Thank you to Aqua190 & Stan Pittman for your valued input.
Come the weekend, I'll begin an exploratory of the transmission to see the damaged part(s). I wasn't too sure (confident) whether I should tackle this on my own, but if the chances are that it's already buggered, then I feel better about dismantling it.
Once I get to the root of the problem, and can have a good look at it, I'll let you know the outcome.
Cheers.

__________________
Marc Whitting
Australia