Costigan and the crime ring
The Costigan Royal Commission identified a major national crime organisation with roots in Sydney linked to the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers’ Union and warned that a commission with prosecuting powers was needed to fight such groups. Mr Costigan said there was extensive evidence of racketeering, loan sharking and organised prostitution in the multimillion-dollar drug and illegal gambling operation.
Soft-drink safari
About 20 police, including the Rescue Squad, the Police helicopter and an animal handler from Taronga Zoo, spent more than an hour searching for an “escaped lion” that had been spotted at the Ecks soft drink company at Guildford West. The lion, however, turned out to be Ginger, a large one-eyed tomcat belonging to the caretaker Mr Ron Paul. By about 7pm, the “escaped lion” finally, if rather reluctantly, gave up.
Commission warns doctors on tonsils
Many of the thousands of operations to remove tonsils and adenoids, mostly from children, in NSW every year are performed without adequate justification and under less than satisfactory conditions, according to the NSW Health Commission. In a special newsletter to doctors the NSW Health Commission has laid down strict guidelines to be followed before deciding on surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids. It said the decision for surgery should be preceded by at least six attacks of acute tonsillitis over a period of two years.