1 INTRODUCTION  
2 THE MOLONGLO REFERENCE CATALOGUE AND THE MRC 1-JY SAMPLE  
3 FLASH PILOT SURVEY OBSERVATIONS IN THE MRC 1-JY REGION  
4 RADIO PROPERTIES OF THE MRC 1-JY SAMPLE  
5 FLASH DETECTIONS OF H i 21-CM ABSORPTION  
6 DISCUSSION  
7 SUMMARY  