"The last thing I stole was a box of Coca Cola from a parked truck in Adelaide. I was nice and drunk. It was New Year's Eve. And that was about 28 years ago"

Ronald Biggs recounts a vivid memory marked by both mischief and nostalgia. He details a moment from nearly three decades prior when, under the influence of alcohol during New Year's Eve celebrations in Adelaide, he impulsively stole a box of Coca Cola from a parked truck. The specificity of the object, a simple, everyday item, contrasts with the notorious crimes otherwise associated with Biggs, most famously his involvement in the Great Train Robbery.

The mention of being "nice and drunk" illuminates the altered state of mind that contributed to the act. It's not merely an admission of wrongdoing, but an invocation of the carefree recklessness often mingled with intoxication and the festive atmosphere of New Year's Eve. This detail also humanizes Biggs, painting him not as a one-dimensional criminal, but as a person subject to the same temptations and lapses as anyone else celebrating a holiday. The mood is both confessional and lightly humorous, suggesting a certain fondness for the memory as well as self-awareness.

By situating the event "about 28 years ago", Biggs underscores the passage of time and perhaps a sense of distance from his former self. There is an implicit reflection on aging and change, a faint suggestion that such capers have fallen away with the years. The selection of such a minor and relatively harmless theft, especially following a life marked by more serious crimes, serves to downplay the severity and suggest personal transformation or at least a lapse in criminal behavior for a considerable time.

Biggs weaves together elements of regret, nostalgia, and humor, inviting empathy, or at least understanding, from the listener. The anecdote encapsulates the unpredictable, often contradictory nature of human behavior, especially when filtered through memory and shaped by the march of years.