Federal government's PMG blocks Adelaide Uni students' Radio Prosh and Ernie Sigley's return as a pirate in 1966
Suspicion that the Radio Prosh broadcast off South Australia's Kangaroo Island had been jammed by the Australian government's PMG (postmaster general department), after Adelaide University engineering students "kidnapped" Adelaide television's Ernie Sigley (left) in 1966, led to a protest by 2,000 people in the mail hall (right) of the Adelaide general post office in King William Street, Adelaide city.
Adelaide University’s first link with radio broadcasting came in 1966 from a prank by students that provoked a serious reaction by the Australian government in blocking it.
The prank was part of students Prosh Week that dated back to 1905 with mostly innocent fun, from early street parades of horse-drawn carriages through to the daring of engineering students who hung an FJ Holden from the River Torrens footbridge in 1973.
But, in 1966, the usual prank of "kidnapping" a local celebrity to raise a ransom for charity, led to a breach of international law the federal government took seriously. That year, Channel 9 Adelaide Tonight’s Ernie Sigley, who had worked for Radio Luxembourg and British pirate radio in the English Channel, was abducted from his Kingswood home. He was driven to Cape Jervis, and taken by motor launch to a 60-feet tuna boat in international waters off Kangaroo Island.
While one of the 20 Adelaide University engineer students, Ted McNally, clung to rigging atop the mainmast to keep connections intact, a tape recorder and microphone had been set up in a makeshift studio on the boat.
Sigley had refreshments and instructions to record a programme for Radio Prosh. On August 2, the station went to air with: “This is Radio Prosh, the first non-advertising commercial station working purely for charity” – followed by Rolling Stones music compered by Ernie Sigley. “God Save the Queen” was played before the signal faded.
Reception was reasonably clear on Kangaroo Island and South Australia’s southern coasts but those tuned to Radio Prosh frequency in the city heard only a low hum, arousing suspicion that the signal was being jammed. Radio 5DN technicians denied involvement but confirmed the signal was being jammed by the only political and technical source: the federal postmaster general’s department (PMG).
In response, Adelaide University students rallied for their pirate broadcaster. On August 4, 2,000 protesters, including conservative journalist Stewart Cockburn, TV newsreader Roger Cardwell and Sigley, marched on the Adelaide general post office, swarming into the mail hall waving placards reading “Democracy is in doubt!” and “We want Radio Prosh!” and queuing to lodge RB-131 forms: “Report on interference to television or radio receiver.”
Next day, around 100 protesters staged a sitin, chanting “Ban the jam!” and presented a petition to the director of posts and telegraphs. About 50 protesters picketed the PMG headquarters at the airport, alleged source of the jamming. The PMG state director neither confirmed nor denied this but declared the station “clandestine, unlawful” and “impermissible.”
Postmaster general Alan Hulme said the federal government wouldn’t hesitate to jam any pirate radio station because “it would be a complete shemozzle were stations allowed to broadcast freely without some attempt to control them”.
