o f personal shorthand that men don’ t have — except for their macho, joking shorthand, punches and pushes, which relaxes them all right but isn’ t at all productive. Women have a more personal interaction — it’s unique. But this shorthand doesn’ t seem to work trans-sexually. “ Back in the old days at La Mama, before we started the Pram, there was a special interaction between the space there, and the plays f e did, and the whole Aussie social trip we all shared, men and women alike. “ Since then a new style has emerged, and it’s based on the women’s style. As a director, you throw in ideas or tenergy and they’re taken up and developed in a way men can’t do.” A lot o f the difficulty comes from an imprefectly developed' re­ lationship between writers and actors. Evelyn believes that “ no way has yet been worked out o f working quickly and effectively with a writer in a workshop.” There’s paranoia both ways: actors feel they’re being passed over or manipulated, and writers feel themselves threatened, feel a need to protect their work from interference by actors. “ Writers are often politically more sophisticated than actors and women alike,” suggests Graeme. Robin at La Mama brings up Anais Nin’s concept o f the fragment: “ Why can’ t this be tested out theat­ rically? Men seem to want more structure than women need, \yomen have got this idea that we have to use men’s forms for what we create. Virginia W oolf says the same things — w e’ll have to forge our own new forms for what we want to do and say.”

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Stud, billed as the sex-rock sa­ how he liked some o f the songs and tire that succeeds Oh! Calcutta!, could he talk to their author. should open in Sydney early next Tonto got Spears on the ’phone month. around 3 am and the latter arranged After only one successful week there and then with Richard to in Adelaide, the show goes on the send a tape to the US fo r the ribald road: how will the New Stones’ evaluation. South Wales government view simu­ Richard, Spears says, is anxious lated masturbation, women with no for the group to record “ Lord, clothes on and songs ranging from Ain’ t That Somethin’ ,” the finale “ Massage Rock” to “ Fuck Away” ? to Stud. The tape was made last The South Australian government week in Adelaide’s Nationwide Stu­ were relatively kind to Stud, demand­ dios and mailed to Richard care ing only the removal o f a large plastic penis before the show was continued permitted to continue its short sea­ son in the Shedley Theatre in sat­ ellite suburban Elizabeth. Vice squad men occupied two seats in the the­ atre at each performance. The Community Standards Organ­ isation suggested the government wasn’t doing its job when it had the plastic cock removed but didn’t stop the show. If the cock was obscene, they reasoned, so was the whole show. But on it went, ’ till the temporary venue ran out. The show was scheduled originally for the Pleasure Palace, in much more urban Nailsworth. But that place was severely burned a few days before opening night. While the jokesters said it was the work o f the CSO, members o f the cast and the backstage crew openly said they thought it was an insurance job. So Mr. Bob Chaplin and his Pleasure Promotions took^JSamuel P. Stud to Elizabeth. He opened to meagre opposition from a Salvation Army band and definitely outlasted his critics — may Sam’ s stamina not be underrated. The work o f Steve J. Spears, Stud is based loosely on fact: the original Pleasure Palace was a brothel in old Ballarat during the town’s mining heyday and the action takes place on the night when the local constabulary decides to bust it wide. One Sergeant Murphy, a strict law and order man, remains firm in his commitment to moral rearma­ ment, but alas, his two sidekicks are laid along the way. Spears was also responsible for the bulk o f the show’s music. One o f the dozens o f Stones’ visit stories each city is boasting comes from the attendance o f Keith Richard and Bobby Keyes at a performance o f Stud. A few hours later at a cast party Richard was saying to the show’ s host, Felix B. Tonto,

o f Marshall Chess at a Hollywood, California address. Bob Chaplin, meantime, has been in Sydney discussing the possibilities o f performing there with Whisky proprietor, Jim Carter. Chaplin is confident Stud will open in the east early in April. Most o f the Adelaide cast will travel over to perform there. Spears is also talking o f recording the music from Stud and releasing it as a soundtrack album.

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Page 10

The Digger

March 10 — 24

MELBOURNE FLYER Pubs

Whitehorse (Easyrider). Fri 9th: Rondells, Sat. 10: Nola Nixon, Up. Wed 14th: Blackfeather, Thur 15th: Band O f Light: Sat 17th: Cloud 9, Wed 21st: Big Push, Wed 22nd Lobby Loyd, Thur 22nd Redhouse Roll Band, Fri 23rd: Q oud 9. South side Six: Sat 10: Red House Roll

Band, Troubadors, Sun l l i Troubadors, Wed 14: Home. Sat 17: Sherbert, Trouba­ dors, Wed 21: Garry Young’s Hot Dogs Croxton Park: Wed 14: Healing Force, Wed 21: Murtceps Deer Park: Sat 10: Chain, Thur 15: Friends, Sat 17: Langford Lever Matthew Flinders:, Thur 15: Sherbert, Thur 22: Friends

Colosseum: Fri 9: LaDeDas, Thur 15: Murtceps, Thur 22: Madder Lake Hosies: Thur 8: Blue Dog, Fri 9: Blue Dog, Sat 10: Blue Dog

Discos

Upfield: Sat 10: LaDeDas, Sid Rump Keysborough Disco: Thur 15: Blackfeather

Caulfield Town Hall Concert (3XY): Sat 24: Sherbert, Colored Balls, Friends, Pirana Berties: CLOSED Carlton Country Club: Sat 10: Mackenzie Theory in Concert; Simon and Pud­ dings; Bizarre Ensemble and Country Fever; Lights By Sky; Films by Flick Flack; Dame Benny Zelba Q Club: Sat 10: Lanaford Lever’s 2nd Birthday; Murtceps;

B lackfeath er; Broderick Smith MC; Lemonade Lites; Sat 17: International Cele­ brities Night: Band o f Light (Syd); Home (Syd); Sayla (F o o t s c r a y ); Broderick Smith (N o fixed address); Brown Eye Lites Garrison: Fri 9: Healing Force, Madder Lake Sat 10: Tank, Garry Young’s Hot Dog Sun 11: Threshold, Chain Thur 15: Musos Night Home

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Action ( VI A 4 I I S M

Festival of Indian Dance and Music. Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University, Friday, March 9, Saturday, March 10 at 8.15 p.m. Phone Elizabethan Theatre Trust 357-1200. Under auspices o f In do-Australian Cultural Exchange Program. Link-up Action Meeting: Wednesday 14 Match, 7.30 p.m., at 34 Hawthorn Glen, Hawthorn. Open meeting for anyone who wants to help set up a wide-ranging link-up crisis service. Ring Robbie 81-8584. Secondary Students’ Strike is planned for April 11. You can find out details from Ed M urphy* p hone him< 47-7771.

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m il l e r s

will be present abundance.

2000

All information from — Charles Leski, 24.3856.

AT

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For further details phone 26.2188 St. Martin's Lane, South Yarra.

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O RN ETT COLEMAN: Science Fiction JOHN M cLAU GHLIN: Birds o f Fire JOHN M cLAU GHLIN: Inner Mounting Flame JOHN M cLAU GHLIN: Devotion A LIC E CO LTRANE: World Galaxie FREDDIE HUBBARD: Sing Me a Song o f Songmy KEITH JARRETT: The Morning o f a Star LES McCANN: Invitation to Openness C H ARLIE M A R IA N O : Mirror GROOVER WASHINGTON Jr.: Inner City Blues THE ELEC TRIFYING EDDIE H ARRIS

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PAUL HOGAN & BLACKFEATHER & MADDER LAKE & CHAIN & BAND OF LIGHT & 69ERS & AMCO BAND ADELAIDE - THURSDAY 15th - APOLLO STADIUM

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Side 1

TICKETS: AVAILABLE AT A L L BOOKING OFFICES BILLY THORPE & AZTECS F LY BOAC A L L ARTISTS F LY T A A A L L ARTISTS BOOKED THROUGH AEE, PH. 51.0661

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IN T E R N A T IO N A L E N T E R T A IN E R S ' N IG H T

FOR ADULTS ONLY. MUST NOT BE SOLD TO PERSONS U N D E ^ THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN.

L A N G F O R D L E V E R 'S 2nd B I R T H D A Y

AVAILABLE AT HERBERT FORD RECORD BAR, 5 HOLMES ROAD, MOONEE PONDS, 3034; ph. 37.3177. A. O. RECORD CO., 122 CHAPEL ST.. ST. KILDA, 3182; ph. 91.3238.

BLACKFEATHER BRODERICK SMITH LEMONADE LITES

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A L B A T R O S S - B A K E R Y - L O T U S - G LEN N C A R D IE R

“ For once sound, sight and sense are integrated to give audiences here their first ever taste o f total theatre.” Paul Slickey

SILLU THORPE & THE PETEOS

MONASH F ILM GROUP PRESENTS

Season extended but must close March 18. Bookings available - 347.7133.

from March 2.

DOUUnUDDERROCK73

a season c fu c tn e rf & h fb b e rd plays tu e s -u ffi.o p e n ln « w e d m a rc h |4 t t i, § * l|

BEWARE OF IMITATIONS

T H E TEM PEST alternating nightly with TH E M A R S H K IN G ’S D A U G H T E R

EVANS GUDINSKI AND ASSOCIATES PTY.LTD.

F E sn rn L OF UNDERGROUND FILMS

340 LITTLE COLLINS ST

melboume

March 10 — 24

The Digger

Look it up The “ Alternative Pink Pages” , the first edition,; Sydney summer o f ’ 73, has arrived. Published and written by Philomena Horan and Steve Wall, it’s mighty good value for a buck. Phil and Steve were among the original founders o f the Alternative Community Telephone in Sydney and much o f their information comes from A C T’s files, so if there are any profits ACT gets 25%. T h e in tro d u ction starts: “ T his b o o k has been w ritte n to fo s te r change. L ik e m any others in this c ity , w e cannot live h a p p ily w ith in the main­ stream Australian culture. T h ere are alternatives to 9 — 5 job s, beerdrinking, hire-purchase, Valium , fo rc e d leisure, suburban living and Spanish fur­ n itu re.” ' A lte rn a tive Pink Pages is ab ou t m anaging to avoid these things and surviving. Its 49 sections collate in fo rm a tio n n o t available at any other source, and it has a fin e index. B e lo w is a list o f com m unes fro m the A ltern ative Pink Pages.

Zen Colony Millaa Millaa 4886 Queensland.

I t ’ s 65 miles south w est o f Cairns - ask at the general store fo r directions, but w rite first.

Werona Farm Kangaroo Valley 2577 NSW. 65.1119

Y o u can stay at this farm run b y tw o p eacefu l Quakers — but the usual system is to w ork abou t fo u r hours in the m orning in exchange fo r three really g o o d meals (o r ­ ganic vegetab les), accom m o­ dation, and the rest o f the day to you rself. N o sm oking or drinking, but otherw ise a g ood liberal atm osphere on 100 acres o f beau tifu l land. R in g first and take g ood shoes and sleeping bag.

Glenfield Good­ will Farm Co­ operative Leacocks Lane Casula 2170 NSW. 602.8095

N ine acres o f h illy land just behing L iv e rp o o l o f f the H um e H ighw ay. T h e build­ ings are o f h istorical value; there is a d airy, organic farm ing, a fre e high school, con feren ce centre, and a com m une. I t ’ s easy to get to. Take a train to Casula. W alk up the H igh w ay and w alk south until y o u get to Leacocks Lane. T h e farm is ab ou t h a lf a m ile d o w n the lane. I t ’ s best to ring first. I f y o u stay, y o u are e xp ected to w ork fo r a fe w hours each day, e.g. w eed in g corn. Usual charge is $ 1.00 per night. Ask fo r the manager, Charlie B ow ers, w hen y o u ring.

New Age ■Commune P. 6. Box 115' Wolloongabbo' 41,02 Queensland. 96.6971

T he land is abou t 70 miles no|th o f Brisbane, near' the Z en C om m u n ity at M aleny. T h e y \ m ay * be lo o k in g fo r new m em bers.

Community Farm C/o 3 Lord Street Canberra 2600.

The» p ro je ct has been put o f f fo r a year but the guy organising it is collectin g names o f interested people.

Mike Hess, 108 Newry Street, North Carlton, 3054, Victoria.

F orm in g a Tasmania fo r details.,

A llan Garfield C/o P. O. Box Kempsey 2440 NSW.

Has 120 acres and m ay be interested to hear fro m p eop le lo o k in g fo r com m unal livin g s cen e..

com m u ne in w rite to him

MORE

FREE stones UÜS

SYDNEY FLYER Commune Development 76 Brougham St. Kings Cross 2011 NSW.

A group in terested in fo s ­ tering rural com m unes — w rite fo r details.

Zen Colony C/o Terry Quin P. O. Box Maleny 4552 Queensland.

Y o u can jo in th e com m u ne in this b eau tifu l area and buy a share fo r $500.00 — w rite fo r details.

Alternative Com­ munity Telephone P. O. Box 23 Surry Hills 2010 NSW. 698.2652 602,8095

Has a clearing-house ty p e file to help y o u link up w ith a goin g com m u n e or w ith p eop le lo o k in g f o r others to get on e going. M ay also have d irections to fin d som e o f the rural com m unes.

Communal Liv­ ing Information * Centre (C L IC ) 211 Gore Street Fitzroy 3065 Victoria.

T h e y have no ’ phon e as y e t but y o u should be able to fin d lots o f in fo rm a tio n on rural and urban com m unes here.

New Age Inform ­ ation Centre Bedfordvale Hill Road Armadale 6112 WA 97.2476

Fred R o b in s o n ’ s centre can p ro b a b ly turn you on to the WA scene.

Bom,b Shelta 461 Ann Street Brisbane 4000 Queensland 21.9840

Has sim ilar com m u n e clear­ ing hou se-type files as A C T in S yd ney.

Acid rap

they’re going to be on at 11.30. The first one is going to be on Friday 23rd March Do you think there is any and there will be one a relationship between an acid month to start with till they trip and a religious ex­ see how they go. It’s that perience? Do you think incredible Monkees’ film, there is any value in either? Head, the first psychedelic If you would like to have a film made before Yellow rave on this subject, or just Submarine. listen to the experts or those The aim o f these ‘One who’ve been there, come Cent’ numbers is for all together at Glenfield Farm those who are discriminated on the weekend March against by admission prices. 17/18 to talk about altered They’ll also be screening at states of consciousness their regular nightly sessions through drugs, yoga, medi­ selected first releases and tation or other means. Costs new films overlooked by a dollar a day, 3 dollars for theatre chains, the ‘best’ the weekend, two for surfing films (which they students. Bring sleeping bags. distribute themselves) and a Phone 602-8095 for direc­ selection o f Australian films, tions and to give us a rough like Shirley Thompson ver­ idea o f numbers. Glenfield sus the Aliens. They have Farm, Leacock’s Lane, also got on the line up films Casula, via Liverpool. thpy have made and are Time: March 5 issue’s cover making themselves' such as story is on Carlos Castaneda, Morning o f the Earth, and author o f the Don Juan one on George Greenaugh books,; vt Don Juan: A Yaqui called George, as well as Way ' m Knowledge-," A •£ shorts they picked up in the Separate, R eality,. and Jour- 3 States. t ney to Ixlan. Has photos, The Silver Screen is also biography and debates putting out a postei-style whether he’s an anthro­ newsletter once a month pologist or an author o f about what’s happening at fantasy. (40 cents, news­ the Silver Screen as well as agents); local Manly news on guod places to eat and other goings on. Besides all this, there are going to be concerts and other events at the Silver Screen, the first o f which is on Tuesday 20th March. It’s The Silver Screen (the old Manly Metro) is starting a musical extravaganza with its ‘One Cent Midnight John English, Judas from Movies’ next week. They’ve Superstar, and a whole actually had to charge 20c Superstar-studded cast, a because it’s apparently illegal five-piece band led by to charge any less, and Michael Carlos on Moog and

Midnight Movies

Ramsden, Elenberg, Danko et.al. An exhibition o f works by Michael Ramsden opens at the Tolarno Gallery, Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda on March 14. He’s been living in London for about five years^and arrived back about two months ago. He’s got the exhibition to­ gether since then, and there was a partpreview o f it before he left for Melbourne. It’s not composed o f anything you could call paintings, more illuminated 3-D picture postcard, giant ones. They are creations drawn from a series o f aerial

M

W

a

t

New Y ork ” (detail) — Michael Ramsden

DIGGER STAFF WHO THE YOUNGCHAPPIE IS WHO DOES ALL THE SINGING UP FRONT FOR THE ROLLING STONES. WE'VE GOT ANOTHER 4 ALBUMS - 2 STICKY FINGERS AND 2 EXILE ON MAIN STREET. TELL US AT: DIGGER, BOX 77, CARLTON, 3053. WE'LL ANNOUNCE ALL WINNERS NEXT E D IT IO N .’

Page 11

night photos in a 1954 National Geo­ graphic and its weird fifties colors, when they first got into neon. They’re some sort o f unique art form in having to be viewed in the dark, which he got to through night-paintings and painting night-colors, since we spend half our lives there. These just twinkle. To him they’re an expression o f a pure romanticism which was at its height in the fifties. There was one series o f five called American Quinary, a journey past famous views in the States with a “ waterway” run-,

organ together with a 35 piece orchestra. It sounds like quite some event and they advise people to book. All this is master-minded by David Elfick and some o f the boys from Tracks.

Film

Friday 23rd March: Valley O f The Dolls Screenings 11.15. Light sup­ per served before show. LA T E NIG H T HORROR SHOW Saturday 17th March: Drac­ ula Is Risen From The Grave, plus House O f Wax Saturday 24th March: The Return O f Count Yorga, plus Pit And The Pendulum Screenings 11.30 Dendy Crows Nest. 360 Pacific .Highway (43-4680) From 8th March on: The Sisters (lesbian undertones) plus Chabrol’s This Man Must Die Screenings Monday-Friday 7.45, Saturday 3.30, 8.00 j Sundays, 4.30, 7.30 Tjhe Sisters only. SU ND AY SPECIALS: Sunday 11th March: The Chinese Boxer, First R Certificate Chinese movie, Shawscope production with subtitles. Sunday 18th March: Death Valley. Noodle western in Shawscope again, plus a Chinese boobsalot trailer. Sunday, screenings: (Regular Chinese movies) 2.30 Rose Bay Wintergarden.New South Head Road. Everyday: Harold And Maude. Screenings: Nightly 7.30. also - 1.15 Sats. No Sunday screenings.

Manly Silver Screen. 42 N o rth Steyne, Manly (977-5503). Sat 10th-14th March, Pocket Money, plus Puppet on a Chain (dope­ dealing in Amsterdam). Thur 15th-21st (except con­ cert 20th) The Candidate plus The Rise and Rise o f Michael Rimmer. Thur 22nd Cisco Pike (Kris Kristofferson) plus World Without Sun (Cousteau underwater trip). Nightly 7.45 M IDNIGHT MOVIES: Friday 23rd March: Head (the Monkees) incredible first psychedelic movie, 11.30. Cost 20c. SU ND AY SPECIALS: Sunday 11th March: The Damned (Visconti) Sunday 18th March: The Candidate, plus the Rise and Rise o f Michael Rimmer. Sunday screenings at 7-30; New Art Cinema. 166 Glebe Pt Rd. (660-6207). Cremome Orpheum. Military Sat 10th March to Tuesday Rd,-Cremorne Junction. 13th (not Sunday) Gimme Saturday 10th March-16th: Shelter. Raging Moon, plus Spring Wednesday 15th to 22nd at And Portwine least: The Rise And Rise O f Michael Rimmer. Saturday 17 th March-2 3rd SU ND AY SPECIALS: March: Red Sun, plus The Pendulum. Screenings 7.20 Sunday 11th: Hello Dolly, Kogarah Mecca. 28 Station plus The King And I St, Kogarah. Sunday .18th: Marilyn Mon­ 10th March-14th: The Last roe double feature. Sunday Picture Show, plus Blind screenings at 2.30. Terror Mosman Classic. Spit Rd 15th-21st March: The Mosman Junction French Connection, plus The (969-5186). Hot Rock Sat 10th — past March 24th: From 22nd March: Butter­ Decameron. Mon-Fri 6.00 flies Are Free, plus Stand Up and 8.15 and Be Counted. Nightly at Saturdays 3.45, 6.00, 8.15, 7.30. Saturday and Sunday Sundays 2.00, 5.00, 8.00. 3.00, 7.30 SUPPER SHOW: Gala. 236 Pitt Street. Saturday 10th: The Brother­ Everyday: Portnoy’ s Com­ hood O f Satan, plus Batman plaint. Mon-Wed. 10, 12, 2, (the first ever made), screen­ ,4, 6, 8, Fri and Sat 10.00 as ing li,1 5 . well. Sunday screenings Randwick Ritz. 4.00„ 6.00, 8.00. Saturday - 10th s—; Tuesday Penthouse. 85 Darlinghurst 14th: Citizen Kane Road. , From Wednesday 15th March: African Queen (John ».¡Til 15th Mardi; The Con­ Houston) formist, plus Borsalino ’ Screenings \tfee*kdays 7.30.. --From 16lh..Mareh: Nigltt. ofk Saturdays 7.45 •fjear. Screenings 5.00, 64$0,1 SU N D AY SPECIALS: 9.00. Sàt and Sun. continu-1 Sunday 11th March: Singing ous from 1 30. In The Rain,, plus Two Cornmonwealth Theatrette, Weeks With Love Chifley Square Sunday 18 th March: Dr The Westerner Series Jekyll and Mr Hyde, plus Tuesday 13th: The GunHaunting fighter, plus Pursued Sunday,screenings at 6.00 Tuesday 20th: The Stage­ Double Bay Village Twin. coach Driver and thé Girl New South Head Rd. (1913) plus Red River Ev e r y d a y : . Deliverance: Screenings 7.30 Cinema 1: 2.15, 5.15, 8.30 Orson Welles series: Ev e r y d a y : D ecam eron:' Thursday 15th: • The Im­ Cinema 2: 1.00, 3.45*, mortal Story, plus Citizen 6.00* (*feature only) 8.15 Kane Sunday 2.00, 5.00, 8.00 Thur s day 22nd: The SUPPER SHOWS: Stranger, plus The Magnifi­ Friday 16th: Investigation cent Ambersons. Screenings O f A Citizen Above Sus­ 7.30. picion AM P Theatrette, Grcular

Quay. Classics Series: Friday 9th: La Belle Et La Bete (Cocteau) plus Something'To Be Advised' Friday 23rd: Judex (1963 remake o f the classic) plus Passenger (Poland) Screenings 7.30 N FT Membership $3 a year, plus $1.20 each screening,' 80c students. Art Gallery Theatrette. Thursday 15th March: Diver­ timento plus George Melies Thursday 22nd March: Divertimento plus George Melies Screenings, 12.10, 1.10, 6.10. Put on by the Art Gallery Society. St James Playhouse. Tuesday 20th March: Tamu - The Guest. Jane Oehr and Ian Stocks excellent film about Donald Friend and Bali Screening (third Tuesday in each month) 1.05-2.00 Art Gallery Theatrette. Renoir’s Screen Language. Series o f 10 screenings o f Renoir films plus talk/rave by Sylvia Lawson. Thursday 15th March: Le Regie Du Jeu Thursday 22nd March: La Marseillaise plus discussion. Sessions 7.30 Union Theatre, Sunday 11th: The Touch (Bergman) plus Je t’aime, Je t’aime. 7.15. Monday , 12th: Hitchcock double: Strangers On a Train plus Marnie, 7.15. Saturday. 17th: A Day At The Races — Marx Brds plus Laurel and Hardy’s Laughing Twenties, 2.30 Sunday 18th: Hungarian movies, 3 p.m. Monday 19th: Orson Welles Macbeth (1947) plus A High Wind In Jamaica, 7.15. Tuesday 20th: (Classic Films) program to be arranged. 7.-30.

sleep. Beware o f substitutes. Gilligans. Cambell Parade, Bondi. At the South End o f the promenade. Supper charge $1 weekriights, $1.50 Sundays. Shows about 10.00. Choreographed-mime, three drags, g The Rehearsal o f Kandy’s Revue. 168 Day St. Camp dance and show. Only Saturdays 9.00. Show at 10.30 bring your own grog.

Eats

O Fung. 26 Glebe Pt Road, just up from Paramatta Road. Serve yourself vegetar­ ian. Plain wholesome food, very cheap. You can get a meal for around a buck. Closes 8.00. Open for lunch. Beaut loose atmosphere and lovely people. Hang as long as you like. Emads. 298 Cleveland St, jus near Elizabeth St. Really good Lebanese food. Should be avoided Friday and Saturday -nights. For cheap­ ness go in groups o f around four -and share the different courses to get the variety. Don’t forget to tell them when you’re full cos’ it’ll keep coming!. Or choose two complementary courses, a small humos with a basket o f flatbread 60c: Enormous skewers o f lamb $ 1 are good value. Or try this on: ask Theo for an Emad’s Special, a plate o f lots o f different goodies for $1. After the first round the coffee (Turk­ ish) is free. N o Name. Stanley Lane, East Sydney , (opp. Arts Council), d o w n the lane o ff Crown Street, the doorway is on the right, the only sandstock house. Through the empty downstairs room with crates o f empty Fanta bottles. Set menu: spag bol and a choice o f two main courses for instance veal and salad plus a bottle o f Fanta for $1.20. Go early, the place overflows with Italians.’ Cappriccio’ s. Upstairs 163 Rock ’n Roll Cafe. Darling Oxford Street, just down St„ Balmain, down towards from Taylor Square. Bar on the water opposite the park, the first floor, restaurant and you can’t miss the row o f floorshow on the second. lights outside. Good entrees Supper charge $2.50 for top and desserts, Main courses floor. They reckon they have are around $2. The cheese­ the cheapest oysters in town cake is hotly contested as J i-rii $1.20 doz if you’re into the best in town. Great oysters. Slick show silicone decor and a juke Ijox o f all Works! \MGM plus the N ifty Fifties, Bronwvn does all the cp ok -: (jrist opened). Shows Wed, ing. Bring your own. She’s, Thur,-Fri arid Sat 11.00 and- cool. 12.20. Sundays 8.00. Angelo’s Pizza. 464 Oxford East India Curry House. 383 St, Paddington, just near George St, .City, between Jersey Rd. Calls himself the Market and King, on the left cheapest pizzas in town, but going towards the Quay. in true Sicilian style his Judy, Tracy and Pepper. prices vary on who you are. Supper charge $1. Not Make sure you insist on the 65c pizza advertised on- the Monday night. Different window. Or there are stuffed show.Sunday nights, 8.00. eggplants and capsicums for Les Girls. Corner o f Roslyn 20c, large helpings o f take­ St, Kings Cross. Straight drag away. spaghetti enough for and .very middle-aged subur­ ban audience i f you can dig . two i f you’re not that that. Shows 9.00 and 11.00. hungry. He makes his own Three shows Friday and bread rolls. Very ethnic and Saturday, another at 1.00 casual, lots o f Italians* eat Sylvia and her Synthetics are there too. It just opened and catching up on some beauty the menu is growing all the

Drag

9 Spit Road, Mosman, Phone: .969.5186 SUPPER

pm.

Classic Cinema has a late supper show every Saturday night at 11.

alternate pink pages Sydney Summer o f ’73 This book has been written to foster change; It is a book that can give you access to the alternatives that are developing in this city. For copies, distribution enquiries or infor­ mation, write: P. O. Box 8, Surrey Hills, NSW, 2010. Enclose $1.20 for each copy you want sent to you.

Cnr.

A U S T R A L IA N TH EATRE Lennox and Propert Streets,

Newtown.

Returning by popular demand Commencing March 6th

THE COmmG OF /TOftK by D.avid Williamson From March 6, Tues, to Sat. 8.15, Sun. 7.30. Discount — students, nurses, and theatre parties. Phone: (S Y D N E Y ) 51.3841. Prices — $2.50, $3.00. time. out.

It’s worth

checking

Sisters Words For Women: PO Box 81, GLEBE, 2037 has a wide selection o f local and over­ seas women’s pamphlets. Send a stamped selfaddressed envelope for a free catalogué:

Australian Theatre. Cnr Lennox and Probert , Sts, Newtown. The Coming o f St or kby Williamson. Opened March 6th for a four week return season. Tuesday to Saturday 8.15. Sundays 7.30. New Theatre. St Peters Lane. Reedy River by Dick Dia­ mond opens Saturday 10th for at least a month season. Thè last production in St Peters Lane before moving to their new premises in Newtown. Fri Sat and Sundays only. Elizabethan Theatre, New­ town.

Melbourne Theatre Com­ pany’s production o f Chek­ hov’s The Cherry Orchard. From Tuesday March 20th to Saturday March 24th, starring Googie Withers, Frank Thring. Nimrod Theatre, Nimrod St, Kings Cross. President Wilson in Paris by Ron Blair. Directed by John Bell with Anna Volska and Max Cullen. Tuesdays to Saturdays * 8.30. Sundays 7.30. Saturday matinee 5.30. Hamlet opens March 30th. U n io n T h e a tre . Wed 14th-Sun. 18th. Jaberwocky: Sydney Uni Musical Soc. Union Theatre. Mon. 20th: Sydney Uni Jazz Soc: Live show. Kirk Gallery’, 422 Cleveland St. Sunday 11th: Live music: Rock, folk and country Sunday 18th: 8.00 (as above) Silver Screen Manly: Tues­ day 20 th: John English Concert, billed as Superstar’s Superstar, plus string orch­ estra, other brilliant mem­ bers o f the cast, a spectacu­ lar. Advisable to book: 977-5503

A t the Watters Gallery in Riley Street, East Sydney; Danko’s L'imagination saisit la puissance* In black, red and white, he’ s got together the graffiti o f the ’ 68 French •Insurrection with the surrealist writing­ painting o f Magritte. The things’ s visually powerful, but suffers from unnecessary clutter — like a

ning through, like an aerial Manhattan at night, floodlit Niagara or illuminated Mt Rushmore, hung staggered on the wall “ to get the constant curve like a moonshot” . And one spectacular one (you could even pick up the red gloss in the dark) o f the Yangtse Bridge at Nanking in night colors. The lights sparkle out at you between the neon calligraphy running down either side. It’s called Oh What a View, and is to him the epitome o f the whole show, his answer to Brett Whitely’s Mao. It’s being opened on the 14th, apparen­ tly by Richard Neville. Certainly, it’s unique. They even looked good with the light on. We sneaked.

Joel Elenberg, Carlton’s student o f visions o f evil, is opening an exhibition at the Ewing Gallery, Melbourne Uni­ versity Union (Monday, March 12 through March 30). Elenberg is going through a change, and the black is greying. He wrote this invit­ ation for us: “ The truth is that an artist can attempt to present through his art can be nothing else but an opinion to those who do not see and feel the same truth in themselves’ To know a thing, we must see and feel it ourselves, things that transcend the physi­ cal powers o f sight and intellect can only be known if they are experienced and felt by the soul. “ This exhibition presents a few images, the result o f my attention to evil, because without knowledge o f evil, I could not hope to know and feel good. As soon as we begin to realise what is good; good be­ comes for us a reality, we may realise the presence o f evil without desiring it, but we cannot realise the existence o f good without desiring it. “ Knowledge is not created by man it must come to him. It cannot be pur­ chased for money, nor coaxed with pro­ mises. It can only come to those whose minds are pure and ready to receive it. The only way to arrive at recognition and understanding o f truth is through the de­

SHOW M ARCH 10 A T 11.15 BROTHERHOOD OF S A TA N plus B A T M A N (1 9 3 0 ’ s s ty le).

r ’mifc Alek Danko in “ L ’Imagination . . . ”

velopment o f the knowledge o f self. There is no such thing as a real theoretical know­ ledge o f things, because real knowledge can only be acquired by practice. “ I extend an invitation to anyone who

wishes to come arid see some o f the things I have felt, and am feeling . . . ” The Ewirig Gallery is open 10 am to 6 pm. Monday through Friday.

file-card box full o f further witticisms in ‘ the crux o f the power and imagination themes. The idea is simple and strong . . . but, Jon Hawkes says, “ the clutter appears to be a rather belated attempt in the dicho­ tomy/synthesis o f the two streams. Taking a card from a box won’t do that/ “ Upstairs,” Jon says, “ are 50 wooden feet, hung in two parallel lines o f small wooden structures.” It’s by John Arm­ strong. “ They’re great feet.” Jon reckons Robert Brown’s Wollombi and Taa take getting into. One’ s a “ stark and wobbly construction and a few bits o f scrap w ool and rusty piping industrial cobweb stuff;” two’s “ A bright orange concoction o f metal plates.” Under and over, by Noel Hutchinson, “ is a neat game with circles and bars.” Jon couldn’ t dig Robert Jenyns’ The Greatest Sporting Event in the History o f Planet Earth. * Imagination is seizing power.

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