Um, David Morgan? you could be a distant relative, Australia is a small place.

Thanks for letting me know, but if 4pin doesn't carry power does that mean I am safe to disconnect the cord as I please?

maybe I could destaticise (if that's a word)
 

Maybe I could ground the 4pin cable by touching the ends with my feet on the ground, before connecting and disconnecting? So there is no static build up

Static electricity is indeed death to 1394 equipment. I fried the input components of a pro-level Sony DV recorder unit several years ago, and living here in New Mexico we live with impressive static electricity for about eight months out of each year. I do everything possible with USB 2.0, which is much less sensitive to static charges, but have also taught myself to touch an electrical ground (ie, the screw holding an outlet plate on the wall) before touching anything with electronics in it. I also run a humidifier in my "electronics room" for several hours a day.

so touching the pins in the cords will stop any current running into the other equipment?

Generally, the static charge is built up on you from walking across carpet, getting out of a fabric-covered chair, petting your animals, etc. Touching anything that is grounded before touching your equipment will prevent any transfer of static electricity. My favorite grounds are the screws that hold electrical plates to the wall. If you take the cover off, you will see that the srcews go into the metal housing, which is grounded. You shouldn't worry about grounding your equipment first, unless you have been carrying the camera around with you. If you have been carrying a piece of equipment, grounding yourself will drain off any harmful charge - you shouldn't need to separately ground the camera or cord that you were carrying. Also, give thought to running a humidifier in the room that you do most of your editing and computer work. Major facilities in dry areas almost alwys control the humidity to reduce the risk of static damage.