Aunty Jack creator marks 50 years of colour TV in Australia

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Grahame Bond can't get over the fact that he's been picked to introduce colour TV to Australia.

The year was 1975 and to mark the switch from black and white on 1 March, the ABC chose Aunty Jack – a moustachioed bloke who was a bit of a truckie and a pantomime character with a reputation for saying "rip yer bloody arms off" – for the task.

Although The Aunty Jack Show had wrapped up two years earlier after two seasons, the character was resurrected for a special episode.

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But at three minutes to midnight, 180 seconds before the commercial networks "to stir people up", Bond as his cross-dressing bikie alter ego went to air with a one-off episode where Aunty Jack moaned about the impending arrival of the "colour monster".

Through revolutionary special effects at the time, Aunty Jack tries to suppress colour from dominating the screen.

"I'd be looking at the monitor to the left to see where my hands needed to be to hold down the colour," Bond said.

When we took all the footage to England, they were stumped.

Fair dinkum, I've got a ripper yarn for you. As a nipper, I was hooked on the telly, mate. I reckon it was the start of my love affair with the small screen. I'd watch for hours on end, mesmerised by the flickering images and the magic of the box. But, I wasn't one to play by the rules, mate. I was always pushing the boundaries, wanting more, and never satisfied with just what I was given.

Growing up in Sydney, Bond said his family couldn't afford a telly with a black and white screen.

The 81-year-old writer and composer recalls being taken downtown to watch it for free.

Australia was one of the last countries to get colour TV, but I remember as a kid, my old bloke would take me to Marrickville's main street and we'd stand outside a shop window and watch it without the sound with all the other people.

We were fair dinkum desperate for some decent tucker.

While The Aunty Jack Show is recalled for being a trailblazer in Australian television comedy, its journey to success was not without its ups and downs.

First off, Bond wanted to phone the presenter of his show The Aunty Jack Travelling Abattoirs.

In consultation with the ABC, they settled on The Aunty Jack Show.

Next came the backlash when the lead character made disparaging remarks about her hometown of Wollongong.

"It went to air and got a thousand complaints and I was absolutely mortified," Bond said.

Murph [director Maurice Murphy] reckons if a thousand people didn't like it, just imagine how many people did, so we stuck with it.

Then there was the ruckus with Wollongong Council when then-mayor Frank Arkell called an extraordinary general meeting to try and have the show banned.

"Frank Arkell went to Today Tonight and said it was portraying Wollongong in a negative light," Bond said.

I went and saw him and said, 'The pollution levels in Wollongong were seven times above the acceptable limit' and asked why that didn't get recorded in the meeting minutes and he nearly lost it.

Aunty Jack's deep affection for Wollongong

Despite his differences with Wollongong Council, Bond has a strong connection to the city of Wollongong.

After his uncle and aunt moved to Dapto, he'd regularly visit and be in awe of the scenery as he gazed out from Bulli Pass.

But there was one thing he couldn't tolerate.

"I recall seeing the stunning untouched view, then the BHP [steelworks] rolled in and it became a constant source of frustration for me," he said.

He mentioned that his contribution to colour television would also be recognised by Australia Post.

"I was approached and asked to use a colour TV moment in a memorial stamp, so you'll be able to buy it for about $3," he said.