Inkspot 97

Inkspot

Issue #97, Spring/Summer 2022-23 www.cartoonists.org.au

ACA Board

Patron

VANE LINDESAY

President CATHY WILCOX president@cartoonists.org.au

Deputy President DAVID BLUMENSTEIN david@experienceillustration.com

Secretary STEVE PANOZZO steve@noz.com.au

Treasurer MARTINA ZEITLER treasurer@cartoonists.org.au

Membership Secretary PETER BROELMAN peter@broelman.com.au

Committee:

JUDY HORACEK judy@horacek.com.au

IAN McCALL mccallart@bigpond.com.au

DAVID POPE info@scratch.com.au

ADELE K. THOMAS adele@adelekthomas.com

MARK TIPPETT mark@tippettures.com.au

Affiliated Organisations

National Cartoonists Society

President: Jason Chatfield www.nationalcartoonists.com

Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain

Chairman: Richard Skipworth www.ccgb.org.uk

FECO

President-General: Peter Nieuwendijk www.fecocartoon.org

Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (PCO)

Chairman: Clive Goddard www.procartoonists.org

Your Inkspot Team

Editor: Steve Panozzo

Contributors: Roy Bisson, David Blumenstein, Warren Brown AM, Jason Chatfield, Patrick Cook, Phil Day, Jed Dunstan, Chris Durham, Anton Emdin, Jules Faber, Rob Feldman, Kirrily Foley, Lindsay Foyle, Paul Harvey, Megan Herbert, Craig Hilton, Mick Horne, Dan Ilic, Leigh Jensen, Ian Jones, Phil Judd, Nat Karmichael, Rik Kemp, Mark Knight, Vane Lindesay OAM, Ian McCall, Brenton McKenna, Judy Nadin, Glenn Robinson, Alan Rose, Buddy Ross, John Shakespeare, Stephen Stanley, Deane Taylor, Alex Thorby, John Thorby, Stu Thornton, Justin Wedd and Cathy Wilcox

Cover Art: Glenn Robinson (with apologies to Chatfield, Clark and Salisbury)

Inkspot is published quarterly by the Australian Cartoonists’ Association

Deadline for next issue is 17th FEBRUARY

PO Box 5178

SOUTH TURRAMURRA NSW 2074

ABN 19 140 290 841

ISSN 1034-1943

Australia Post Registration PP 533798/0015

Presidential Palaver

Welcome to this slightly-later-than-usual edition of Inkspot!

It’s the deadline we aim to meet, but sometimes find ourselves running after. Priorities, priorities, priorities - we just ended up deciding to DO STUFF first, THEN write about it.

And what a lot of stuff we did!

In this edition you’ll get all the news on 2022’s awards season, plus a very comprehensive report by Buddy Ross on the Coffs Harbour Stanleys Conference that finally happened! Rob Feldman’s summary is succinctly hilarious.

I realise it was over two months ago now - but a good chance to be reminded of what turned out to be a fun, engaging weekend, or maybe, to see what you missed out on! It was so great to see friends and colleagues again and feel what it was like to be back in the swing of... living.

There’s a load of news about what our members have been up to, as well as reviews and bits of cartooning history, from the days when cartoonists smoked in the office and wore a nice suit and tie to complete a hard-day’s cross-hatching. You’ll want to read Vane’s On the Flipside pages out loud in a kind of old-timey newsreel voice, so quaint are his stories to our modern ears.

And speaking of Vane Lindesay... we congratulate him on his Australia Day honour of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), for his services to literature as a cartoonist, illustrator and writer. What a true legend of our profession, at 102 years old, with no sign of retiring any time soon!

Next Issue...

We congratulate Warren Brown also, whose skills in cartooning, media more broadly and in military history earned him a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). A-Mazing.

I thank our departing committee members, Nat Karmichael and Dean Rankine, and welcome Adele K Thomas and Mark Tippett. We aim to capture some of the momentum of having organised our last event towards planning the next one, which we have agreed will be in Melbourne.

We’ll let you know as soon as we have a date!

Thanks as always to Steve Panozzo who produces this whole mag (he loves it if you send stuff to put in it).

Have a creative, productive and enlightening 2023!

Taking the Token Option

I agree with the points made by Cathy Wilcox and Jason Chatfield (Inkspot 96) about the problems of the expectation that cartoonists will give away their time and/or artworks for free.

Over the years, I have had numerous requests from professional associations, church groups, and similar social organisations. They approach me wondering whether they can republish my comics/illustrations in their publications or curricula. Rather than responding directly to their request, I return fire with my own question: what is your budget for licensing this artwork from me? This is a question that I ask even to organisations that seem to be dirt poor, and I am usually pleasantly surprised that they will offer $ payment of some sort, even if it is relatively tokenistic.

It is interesting to think of the hundreds or thousands of dollars of income that I would have forfeited if I had simply not asked the question about license payments, falsely assuming that these people could not afford to pay. In my experience, the majority of people who are genuine enough to write to seek permission have an understanding that artists should be paid for their work.

So, if this is not your practice at the moment, drop the fear and start having franker discussions about payments with those asking favors of you. You may be pleasantly surprised at the outcomes.

Stuart McMillen CANBERRA ACT

Passion vs. Payment

Thank you Cathy Wilcox (Inkspot 96) for shining the spotlight on some peoples’ attitudes to paying cartoonists. I’ve experienced the full range of excuses as to why I don’t deserve to paid for my work including this trusted one from family and friends: “I encouraged you to become a cartoonist from the very beginning! You’re not going to charge ME, are you?” Wink, wink…

KILLING THE JOKE

Thank you for your patience - Inkspot has been a little behind schedule (thanks to actual work), however the next edition will be in your letterbox sooner than you think as we play catch-up! Thank you to everyone for contributing cartoons, photos and stories - keep them coming! A huge thank you to Jules Faber who sticks Inkspot into envelopes, affixes address labels and stamps and sends it off. The next theme for next issue’s Your View On... is FISHING! The deadline for contributions is 17th FEBRUARY, 2023. Send to: inkspot@cartoonists.org.au

One of the more bizarre reasons as to why I shouldn’t be paid for work was from someone who contacted me through the ACA’s website. She wanted cartoons for a twenty-page children’s book which she had written but hadn’t found a publisher for. I gave the price for my work, to which she responded with the classic “I was hoping you would be happy with a percentage of the profits once all the books were sold!” routine. Naturally I declined the offer and never heard from her again.

There’s one “passion project” I am more than happy to contribute cartoons for but the charity ends there. I keep things on my terms now.

Glenn Robinson BEAUMARIS VICTORIA

20 17

5 6 28

30 38

Does News Corp’s axeing of comic strips mean the end is nigh for our strip cartoonists?

ROD REIGNS ROTARIES

Cartoonists returned to Coffs Harbour en masse as the National Cartoon Gallery turned on a night to remember

THE 2022 STANLEYS!

After two years in Covid exile, the Stanley Awards and conference were back, and BUDDY ROSS was there!

FLY ON THE WALL

For an alternative take on this year’s Stanleys, you could always read ROB FELDMAN’s clever summary

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS

PAUL HARVEY and chums made last Christmas just a touch more special for some well-deserving kids

KAZ’S GARDEN PARTY

KAZ COOKE wanted a quiet intimate afternoon tea for her Jim Russell Award presentation, so that’s what she got!

47

The South Australian comic strip legend opens up to PHIL JUDD in this issue’s Inkspotlight

STEPHEN STANLEY RUBY LINDSAY

The latest inductee into the Australian Cartoonists’ Hall of Fame remains largely unrecognised - LINDSAY FOYLE explains

PAUL HARVEY

Rowe the Beaut

Inkspot #96: always a good cover, and this issue’s very powerful message with a beautifully executed illustration. Another mighty effort by David Rowe

Re: Emile Mercier. I only ever met him the once. He was just about retired at the time and had completely dropped out of sight when I returned to Australia. I do remember he was somewhat bitter about comic book publishers. Probably regarding disappointing monetary commissions and royalties, but so long ago and I can’t recall any details. I still have a couple of his cartoon paperbacks and had a copy of his comic masterpiece, Wocko the Beaut, which seems to have been lost in various moves.

Roy Bisson MARYVILLE NSW

Big Enough Isn’t Good Enough

During the ACA’s Zoom meeting on 20th July, there was mention of Australian content rules for animation. I thought this story from 1925 might show just how long Australian artists have been seeking help.

In March 1925, Society of Black and White Artists President, Cecil Hartt led a delegation to the Minister for Trade and Customs, Herbert Edward Pratten requesting the imposition of a duty on imported books, especially children’s magazines and books such as Christmas stories. It was claimed most of the imported books conveyed sentiments that were not Australian.

Hartt added that Australia had writers who had made their names throughout the world and they were competent enough to write stories for Australian children. These books were illustrated by Australian artists. Pratten replied if the artists could show the industry was big enough for protection, he would have inquiries made. In other words, he intended to do nothing. This is the earliest such request I can find.

Lindsay Foyle STANMORE NSW

Credit for Jeremy?

While I liked Daniel Best’s article on John Richard Flanagan (Inkspot #96) being the first Australian to be published in US comic books, it was disappointing that the initial credit for first making this “discovery” was not attributed to fellow ACA member Jeremy Macpherson.

Disappointed

BRISBANE QUEENSLAND

ACA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS!

The Australian Cartoonists’ Association is proud to welcome aboard these new members, and we look forward to reading about your adventures in Inkspot! Your contributions are always welcome. So, it’s a big hello to:

Jeff Bell (New Zealand)

Matthew Caswell (Queensland)

Ellen Coates (Victoria)

Les Davis OAM (New South Wales)

Jed Stuart (Tasmania)

News Corp Kills The Comics

Following a protest campaign instigated by the ACA, News Corp was forced to issue a statement claiming their decision, which terminated the future publishing of strips in around 100 Australian newspapers, “reflects the changing readership habits of our audiences and this is why we are increasing our focus as a business on puzzles, games, and crosswords”. The ACA responded with a statement:

“We are disappointed to hear of the decision by News Corp to cease running comic strips in all of its Australian publications. We feel that, in a time when the print news media still claims a role in the cultural life of Australians, the inclusion of humour, adventure and gentle whimsy serves as an antidote to the relentless grim news, politics and conflict that makes up much of the contentas well as providing an entry point to younger readers who may go on to enjoy reading newspapers.

“Many comic strips have inspired significant entertainment and cultural iconography, if the popularity of superhero movies and comics-themed events is any indication. Their appeal traverses all ages and social strata.

“We condemn what seems like a short-sighted and culturally brutal decision, which will render the work of comic strip artists even more precarious, and impoverish the character and value of their mastheads.”

Allan Salisbury, who has been drawing Snake Tales since 1974, was hit hard by the axeing.

“I lost eleven newspapers, which is over two thirds of my income these days,” said Sols. “I have eight other newspapers that publish my Sunday cartoon, but they don’t generate much money. Maybe I’ll keep them going so I can celebrate Snake’s fiftieth birthday. I feel for the guys who still have young families and mortgages”

Tony Lopes (Insanity Streak) is one of those with a young family and figures he has lost around three-quarters of his income as a result of News Corp’s decision. Other Australian strips affected include Jason Chatfield’s Ginger Meggs, whose daily adventures have been running in News Corp papers since the 1990s, Gary Clark’s Swamp, Sean Leahy’s Beyond the Black Stump and Ian

Jones’ Bushy Tales. Syndicated American favourites Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield and The Phantom also bit the dust.

“There are no more Aussie daily strips. Those were it. An entire industry vanished overnight,” said Chatfield, who admitted News Corp’s dropping of Ginger Meggs came as a “gut punch”.

“The elephant in the room isn’t ‘why are they dropping the comics from the print newspaper?’ - it’s that the comics weren’t invited online to the newspapers’ websites or apps,” he said.

“The horoscopes, puzzles, gossip columns, everything else got to follow the readers online to the apps, but the comics were left back in the print realm to calcify. We constantly asked the newspapers to add comics to their apps and websites, but they just didn’t think they were as important as the moon being in Saturn or the latest fad puzzle.”

“It’s gobsmacking to me really, it doesn’t cost the newspapers much to run them,” said Leahy. “Why wouldn’t they keep them digitally?”

The reaction to the ACA’s response was intense. Breakfast TV and radio programmes all over Australia were registering outrage from their audiences, bolstered by a Twitter poll set up by ACA President Cathy Wilcox (98% of respondents agreeing strips were an “essential” part of a newspaper) and an online petition conducted by Leahy (which attracted more than 5,500 signatures). Wilcox, Lopes, Leahy, Clark and Chatfield were kept busy for weeks fielding an avalanche of interview requests.

Meanwhile, a US media company, Lee Enterprises - which owns nearly 80 daily newspapers - decided to cut multiple-page spreads of strips down to a standardised half-page across all their mastheads, with some papers dropping the strips entirely. Chatfield said News Corp’s action was a warning rumble ahead of a quake that has now spread across the Pacific: “Heartless cuts to culture in the interest of delivering a good quarter for investors. Too lazy to innovate, they just want to cut costs to find their profits”.

“I wouldn’t give credit for there being a great deal of thought,” said Wilcox of the benefits to News Corp’s bottom-line. “I don’t think it’s going to be a massive saving.”

With little advance notice, News Corp Australia ceased publication of comic strips in all their newspapers on 11th September, 2022, which was a bitter blow to Australian comic strip artists

Warnie Tribute Hits Rotary Cartoon Awards for Six

The 2022 Stanley Awards and

As a prelude to the two-day Cartoonists’ Conference schedule, the 2022 Rotary Cartoon Awards (now, impressively, in their 34th year) were scheduled to coincide with the annual Stanley Awards gathering. As a result, a healthy contingent of scribblers was on hand to enjoy a jam-packed weekend of professional development, networking and a lot of fun.

Both the Rotary Cartoon Awards and the Stanley Awards were scheduled to be held at the recently refurbished jewel in Coffs Harbour’s crown - the National Cartoon Gallery. The Rotaries kicked off the weekend with considerable style on Friday at 6pm. The impressive new upstairs gallery space was hung with the 180 finalists, with a ‘Salon de Refuses’ able to be viewed onscreen in the adjacent theatrette, which consisted of a further 180 works.

The standard of all the entries was exceptionally high. Several times over the weekend the comment was made that ‘Australian cartoonists punch above their weight’ and the exhibition was a definite testament to that.

It was obvious from the outset that everyone was thrilled to be together in the real world and not confined, as was the case for the last couple of years, to ‘Zoomland’. This vibe set the tone for the whole weekend. NSW Minister for the Arts, The Hon. Ben Franklin, MLC, heaped praise upon our profession and the NCG’s new Director, Les Davis OAM, revealed exciting new plans for the Gallery’s operation into 2023 and beyond.

Wine and conversation flowed, top-class nibbles were consumed, and a bunch of awards were handed out to the worthy (and very happy) winners. The Rotary Cartoon Awards were presented in six categories - Sport, Caricature, Political, Comic Strip, Open Theme and a special category which, this year, was ‘It’s a Mad, Mad World’.

John Allison was unable to attend to accept his merit award in the Political category, which was won by John Shakespeare for Team Scomo. For the Sport category, John ‘Polly’ Farmer was awarded merit while Rod Emmerson won the category, both with cartoons in tribute to the late cricketer Shane Warne

Phil Day managed the rare feat of taking first and second place in Comic Strip, which was a pleasant surprise for him. The Caricature category saw Emmerson awarded the merit for his drawing of former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, while David Rowe won with his beautiful portrait of the late singer, Archie Roach

Emmerson observed that Johnson, without guilt or embarrassment, managed to provide the global cartooning fraternity with an abundance of material to illustrate his term as PM, reflecting that, “the line was truly crossed from life imitating art, to life imitating cartoons.”

Andrew Fyfe won the Open category with his tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, edging out David Morris who took home a merit. In the Special category, Danny Zemp and Lindsay Foyle managed to find themselves as joint winners - another first! To cap off the night, Emmerson sealed his popular appeal by being awarded Cartoon of the Year for his beautifully composed Vale Warne. A huge thanks from all the artists involved goes out to the Gallery staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to frame and hang all the works and keep the whole night running smoothly.

Conference weekend saw a gaggle (or should that be a giggle?) of cartoonists, animators and comic artists return to Pacific Bay Resort on Gumbaynggirr Country at Coffs Harbour on the weekend of 18th-20th November.

ABOVE Fiona Katauskas Megan Herbert Mike Bowers and Adele K Thomas

ABOVE The Hon. Ben Franklin NSW Minister for the Arts, in confirming his admiration for the cartoonists both on show and in the room, won a return invitation to the Gallery CENTRE Lindsay Foyle thinks about keeping both halves of the Special category winner’s cheque... who’s gonna know, right? BELOW: Phil Day posing in front of one of his two winning entries for Comic Strip

Buddy Ross

2022 Stanley Awards and Conference TOGETHER AGAIN

Day One

Saturday morning brought with it a tide of optimism for the first Stanley Awards & Conference gathering in three years. Everyone arrived at Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the first day of proceedings (except for the contingent from Melbourne, who had experienced a mid-air emergency the day before and were still inbound, a day late, on a rescheduled flight via Sydney).

Once everyone was given a name tag, a goodie bag and all were sufficiently caffeinated, the conference began. ACA President Cathy Wilcox thanked everyone for attending and Uncle Alex Webb performed a Welcome to Country before we got down to the serious business of being funny.

While there was no overall theme to the event it quickly became apparent throughout the day that, while the space we work in as creatives is constantly in flux (and the multi-skilling required to keep a career afloat in modern times can be overwhelming), the passion, commitment and dedication of everyone remains undiminished.

The morning session kicked off with David Pope expertly steering a conversation via Zoom with Eleri Harris and Jason Chatfield, who gave examples of how they survive as creatives in both the print and online worlds, as well as querying the relevance of using ‘traditional’ social media platforms as a promotional tool due to the ongoing (and concerning) algorithmic changes and the subsequent inability of AI to understand irony and/or satire, causing some cartoonists’ posts to be blocked as hate speech.

Next, David Blumenstein hosted a session where we learned of current and upcoming projects from our members, including Lindsay Foyle, Adele K. Thomas, Paul Mason Phil Norrie, Stuart McMillen and Damien Castellini This was followed by Queenie Chan hosting a detailed interview with Jun Sugawara from Animation Supporters in Japan, where he informed us (via Zoom and via interpreter) of the plight of the grossly underpaid Japanese anime artists and their attempts to garner global support as they battle for better pay against an entrenched corporate system.

After lunch we had a change of mood with the talented and passionate Andi Spark, Catriona Drummond and Mike Chavez taking us on a deep-dive into the process of creating the hit animated TV series, Bluey. It was fascinating to see the inner workings of the Bluey machine, from storyboards to the finished show and to hear how all the pieces come together.

Blumenstein’s talk on the rise of DALL-E 2 and other artificial intelligence art platforms was next on the agenda, however time constraints relegated it to the sidelines. After a break, Paul Mason (who says he hates public speaking but is damn good at it) led a conversation with Andrew Weldon, Brenton McKenna, Andi Spark and Megan Herbert as they accounted for why they have variously gone from single panel gags to long form comics (or vice versa) or changed their output in some other random fashion. I can only speak for myself, but I never tire of listening to what motivates and inspires fellow creatives and it’s mind-blowing to witness the courage and determination they exhibit to create their work and get it out into the world.

The long but engrossing day wrapped up around 5:40pm. Somehow, everyone managed to get up to their rooms, freshen up and scurry back in time to catch the bus at 6:15pm to the Stanley Awards dinner at the National Cartoon Gallery.

Words: BUDDY ROSS

Photos: DAVID BLUMENSTEIN LINDSAY FOYLE CRAIG HILTON, LEIGH JENSEN NAT KARMICHAEL BRENTON McKENNA JUDY NADIN STEVE PANOZZO AL ROSE

Uncle Alex Webb

Martina Zeitler

Steve Panozzo and Cathy Wilcox investigate Lindsay’s search history

Buddy Ross furiously takes notes

LIndsay Foyle makes the case for comic strips

Adele K. Thomas finds the photo she was looking for

Jason Chatfield remains trapped in TV land

Dr. Andi Spark turns up the colour

Jock Brodie isn’t entirely sure he hasn’t entered a madhouse

2022 Stanley Awards and Conference

David Pope chats with Eleri Harris

Brenton McKenna chats with the media about inflight emergencies

Megan Herbert in action

Dr. Phil Norrie reveals rare Ron Vivian treats

Dave Gray remains enthralled

Rob Feldman and Al Rose - The Proclaimers 2.0?

John Shakespeare

David Blumenstein investigates his search history

Andrew Weldon

Stuart McMillen

Damien Castellini

Judy Horacek poses for her new crime series

Red Carpet On the

Photos: LEIGH JENSEN from Ideal Imaging

Christophe and Nerolie Granet, with Damian Sarah and Josh

Ian Jones, Roger and Marie Fletcher Jan and Dave Gray

Lindsay Foyle and Jan Andrews

Judy Horacek and Martina Zeitler

Alex, Ruth and John Thorby

Gary Clark, Rob Feldman and Nat Karmichael in their “before” photo

Alan and Denise Rose in their tribute to American Gothic

Paul and Julianne McKeon

Buddy Ross and Margaret Cameron

Dr. Andi Spark, Catriona Drummond and Adele K. Thomas

Tony and Lori Lopes

Dean Rankine plays the thorn between the always-rosy Melinda Lawrence and Judy Nadin

2022 Stanley Awards

We arrived at the Gallery (now miraculously transformed into a fine-dining space) and pretty much picked up where we left off the night before.

One notable difference was being greeted by a swanky red carpet on arrival and a name badge with your table number on it. The allocated seating meant there were often guests at your table you may not have met before, so it was a great opportunity to meet new people as well as catch up with old friends.

Dan Ilic, the well-known multi-talented ‘investigative humourist’ was our MC and he did a top job of keeping the increasingly unstable Stanleys ship on course as the night rolled on.

In a nutshell, it was a stupendous night. Between courses of simply superb food, illustrious members of the ACA took to the stage to announce the nominees and present awards to the deserving winners in the numerous categories. In amongst the festivities, the Best Cartoon Drawn on the Night contest and the silent auction of original artworks kept

everyone entertained. As far as I could tell, everyone had a ball, especially the happily boisterous crew on table four, who somehow managed to walk off with the majority of the night’s awards.

The nominees and recipients were a pleasantly mixed bag of fresh faces and serial winners. Edmund Iffland, taking home a Stanley for the first time, also scored a magnum of d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz by winning the Best Cartoon Drawn on the Night. Megan Herbert also managed a wine prize at her first-ever Stanleys - only mildly panicked at how she was going to get five bottles of premium grog back to Melbourne.

Another first-time Stanley Awardee, Paul Mason just happened to to be celebrating his engagement, so his award was the cherry on the cake for what has been a pretty amazing year.

On the flip-side, multiple Stanley Award winner Tony Lopes accepted his award in the wake of News Corp axing all their comic strips, his included. With the very existence of Insanity Streak now in question, the effort of summoning up a smile must have been immense.

In another Stanley Awards first, we had a tie! Leigh Hobbs and Judy Nadin were both awarded the Stanley for Book Illustrator, while David Pope capped off an incredible year, taking out three statuettes - Illustrator, Editorial/Political Cartoonist and the gold award for Cartoonist of the Year.

The Cartoonists Hall of Fame welcomed two new inductees in Ruby Lindsay and recently-departed Max Foley. Max’s daughter Kirrily was on hand to accept his trophy and lightened the mood with a fun story of her dad’s close encounter with a lion in a publicity stunt that almost went disastrously wrong!

The award of the night, however, had to be when the Jim Russell Award for Significant Contribution to Australian Cartooning was awarded to a clearly shocked Fiona Katauskas. There was not a dry eye in the house as Fiona tearfully accepted her well-earned award. In actively promoting the cartooning profession on TV with Mike Bowers on Talking Pictures and assembling the multitude of works for the annual Behind the Lines exhibition, Fiona has been an unrelenting ambassador for Aussie cartooning.

Dan Ilic MC of the year, anyone?

Double Judy duty

Dr. Paul Mason

La Presidenta habla!

Andrew Weldon victorious!

Lord Roy and Lady Janice Bisson in regalia

Tony and Lori Lopes

A worthy winner deserves a magnum of d’Arenberg!

Melinda Lawrence congratulates Judy Nadin: two more awards for the collection!

The National Cartoon Gallery’s new Chairman, Les Davis OAM Entrée

2022 Stanley Awards and Conference

Adele K. Thomas tackles Best Cartoon Drawn on the Night

Steve Panozzo and Megan Herbert in sartorial splendour

Ian McCall Brenton McKenna, Amanda Bacchi, Paul Mason and the frenzy in the foyer!

Edmund Iffland

Kirrily Foley

Mike Bowers presents the Jim Russell Award...

... to Fiona Katauskas

The Pope and the President

John Thorby and talented artist daughter Alex Thorby Gary Clark, Tony Lopes and Ian Jones

Gary Clark, Tony Lopes and Ian Jones

Lindsay Foyle presents the Cartoonists’ Hall of Fame

Day Two

Sunday morning saw ACA members rock up to the conference room at 9am for the Annual General Meeting before the final two conference sessions kicked off around 10.30am.

The weekend had many highlights for me, but the Talking Pictures Live panel discussion was worth the price of admission alone.

Mike Bowers thoughtful questioning led Megan Herbert, Badiucao Adele K. Thomas David Pope and a still-emotional Fiona Katauskas through a wide-ranging discussion in which all panellists gave candid insights into what motivates, infuriates, frustrates and inspires them. It was great stuff.

The final session of the day involved conference supremo Blumenstein getting under the hood of arts law and client contracts with Yasmin Naghavi and David Vodicka from Media Arts Lawyers. Both panellists were peppered with questions from the floor on all manner of legal matters and did a great job of demystifying and explaining some of the legalese surrounding contract arrangements.

Unfortunately, due to a five-hour drive home, I had to leave just before everything wrapped up and couldn’t attend the afternoon winery lunch (bummer).

In summary, the entire weekend was a total success. All the conference sessions were engaging, informative and entertaining, and thanks to the hard work of Deputy President David Blumenstein and the elves behind the scenes, the event ran smoothly despite the many moving parts (both human and technical).

Huge thanks go to the ACA Board and all involved for yet again organising such a successful weekend and reminding us all that, despite ongoing changes to the media landscape, and the world in general, cartoonists and comic creators will continue to amuse, bemuse, accuse, surprise, delight, ignite, irritate, aggravate and educate for many years to come.

Bring on 2023. Melbourne here we come!

2022 STANLEY AWARDS - LIST OF FINALISTS

(Recipients are listed in bold type)

ANIMATION CARTOONIST

Matt Bissett Johnson

Edmund Iffland

Paul Mason

EDITORIAL/POLITICAL CARTOONIST

Matt Golding

David Pope

David Rowe

COMIC STRIP CARTOONIST

Gary Clark

Ian Jones

Tony Lopes

ILLUSTRATOR

George Haddon

Judy Nadin

David Pope

SINGLE GAG CARTOONIST

Jason Chatfield

Peter Player

Andrew Weldon

CARICATURIST

Paul Harvey

Judy Nadin

David Rowe

COMIC BOOK ARTIST

Glenn Lumsden

Paul Mason

Dean Rankine

BOOK ILLUSTRATOR

Anton Emdin

Leigh Hobbs

Judy Nadin

EVENT CARTOONIST

Paul Harvey

Steve Panozzo

Anthony Pascoe

CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR

Matt Golding

Paul Harvey

Judy Nadin

David Pope

David Rowe

Cathy Wilcox

BEST CARTOON DRAWN ON THE NIGHT

FIRST PRIZE: Edmund Iffland

SECOND PRIZE: Megan Herbert

JIM RUSSELL AWARD FOR SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO AUSTRALIAN CARTOONING

Fiona Katauskas

AUSTRALIAN CARTOONISTS HALL OF FAME

Max Foley and Ruby LIndsay

Buddy Ross

The AGM front bench sees Cathy still scrutinising Lindsay’s search history

The Pope addresses his flock

Dean Rankine Badiucao

Adele K Thomas David Pope

All the fun of Talking Pictures Live!

Beware the smiling GP

Your View On...

thanks to everyone for your amazing contributions!

NEXT ISSUE: Fishing!

Please send your contributions to: inkspot@cartoonists.org.au

New Gun is On Target at Kennedy Awards

Megan Herbert was awarded the Vince O’Farrell Award for Outstanding Cartoon in August at the 2022 Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism. Her cartoon, Big Week for SCOTUS edged out fellow finalists David Rowe and Cathy Wilcox

“I’m still pinching myself that I’m allowed to make cartoons that are published nationally in the Nine newspapers,” said Herbert after the win, “I entered, but didn’t have any expectations of winning, being very green and very new.”

Herbert credits Wilcox’s encouragement for making it all possible.

“She is one of the good ones, always extending a hand to pull others up and usher in new voices.”

Warren Still Has Lead in His Pencil

The Daily Telegraph’s Warren Brown was awarded the Bill Leak Cartoonist of the Year Award at the 2022 News Awards held at Sydney’s historic Hordern Pavilion in November.

“It was a sensational night,” he said, “And I was thrilled to be presented with this award named in honour of my sorely missed old mate.”

On hand to cheer Brown on were three of his News Corp stablemates: Johannes Leak from The Australian, The Courier Mail’s Brett Lethbridge and the Herald-Sun’s Mark Knight

Warren began his career at News Limited as a cadet artist, later moving to The Illawarra Mercury as a press artist. He started drawing daily cartoons in 1985 and became the lead cartoonist on The Daily Telegraph upon Frank Benier’s retirement in 1986.

Megan Herbert sticks the landing

CLOCKWISE (from left): Mark Knight, Johannes Leak, Brett Lethbridge and Warren Brown

2022 BEHIND THE LINES OFF THE PLANET

The perennially-popular Behind the Lines exhibition - for many the perfect distillation of the previous 12 months in Australian life - opened on 1st December at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), in Old Parliament House, Canberra.

This year, visitors to the annual show - which began in 1996 as Bringing the House Down - are being asked to check the seals on their spacesuits, climb aboard the spaceship MoAD and take a giant leap into outer space with the theme Off the Planet

Exhibition curator Amy Lay explains that at its core, Off the Planet is about remembering that feeling when Australia opened its borders and we “all exploded, wide out of our living rooms” with a sense of ‘what else is out there?’.

“Our cartoonists have peered into their telescopes and brought into focus another eventful year,” she said. “A federal election and the rise of the teal independents, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, skyrocketing interest rates and a cost-of-living crisis: all are represented on the walls of Behind the Lines.”

Behind the Lines also announced David Pope as their 2022 Political Cartoonist of the Year. This marks yet another feather in Pope’s cap, having already being crowned Cartoonist of the Year by the ACA at the 2022 Stanley Awards.

When accepting his award, Pope said he was moved by protests in China, where people were not afforded the freedom to speak truth to power.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to be able to work where we’re not persecuted for what we do,” Mr Pope said, “You see the value [of a free press] when people in other countries are trying to win those rights to freely express what they believe.”

The official reopening of Old Parliament House’s front doors and steps, after they were set alight on 30 December 2021 during a protest, comes just in time for the launch of the this iteration of the exhibition, and MoAD Acting Director Andrew Harper is particularly excited for the public to be welcomed back inside.

“Cartooning is an important function in Australia and really celebrates the rich tradition of free speech and free expression, which are cornerstones of our democracy, and a sign of a healthy democracy where different perspectives can be freely discussed in cartoon format,” said Harper.

Behind the Lines: Off the Planet runs until November 2023.

Knight Marks His Fifth Walkley Award

The Herald Sun’s Mark Knight snared his fifth Walkley Award for Best Cartoon In November.

His cartoon, Not Everyone Has to be Scott Morrison, managed to win the category ahead of stiff competition from fellow finalists, Matt Golding with his cartoon Voice to Parliament and Fiona Katauskas’ Propertied

Knight started his career with a cadetship at The Sydney Morning Herald in 1980. He became a political cartoonist for The Australian Financial Review in 1984, then joined the Herald and Weekly Times in 1987 as cartoonist for the Melbourne Herald. He became the political cartoonist for the newly-merged Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun in 1990. He also won Walkley Awards in 2003, 2004, 2010 and 2016.

On top of the world: David Pope

Mark Knight a Walkley in the park

Special Children’s Christmas Party

Paul Harvey (left) was joined by some of his Victorian caricaturing colleagues, including Jock Macneish, Ricky Walker-Rincón, Neil Mattheson and Danny Zemp, on Saturday, 26th November at the Special Children’s Christmas party at Melbourne Showgrounds. The artists donate a Saturday every year to caricature some very deserving kids, their families and carers.

“Every year our involvement is spearheaded by the great George Haddon, who used to do this on his own 20-something years ago, when it was known as Heart Kids,” said Harv. “I came on board a while back but we threw it open to the gang as the numbers of heads to draw were hugeand Melbourne’s event artists never let the kids down.

“George was crook this year, sadly. He couldn’t make it to this one and he was missed by all,” he said.

Illustrated Cookbook Unleashed

An enthusiastic and rather sizeable crowd attended the July launch of Tanya Lee’s new limited-edition cookbook, Death by Corrie at Australian Galleries in Paddington, Sydney. Titled in honour of her grandmother, whose recipes inhabit every other page, the book is a fundraiser for the end-of-life charity, Dying With Dignity.

Death by Corrie is distinguished by two things: recipes unencumbered by dietary considerations and the complete absence of carefully manicured food photographs. Instead, each recipe is accompanied by ever-so-slightly macabre illustrations by Australia’s best cartoonists and illustrators. The combined efforts of a cold, rainy evening and a resurgent strain of Covid sadly managed to limit the numbers of artists in attendance.

Patrick Cook, banished to the attic to isolate after a positive Covid test, was prevented from coming to support his wife, Jean Kittson, in her role as MC. Kittson commented that she is rarely happy to be negative, but for this exception. Also doing stage duty was the venerable John Bell AO MBE who was guest speaker, comedy thespian Jonathan Biggins as auctioneer and Mikey Robins who indulged in a little heckling from the audience.

Of the participating artists, there was support from Michael Bell, Jules Faber, Rocco Fazzari, Simon Letch Peter Lewis, Matthew Martin, Steve Panozzo, Buddy Ross and Cathy Wilcox

www.deathbycorriecookbook.com

GALLERY FULL OF SCRIBBLERS

ABOVE: The world’s worst boy band? Mikey Robins, Jules Faber Buddy Ross and Peter Lewis

RIGHT: Tanya Lee launches Death by Corrie

BELOW LEFT: Buddy Ross and Cathy Wilcox

BELOW RIGHT: It didn’t take Rocco Fazzari and Simon Letch long to buy each other (note the “sold” stickers)

Paul Harvey

Danny Zemp

Ricky Walker-Rincón

Jock Macneish

Inkspot SPRING/SUMMER 2022-23

Kaz Cooke and her Bonzer Bronze Gong Mr. Hobbs Goes to Western Australia

They say that all good things come to those who wait.

And so, on 3rd September, Melbourne-based ACA members got together in the garden of Pietro e Paolo in Montague Street to join Ian McCall in presenting the 2021 Jim Russell Award for Significant Contribution to Australian Cartooning to author, cartoonist and star of TV & radio, Kaz Cooke.

I arrived just in time to catch the start of the proceedings and snap a few pics for you. I was pretty excited to note that Kaz had brought comedian Judith Lucy with her... but I kept it together for the sake of the ACA’s reputation.

Ian spoke beautifully about Kaz’s contribution to Australian cartooning, and I passed on Cathy Wilcox’s regrets at not being there in person. Jim Bridges impressed with his pile of books to be signed by Kaz, which was approximately as tall as

he is (he promised they were not all for him). It was nice also to see ACA Patron Vane Lindesay in good health, kitted out in South Melbourne colours and querying Kaz as to where her name comes from.

The award, which was previously called the Silver Stanley and was renamed in 2003 honour of previous ACA Patron, Jim Russell, is presented annually to an individual or organisation who, in the opinion of the ACA Board, has advanced the cause of Australian cartooning. Kaz now joins a long list of notable recipients, including Vane, Lindsay Foyle Bruce Petty, Gerald Carr Rolf Heimann, WEG and James Kemsley.

Pietro e Paolo’s cakes were best described as “stonking” and come highly recommended by myself.

David Blumenstein

Despite Leigh Hobbs having what he describes as an “allergy to cute”, there is a warmth to every Hobbs book that speaks to parents and children alike.

In September, The State Library of Western Australia opened an interactive retrospective exhibition of Hobbs’ work, featuring the original pen and gouache illustrations for Old Tom: Man of Mystery, with appearances from some of his other characters. The display gave some insight into Hobbs’ artistic process, with never-before-seen sketches and cartoons.

Hobbs had recently donated a significant collection of his artwork to the State Library of Western Australia, and these

works were on display in an exhibition in The Story Place Gallery.

Kids were able to end the exhibition with a self-guided scavenger hunt through the Library, hot on the trail of the Man of Mystery. Additionally, young kids were able to get lost in a “sensory play space”, bedecked in yellow in honour of Hobbs’ popular character, Mr Chicken. They were able to chill out and read a story, explore texture, colour and spatial concepts in this revolutionary pop-up play space.

The exhibition proved so popular, it was extended by a month until 15th January, 2023.

ABOVE: (left) Kaz Cooke with Alan Rose and (right) Kaz receives her Jim Russell Award statuette from Ian McCall BELOW: Glenn Robinson, Al Rose, Rolf Heimann and Vane Lindesay listen on

Leigh Hobbs

Pretty as a Picture and Camp as Canberra

You’d think Cathy Wilcox would be busy enough being a daily editorial cartoonist, illustrator and President of the ACA. Far, far too busy to be just standing around playing the muse for a portrait painter.

Mick’s Double Honour

Mick Horne is now a multi-award winning animator, with two of his animated short subjects being honoured at the Rock the Boat Film Festival in Rockingham, Western Australia.

Mick’s two shorts, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? - in which we finally learn the truth - and William’s Birthday, were screened in the Super Short Film category (films under 60 seconds) at the festival in October.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? was awarded Best Comedy Scene and claimed Third Prize in its category, while William’s Birthday received a Judge’s Commendation.

Both films can be seen at www.MicknArt.com/work-5

Battle for Acknowledgement More Weirdo Than the Book

Some things are worth the wait.

After an eight-year sojourn in purgatory, Jules Faber’s overdue trophy arrived, acknowledging his contribution as illustrator of Anh Do’s Weirdo, which won the 2014 ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children (8 to 14 Years).

“The reasons for the delay are manifold and I don’t need to go into them here,” said Jules, “But I’d like to say to all the illustrators out there, that you are vitally important to kids’ publishing and I see you.”

Congratulations, Jules!

But somehow, Cathy found time in her schedule to stand still long enough for the venerable Peter Smeeth to render her in oil and enter the result in the annual Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. The portrait, titled Cathy Wilcox, Cartoonist, ended up being a semi-finalist.

Between sittings, Cathy found time to illustrate Krys Saclier’s new book, Camp Canberra

No, it’s not a guide to the kitsch underbelly of our nation’s capital. Instead, it tells the story of the students of Mount Mayhem Primary and their school trip to Canberra. Their teacher, Ms Sparks, says they will visit places of national significance and learn about Australian History and Government. Who knew Canberra could be so interesting! While it’s aimed at kids, adults will certainly find it fascinating, too!

Published by Wild Dog Books, it’s the follow-up to 2020’s successful Vote 4 Me Available now, it retails for $24.99

ISBN 9781742036120

Alex Thorby (left) with her painting Besties (and subjects Eric Löbbecke and Vicki White), which was a finalist at the 2022 Portia Geach Memorial Award @ S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney.

Adele K. Thomas, despite being a crazily-busy animation director, has illustrated three books which were released late last year in the lead-in to Christmas: Battle Mum by Zöe Foster Blake, Pearl the Dancing Unicorn by Sally Odgers and Barkly Mansion & The Scruffiest Mischief by Melissa Keil

Battle Mum celebrates children’s love of play fighting and acting out imaginary battles, except this time it’s Mum who wants to play and she never wants to stop! It’s published by Penguin and retails for $19.99 ISBN 9780143779681

Pearl the Dancing Unicorn is about... well, a unicorn called Pearl who tries her hoof at dancing. It’s published by Scholastic and retails for $14.99 ISBN 9781761128684

Barkly Mansion & The Scruffiest Mischief is the latest part of an adorably funny series about a slightly odd house (full of dogs) that’s turned upside down when a new friend (another dog) comes to stay. Published by Hardie Grant, it retails for $15.99 ISBN 9781760508067

Anton Makes a Smarty Move

Serial Stanley Award-winner Anton Emdin has been keeping a low profile recently, with lots of art direction work keeping him out of the spotlight, but now he’s back at his drawing desk and has illustrated his first full-colour kids’ story book.

Smarty Pup: Pawsome Genius by Anh Do was released in October by Allen & Unwin and it’s the first title to be released in a new series of books for reader aged 6-10 years. Lily’s new pup JJ is kind of clumsy, but something about his smiley face makes her really happy inside. So you can imagine Lily’s surprise when she wakes up to discover that JJ can not only talk, but is super smart. It seems that, during a meteor storm, some “alien goop” had fallen on the dog and turned him into the smartest creature on earth: he can talk, solve maths problems and speak 12 languages.

Smarty Pup retails for $15.99

ISBN 9781760526399

Chatfield’s Seasonal Treat

Long-time executive producer of The Simpsons Mike Reiss, has teamed up with our own Jason Chatfield to offer a new slant to the traditional story of Christmas in Santa’s Brother Sandy Saves Christmas

The book tells the story of what happens when Santa’s sleigh gets stuck in the wet sands of Bali and he has to call on his estranged, lazy, fun-loving little brother Sandy to save Christmas. It’s available now at US$13.99

ISBN 1954158165

www.santasbrothersandysavesshristmas.com

Superheroes That Inspire

In 2021, Stu Thornton was approached by Howard Springs Primary School to donate his time and abilities to create some superheroes that reflect the schools values and core principles.

The school was particularly after characters the kids could relate to. After some in-depth discussions with year 5 & 6 students, teachers and the local Member, Gerard Maley MLA Stu set to work to bring the school’s vision to life with three new heroes.

“It’s great seeing them up as murals around the school,” said Stu. “Apparently the kids love them.”

Paul Harvey has launched his new book Kyrgios an unauthorised biography of the eponymous tennis player. Harv has collaborated with his son Sam (above), a noted sports blogger, saying: “It’s pretty cool, I can’t lie.”

Kyrgios is published by Wilkinson Publishing and is out now, with a retail price of $29.99.

ISBN 9781922810274

www.wilkinsonpublishing.com.au

Part Six

On the flipside of cartooning, a series of “bits and bobs” about Australian cartoonists never before recorded

Vumps - The One-Hit Wonder

During the late nineteenth century, the novel comic strip for leisure reading was firmly established in style and content in both England and America.

Emerging from a background of characters with tramps, funny policemen, animals from pigs to penguins, were the capers, mishaps and triumphs of “The Boy”.

The Boy emerged in the full-color Sunday feature, Down in Hogan’s Alley, better known as the Yellow Kid, which ran in New York World, starting in 1895. The response from the competing New York Journal was titled The Katzenjammer Kids , created by the German-born Rudolph Dirks in 1897. It was inspired by an illustrated story in verse, Max and Moritz which was written and illustrated by Wilhelm Busch and published in 1865.

The trend followed swiftly around the globe; America offered Henry, Dennis the Menace and Skippy England produced from its comic papers Plum and Duff - Our Boys of the Bold Brigade.

The fictional character Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School and The Magnet stories ceased at the outbreak of World War Two after thirty-two years of continuous publication, only to reappear in a Knockout comic strip. Australia, the third English-speaking country, also had two boy comic strips - Ginger Meggs (1921) and Fatty Finn (1923).

LEFT: The first - and last - issue of Vumps (Saturday, 15th August, 1908)

In 1908, what claimed to be the first Australian comic book, Vumps, was published along with this editorial:

“So interesting a personality of the Australian boy should not be allowed to live his life in obscurity, therefore this paper will chronicle his doings. He will henceforth be known as Vumps - Joe Vumps - and his ways will be recorded by some of the most capable of Australia’s artists and writers.”

A drawing of Joe Vumps on the red and black cover was the work of cartoonist Claude Marquet, who worked for the Adelaide and Sydney press, where he came to prominence on The Worker newspaper. Other work by Marquet for Vumps was a double spread illustration of Joe Vumps welcoming the American Naval Fleet to Australia (above). Further Vumps offerings were included in a fuII page comic strip presenting two “blotto” sailors.

Vumps contents page declared that it was to be read by adults, not children. This then, places it in a class similar to Melbourne Punch, founded in 1855, setting the style for other journals of humour and satire. These features were presented in comic strips of single-panel joke drawings, occasional editorial cartoons and text. There is no printer’s authority to be found on such printed items. This curious publication carries no hint of future Vumps no statement that this issue is a “one off”. With or without a printer’s imprint, Vumps’ price, one penny, was remarkable value.

ABOVE: Joe Vumps welcomes the American Naval Fleet (pages 8 and 9 - art by Claude Marquet)

BELOW: Page 7 of Vumps displaying the typical mish-mash of cartooning styles throughout

Vane Lindesay

I was born at an early age in 1950 in Liverpool, England, and had decided by the time I finished primary school that I wanted to be a cartoonist.

I started sending drawings off to newspapers and magazines when I was ten years old; never sold anything of course, but I did receive a lot of very nice letters with advice from various features editors. I guess in those days they had a little more time to encourage youngsters.

Most of my drawings from those distant days are unfortunately lost. We tend to forget that plain-paper photocopying is quite a recent invention, so I had to

STEPHEN STANLEY

interview by PHIL JUDD

post off original work and inevitably some places did not return work.

I was fortunate to have an uncle living in New York who used to send me the Sunday comics from all the New York papers, so I was influenced by that style of cartooning as well as the British comics of the time. There was also a man who lived up the street who was a printer and he would drop past little packets of their paper offcuts, often really nice paper but in odd sizes, ideal for drawing comic strips.

At high school I was never very good at ‘art’ as a subject. This was largely because the teacher didn’t appreciate cartooning, but then one year he took off on a year-long painting holiday to Italy and we got a new younger teacher who raved about my ‘commercial’ style of drawing and who encouraged me to go to art school.

When I was sixteen the family moved to Australia, where I took the entrance exam for the South Australian School of Art, but by the time I’d heard that I’d obtained a place, the family had moved to Whyalla and my parents decided they couldn’t afford to split the family up so soon after arriving in Australia, and so I started work as a signwriting apprentice. The business was just getting into silk-screen printing at the time and I became the resident expert, doing all the artwork and preparation as well as the actual printing. They were five happy years turning out stickers, T-shirts and lots of those silk banners so beloved by Rotary clubs.

At home I was still drawing, and working on an epic animated Super-8 cartoon film called Bwana, Son of Sahib, which was the story of the search for the fabled Elephant’s Graveyard and which occupied me from about the age of 17 to 21. Looking at it now, it’s very politically incorrect, and even has a nude bathing scene.

Then when I was about 21 I got my big break. I started a cartoon in the local newspaper, The Whyalla News, called The Stan Cartoon. It actually ran for 49 years, and would have made fifty if the pandemic hadn’t closed the paper down for a time back in 2020. At the same time, I was involved in drawing illustrations for a local community project called Youthly, which was a magazine for teens. That led to several paying jobs from various government departments.

I was also beginning to get gag cartoons published in the old Australasian Post magazine, which led to a letter from Sol

Shifrin of the impressively titled Intercontinental Features in Melbourne. Among other things, I sent him samples of a comic strip titled Lafferty, who was a convict dragging around a ball and chain, and it seemed to be immediately picked up by the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, then The Herald in Melbourne and later by The Advertiser in Adelaide. When it first started in Sydney I think I’d only drawn about five strips, so I had to hustle to keep up supply.

This of course was just after the Whitlam government came to power and ended a pretty lean time for local comics in Australia. You could say my timing was perfect, but a lot of cartoonists of the time had their first work published around then, although often the turnover was pretty harsh. I quit my signwriting job on the strength of Lafferty and set out on a lifetime of self-employment.

The first cartoon I had published in colour was in Australian Playboy around 1980. Soon I was selling regularly to Reader’s Digest and Penthouse, but then I fell out of a tree (don’t ask me what I was doing up a tree) and, being left handed, it was inevitable that I would break my drawing arm as a result. For a while after that things were a little grim.

“I’m odd in that I prefer silence when I’m working. I find music a bit of a distraction, as I found I got lots of ideas when actually drawing.”

When I got back to work I suddenly found that my hand was very shaky. I assume that over time a cartoonist builds up a fine degree of muscle control which I’d suddenly lost.

After a year or so I got it all back again, but at times it was quite a painful process, especially after a long day at the drawing board. So I decided to cut down on the deadlines and go into drawing children’s books. I’d already self-published several books of comics as well as illustrating books for other people, but it took a few years before the publication of Puzzle Planets. That was a picture puzzle book picked up by Ashton Scholastic which was followed by five more books in the series. At the same time, I brought Lafferty to an end after over twenty years. I think it’s one of the few strips I’ve seen that actually has a proper ‘closing sequence’.

Since then, I’ve continued illustrating books. Recently, my six puzzle books have been published in China in Chinese translation versions. And they look quite ‘cute’.

The cartooning business has certainly changed over the years. Newspaper strips are in decline and many magazines have either folded or no longer accept cartoons. Making a living from drawing has always been hard, but now it’s probably even harder. Sure, there are new opportunities, but when I’m asked by some young hopeful how they should proceed towards a career I’m a bit unsure as to what, if any, advice I can give. Some things don’t change however. I’ve always recognised that papers are primarily paying for an idea rather than a drawing. The drawing just serves to get across the idea. People have this notion that cartoonists just spend all day

drawing, whereas the reality is that you have to put just as much effort thinking up the ideas, otherwise you have nothing to draw. I used to spend a couple of hours each evening simply doodling away in a notepad, generating ideas, and good ideas will always have a value.

I learnt early on that papers and magazines don’t just buy the funniest ideas you have. All publications have a pretty firm grasp of what sort of content they want and if you can either select cartoons from your files that will suit a particular outlet, or better still, generate work with a specific publication in mind, you’ll sell a lot more cartoons. For a decade I don’t think I had a single rejection from Reader’s Digest. Remember those little ‘department heading’ cartoons they used to run? Life’s Like That Humour in Uniform, etc. The drawing had to be pantomime (no words), but they didn’t want something that was so funny that the reader laughed out loud, just something that made people smile and nod their heads and think: yup, that’s true/clever. With an obvious variation the same could be said about selling cartoons to the likes of Playboy.

I guess I was fortunate in developing my style of drawing pretty early on, and I’ve kept it fairly consistent over time. As a youngster I liked Carl Giles, who drew editorial cartoons for the Daily Express. What I appreciated, and have tried to emulate, is the fact that instead of drawing politicians in silly situations he would often demonstrate the effects of a political decision on the average person, using a chaotic family (mum, dad, the kids, grandma etc). I liked his big detailed backgrounds.

I admire all cartoonists, knowing just how difficult it can be to make it in this business. I know how hard it is to come up with an idea every day, and would hate to be a political cartoonist. I was lucky with my Stan cartoon for the Whyalla News which at its height came out three times a week, as it was largely social comment and didn’t have any editorial interference. I think I only had one cartoon banned in forty-nine years.

The most remembered Stan cartoon was my famous White Cartoon, which was completely blank apart from a heading which read: ‘Whyalla without BHP’. At the time, some locals were saying that Whyalla would be better off without the steelworks, and the cartoon was gently reminding people that before BHP arrived there was nothing here. I felt a little guilty asking for payment for submitting a blank piece of paper, but then remembered that they were paying for the idea.

A lot of the artists who drew my favourite comics when I was a kid were completely anonymous. I got to recognise their individual styles however and used to look out for their work without knowing who they were. This still happens today

with most of the people who produce the animated magic we see on the big screen being totally unknown, while the stars who just do the voices get top billing. When I’m not drawing I’m out in the garage playing with my toy soldiers. I suppose wargaming is politically incorrect these days, but I’m not doing anybody any harm and it keeps me out of trouble.

One of my theories is that cartoonists are one of the most under-utilized talent-pools in the country. Some years back, I wrote to all the TV stations and suggested a game show format I called Doodlebugs where two teams of cartoonists did quick-draw doodles on various subjects. Of course, nobody showed any interest.

I’m odd in that I prefer silence when I’m working. I find music a bit of a distraction, as I found I got lots of ideas when actually drawing. Inspiration, however, comes from all directions. I like to work in themes: where I immerse myself in a specific subject such as pirates or space travel or a particular sport. This might involve watching a movie, reading a book or just thinking about the subject and scribbling down everything that comes to mind.

As most of my stuff was drawn and published before the internet, there isn’t a lot of my work online. Like most cartoonists I have a few filing cabinets stuffed with old drawings. To properly catalogue all this material would take years, so it all tends to be a bit of a mess. I hate it when somebody rings me up and asks if I have a copy of a particular drawing I sold them twenty years earlier. That usually ends up with me spending a day digging through the archives (and stopping to read the captions of every cartoon and rediscovering lots of stuff you’d forgotten you drew). Sometimes I think it would be quicker and easier just to redraw the original cartoon.

I have a webpage - www.stancartoons.com - which has a lot of the older Whyalla News cartoons plus details of some of my books. I put together a book of Lafferty comic strips, Up With Lafferty, as well as a George the Robot book. This was a strip I was very fond of but which never really saw the light of day. It was set in Australia 100 years in the future, but was only published in a few papers.

John Thorby’s

Government Gives Cartoonist Rock Shock

Story by LINDSAY FOYLE

OUR MOST FAMOUS RED INDIAN

In my early years as President of the (now) Australian Cartoonist’s Association - then known as the Black and White Artists’ Club - my main job was to keep the club afloat by raising finance. Our close association with the Sydney Journalists’ Club was our main source of income. We hosted functions of many kinds and a popular one was a dinner with a guest speaker.

This particular night’s guest was the Australian actor, Michael Pate, who had made quite big in Hollywood, especially in Westerns. He starred in two big films with John Wayne, Hondo in 1953 and McLintock! in 1963. In both these movies he was the archetypal “Red Indian” and had become quite famous. These days, of course, native American characters are played by actual indigenous actors, but 1960s Hollywood never had a problem with actors switching ethnicities if they looked swarthy enough. Of his hundreds of US TV and film appearances, Pate was only called upon to play an Australian character on four occasions.

Before Wikipedia, it was not easy to get info on people and, me being new to the job, I took the easy way out. The room was crowded and I was sitting next to Michael.

It was time for the introduction, so I stood up and said, “I would like to introduce Michael Pate, Australia’s most famous Red Indian”, and sat down.

Michael stood and said, “That was the fastest and worst introduction I have ever had” and went on to make a very fine speech. I still cringed a bit but it eventually went out of my memory.

That dinner was in or around 1984. Just last year, I was sitting with my coffee group and one man, in particular, is also a movie buff like me and he watches classic movies over and over. This particular week they had both movies, Hondo and McLintock!, on their viewing list. He asked me, “did you see these movies? Both those movies had Michael Pate in them. He was Australia’s most famous Red Indian.”

It all came flooding back - I was right! He was our most famous “Red Indian”. No more will I cringe at his name. When you look up his name now you realise how accomplished he was - an actor, screenwriter, director and more. He died in 2008.

John Thorby

Somewhere in Parks Australia sits a very embarrassed person. Back in early December they stuffed up. Big time.

In early December, The Herald Sun was sent a letter from the Government organisation’s office, accusing the paper of breaching media guidelines by publishing a cartoon drawn by Mark Knight for the Wednesday, 30th November 2022 edition of the paper.

The letter stated, in part, “these artworks do not have media permits and breach media guidelines.” It went on to say, “to comply with the EPBC Act, media guidelines, ICIP (Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property) laws and show respect for Anangu land and culture, we ask that you remove any artwork breaching these conditions and showing Uluru.”

Knight was shocked by the notice as he had drawn Uluru before and had no idea he needed a permit. He told The Herald Sun, “I’ve drawn Uluru for all my career as a cartoonist and I’ve never heard of this before. I didn’t know that probably the greatest landmark of Australia was copyrighted.

“It made me feel like I had done something wrong,” Knight said. “I thought it was a very nice image and, lo and behold, ironically, I was asked to take it down.”

“Being told Mark needed a permit to draw Uluru in a cartoon was ridiculous,” said Nick Papps, editor of the Sunday Herald Sun. “Mark is an award-winning cartoonist and his cartoon, like so many others, was his perspective on an important public debate – he has to be free to express that perspective and we will always fight to make sure he is.”

Parks Australia’s letter claimed Knight’s illustration did not comply with legislation and media guidelines including indigenous cultural intellectual property laws and failed to show respect for Anangn land. Knight told the Sunday Herald Sun he, “had drawn Uluru many times in his cartoon career without any issues.”

The Herald Sun engaged lawyers and refused to follow the order to remove the cartoon from its website. After a short exchange of views, Parks Australia apologised to Knight “for this error – it isn’t a request that should have been made.” Parks Australia sent an email

to Knight saying the order “was not appropriate.”

“I’m pleased that my publishers, the Herald Sun and News Corp, offered their full support, as they always have,” said Knight, “(It was) another casual attempt at the chipping away of press freedoms. I’m glad sanity prevailed and we had the decision reversed.

“I was also grateful to the President of the Australian Cartoonists’ Association, Cathy Wilcox for contacting me and offering her support and gratitude on behalf of all cartoonists who have drawn Uluru, or may draw Uluru in the future,” said Knight. “That would be just about all of us I reckon!”

It was clearly a case of overreach by a Government department, and this case could be easily be viewed as an attempt to interfere with press freedom. It was disappointing that not nearly enough media organisations came to the defence of Knight and the Herald Sun When asked to make a comment on the subject, the Media and Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) failed to offer a comment.

LEFT: Michael Pate as Don Francisco Hernandez threatens Faith Domergue in California (1963)

RIGHT: John Wayne stars in the title role in McClintock! (1963), a comedy western, with Michael Pate in the role of Comanche Chief Puma (in “redface” makeup)

Festival of Ideas Not Too Dangerous

Mercier Gets a Launch

In the early evening of Friday, 27th July, a casually-dressed man of slight build was wandering around Coffs Harbour’s National Cartoon Gallery, alone. His warm brown eyes were examining the many framed Emile Mercier cartoons on the wall and was clearly a little emotional.

Michael Mercier, the son of the famed cartoonist, was reflecting on some of the times he was able to recall of his late father drawing some of the cartoons on display.

“I can remember him clear as anything, sitting at the table at home illustrating this one”, he told me as I approached, pointing to an original, “And nearby, a small glass of whiskey!”

Michael and his wife Donna had flown up from Melbourne to attend the opening of the exhibition of his father’s cartoons. Michael was so overwhelmed with memories of life with his dad, Emile Mercier (1901-1981). He shared with all who were willing to listen of his many recollections of his dad’s work and the type of person he was, from the time he took to draw an individual cartoon (about three hours) to the antics of a passionate North Sydney rugby league fan!

A few years ago, Michael donated almost two thousand of his father’s cartoon originals to the National Cartoon Gallery, with the hope that they would be shared with the Australian public. Although there was not enough room for them all to be displayed in this exhibition, the selection at least gave an idea of the breadth of Mercier’s cartooning

skills. From 1949 to 1968, when he worked for the Sydney newspaper, The Sun Mercier was able to depict a way of life that no other cartoonist has since: from the inner-city Sydney wives sharing life over a fence, to the Australian preoccupation with sport, and so much more. His New Caledonian heritage clearly helped give him that unique perspective.

Choosing the cartoons for a book to commemorate this exhibition was no easy task. ACA members Gary Clark, Ian Jones Phil Judd and Dr Richard Scully (and others) were able to pick and comment on a selection, and these cartoons were all displayed on the night. The book, Emile Mercier: A Selection of Cartoons was published by my publishing imprint, Comicoz, with the express purpose of raising funds for the National Cartoon Gallery. Retailing at $35, the book was launched on the opening night of the exhibition and is available for purchase both at the Gallery and at www.comicoz.com

Lindsay Foyle, who also wrote the introduction, formally opened the exhibition, and launched the book. Margaret Cameron and I spoke, both acknowledging Michael Mercier’s generosity and Emile Mercier’s wonderful talents. As the evening wore on, Michael’s earlier emotions were overtaken by an immense sense of family pride. And rightly so.

Nat Karmichael

In September, ACA President and Sydney Morning Herald and Age cartoonist, Cathy Wilcox joined fellow Age cartoonist Badiucao and ABC-TV humourist Dan Ilic in a presentation at Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

The panel, titled Drawing Truth to Power, attempted to answer why cartooning and commentary is more dangerous in some parts of the world than in others. The unique package of humour and anger that powers the best political cartoons can make them lethal to politicians of all stripes, and sometimes lethal to cartoonists, too. Apparently, some people just can’t take a joke.

Some audiences have also decided that funny is not enough and are flexing their muscles about where the lines should be drawn between humour and offence. Cartoonists can get trapped between censorship and cancellation.

For Badiucao, art is a language. It’s a vehicle for him to deliver messages about China, human rights, democracy and freedom. For Cathy, cartooning is a privilege and she is at great pains to “get it right”, knowing that our unique freedom to interpret the news and address issues in such a public way is not an advantage that many societies have.

Topics addressed included editorial interference, whether cartoonists really do have a free hand and how self-censorship works.

The venue, Carriageworks in Redfern, is a very generous space and Drawing Truth to Power was rewarded with a large audience with a steady stream of questions at the end - clearly the public’s affection and appetite for cartooning remains strong. That or, perhaps, it’s also the quest for answers that politicans seem increasingly reluctant to give.

THE CLAN: Michael Mercier, Danielle & Glenn Doherty and Donna Mercier

Publisher Nat Karmichael and Gary Clark

Lindsay Foyle and Jan Andrews Phil Judd and Margaret Cameron

HOT TOPIC LIVING ROOM: Cathy Wilcox, Badiucao and Dan Ilic discuss free speech

Swans Thrive on Vane’s Support

ACA Patron Vane Lindesay and his 97-year-old sister Joyce Schirrman caused a media sensation in September in the lead-up to the 2022 AFL Grand Final between the Sydney Swans and the Geelong Cats. They even scored a surprise visit from none other than former Swans showpony Warwick Capper, who dropped in to see them at Montclare Aged Care ahead of the match.

Channel 10’s The Project interviewed the pair, who have been following the Sydney Swans longer than they’ve been called the Sydney Swans. Vane was, of course wearing his treasured South Melbourne football jumper, presented to him by the ACA on his hundredth birthday.

“I began supporting them from when I was about nine,” said Vane, “Around 1929 or 1930.”

He admits to getting frustrated sometimes when watching matches, saying, “I could have done that in my slippers.”

His favourite player at the moment is “old Legs Eleven”, Tom Papley. “He’s a wonderful athlete, a freakish goal kicker.” Joyce favours Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin but adds that Adam Goodes was a brilliant player... and had the best legs in the game.

Alas the Swans weren’t able to triumph this time around, with the Cats soundly beating them by 81 points.

AUSTRALIAN CARTOONISTS HALL OF FAME

Ruby Lindsay

Born: Creswick, Victoria, 20th March, 1885

Died: Chelsea, England, 12th March, 1919

By Lindsay Foyle

There is more information about Ruby Lindsay than most of Australia’s other early female cartoonists, partly because of her brothers - Norman, Lionel, Percy and Daryl - and her husband Will Dyson, all of whom were famous cartoonists. That being said, judged on her own merits, Ruby’s illustrations and cartoons were as good as any being published in Australia at that time.

Ruby was born in Creswick, Victoria in 1885, the third daughter of the ten Lindsay siblings. According to Daryl Lindsay in his book The Leafy Tree, “she was a reserved, rather shut-in child with only one interest in life - to learn to draw.” She would often sketch members of the family as they sat around the fire at home.

At 17 she moved to Melbourne, sharing a house with Percy and attending the National Gallery at night to study art. There was much excitement when Ruby was offered two stories to illustrate for The Lone Hand a monthly magazine started by The Bulletin in 1907. While it was never admitted, it was always suspected her brothers Lionel and Norman had influenced Frank Fox, the editor the magazine, to make the offer.

On 29th September 1910, Ruby married Will Dyson and, soon after, the couple moved to London where she established herself as a much sought-after magazine and book illustrator. Ruby’s work was pen-drawn, realistic in style, which worked well for illustrations. Dyson became one of the best-known cartoonists working in Europe. It was not unusual for him to pencil in a drawing and have Ruby do the ink work.

It was also not unusual for Dyson and Lindsay to entertain visiting Australian cartoonists. Both Cecil Hartt and George Finey remembered visiting them in London. Whilst there, Ruby continued to contribute to The Bulletin in Sydney, sending back many cartoons signed “Ruby Lind”.

After the Great War was over, her brother Daryl took her to visit relatives in Belfast and Dublin.

While there she caught the ‘Spanish’ influenza virus, which was then sweeping Europe. Ruby returned to London, in haste, to finish making a dress for an artists’ ball. She arrived home with a fever and six days later, two hours before midnight, on the night of the ball - 12th March, 1919 - she died at her home in Chelsea, her dress unfinished and eight days short of her 34th birthday. The following year, Dyson published a book, The Drawings of Ruby Lind, along with a book of poetry dedicated to her.

In 1931, The Bulletin moved from 214 George Street up the road, to 252 George Street. In the move, an unpublished Ruby Lind cartoon was discovered. It was published soon after the move had been completed.

The Dysons had one child - a daughter, Betty - born in 1911. She became an accomplished painter in her own right and passed away in 1957.

Ruby Lindsay pictured in London 1916

Vane and Joyce: 92 years of fandom

Reviews

Still Alive: Notes From Australia’s Immigration Detention System

Safdar Ahmed

Published by Twelve Panels Press, 2021

Available from www.twelvepanelspress.com

$30

240 pages

ISBN 9780980593730

Reviewed by Nat

Karmichael

The Comics Arts Award of Australia (formerly known as the Ledger Awards) were recently presented in Perth, with two books chosen as Gold Award recipients: Stone Fruit by Lee Lai (published by American boutique publisher Fantagraphic Books) and Still Alive by Safdar Ahmed (the second graphic novel produced by local publishing group, Twelve Panel Press). I’ve chosen to review the latter book for this issue of Inkspot

Still Alive has received many accolades already. From winning both the Multicultural NSW Award and the Book of the Year at the 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, more recently it also won the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Eve Pownall Award. This was the first time a graphic novel for older readers has won such acclaim.

This begs the question: is this a book for children? With the Children’s Book Council of Australia sticker placed on the book, the inference comes across that this is a book for children. It’s also a graphic novel. The writer/artist of the book, Safdar Ahmed, compounds the problem that the comic book medium has within Australia – that comics are for

kids – when being interviewed by stating that “the younger generation genuinely care about human rights issues” and that he wants to see his book in all high schools.

This is unfortunate. Very early in the story, in the third chapter, there’s a masturbatory scene that conservative parents might object to, clearly indicating that this is a story that is really for an open-mined readership, one that needs to be read by a much wider audience. Because there are older Australian who care about human rights too.

Still Alive is a factual account of Safdar’s first visit to Sydney’s Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in 2011, where he came armed with pencils and sketchbooks, and set up a small art workshop for the detainees. The book follows subsequent visits, and documents both his growing friendships with those detained and his learning of the personal circumstances that some of them endured to arrive there.

The book makes for grim reading, with few light moments within the tale, clearly reflecting the dire circumstances the people who become his friends must endure while living

there. Interspersed with Safdar’s tale, he allows some of the refugees to tell their stories, most particularly Haider (not his real name). Both narratives intermingled with each other, and both used first person pronouns, with the same lettering font and illustrating style, making the first-time reading of these different chapters initially confusing.

Safdar’s illustrations are pleasing to the eye, although he seems to lack a certain sequential storytelling that would allow the work to flow more consistently throughout the book. Part of that is no doubt due to the mountain of factual information that he seeks to impart to the reader about the detention system and its clear failings to those detained. Periodically, he allows some of those who have joined his art workshops a space on the pages to demonstrate their experiences through their drawings. I would have liked to have seen some of those highlighted a little more: perhaps a page to each of their works would have been better, rather than squeezing two illustrations to a page.

Still Alive touches only briefly on the women detainees and their lived experiences, and I imagine that their access to Safdar’s art classes may have been limited by the authorities that ran the Centre. Similarly, no effort has been made to humanise any of the Serco workers or the administrators of the Detention Centre. While I can see that the intent of the book is to tell the tales of the people detained, there must have been some latitude given to Safdar to allow him to enter the Centre in the first place or, as detailed half-way through the book, when an attempt was made to deny him

access to the refugees. Nonetheless, there were certainly some powerful and moving parts in the book. The fate of one detainee, Ahmad, hits the reader with a sledgehammer. Not surprisingly, Safdar has dedicated the book to him.

This book is hardly entertaining. There are many readers who will not be interested in reading it. It’s grim. It’s bleak. There seems no respite or anything that is remotely uplifting in Still Alive. Does it deserve its accolades? Should it have be awarded the Gold at this year’s Comics Arts Awards of Australia?

Yes, on both counts.

This graphic novel will, in the future, prove to be a unique sequential narrative reflecting just some of the darker political stories of this country’s history.

That there are so many Australians who have welcomed the return of the Murugappan Family to Biloela, gives hope that perhaps Australians are beginning to see the human side of the people behind the walls of places like the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. It’s by no small measure that Still Alive will be one of the means of moving us forward to that better place. We can only hope.

Nat Karmichael

Vale Ian Cox (1930-2022)

Ian Cox was art director at Fairfax’s art department for 16 years and President of the Black and White Artists’ Club in 1979 and 1982, in the days before we went national. Words by Lindsay Foyle

The Sydney Morning Herald was first published in 1831, but it was 115 years before it took on its first cadet artist. That was in 1946. He was the then 16-year-old Ian Cox.

As well as general duties in the art department, Cox drew some cartoons. However, there was little room for a newcomer to draw cartoons. Late in 1944, John Frith had become the first full-time political cartoonist for The Sydney Morning Herald. The paper had only started running regular political cartoons since October 21, 1944. Those cartoons were drawn by staff artists Hal Eyre, Stuart

Petersen and art director Strom Gould

Running the art department was a tough job. Gould only held the post for two years. When he moved on, he was replaced by a succession of artists. The art departments of both Associated Newspapers (publishers of The Sun) and The Sydney Morning Herald were combined in 1957. Cox survived all these changes and eventually, in 1967, became art director of the Fairfax art department. He retired in 1986 after holding the job for 16 years, far longer than anyone else. In turn, he was succeeded by Garry Lightfoot and John Sandeman.

Outside of the office, Ian pursued many and varied interests. For quite some time, he was an active member of the Black and White Artists’ Club (now known as the Australian Cartoonists’ Association), variously serving as a Committee member, Secretary, Vice-President and - in 1979 - as President. He served a second Presidential term in 1982 and made a Life Member in 1993.

Cox’s artistic talents were not confined to newspaper work. He was active in the Sydney art world and painted both still-life and portraits. Many landscapes were produced during long-weekends spent at artists’ retreats in Sofala and Hill End. He was sought after to design logos for large companies as well as smaller community and sporting organisations.

In 1978, a portrait of him by Graham Inson was entered into the Archibald Prize. It did not win, but was highly commended. The painting was acquired by the Sydney Journalists’ Club and added to its collection of portraits of presidents. Inson painted a second portrait of Cox, which had always been hung on their lounge room wall. Cox had been very involved with the Sydney Journalists’ Club, and was President for three years, from 1978 until 1980. Often in attendance, he served on a number of committees. In 1964 he helped Tony Rafty gather over 200 cartoons for an exhibition in the club. He also helped establish the fishing group in 1973 to 1974. An enthusiastic amateur photographer, Cox was regularly victorious in The Sydney Morning Herald in-house photography competitions as well as being the official photographer at more than a few weddings.

Ian Carlyle Cox was born in Gunnedah, New South Wales, on 3rd March, 1930, to Stanley Carlyle and Vera Cox He was the eldest of three sons, his brothers being Malcolm and Garnet. Cox was 10 when the family moved to Abbotsford, Sydney, in 1940 before settling in nearby Five Dock. He was educated at the local Ashfield Boys’ High School.

Cox’s artistic endeavours extended to music too. As a young man he was the lead violinist for the Drummoyne Symphony Orchestra. At about the same time, he presented a volunteer radio programme that featured jazz music, playing 78RPM records using a bamboo stylus. Cox shared a love of movies with his father and brothers, and they regularly attended screenings at the Elite Theatre, Haberfield (which closed in 1970). It’s now an IGA supermarket.

As he matured, a love of books took over so that by the end of his life, he had acquired a library of more than three thousand books. His collection was mainly centred on art and art history, but also included works of fine literature. Some of these he donated to the library in the now defunct Sydney Journalists’ Club. He also had a collection of original cartoons which had been published in The Sydney Morning Herald

A love of beauty extended outdoors - the gardens at his Sydney home were thoroughly planned, constructed with precision with plants being nurtured throughout their lives. Lawn was not to be walked on, but manicured. Tulips, roses, azaleas, camellias, all the way to trees the size of blue spruces, were all planted in what was considered to be the most advantageous positions. The garden at his home in Eastwood even featured a wall constructed of convict bricks.

Ian was also a sportsman. His sporting career began at the Dobroyd Point Sailing Club in Five Dock Bay, where he was successful in racing VJ sailing boats. In 1955, Cox met Helen Figgis for the first time (when was president of the Club). Forgoing a promising sailing career, he sold his boat to purchase an engagement ring and they married in Ashfield on 23rd June, 1956, remaining married for 66 years. So, selling his boat proved to be a good decision. Later he sailed with the Drummoyne Sailing Club (16ft) before purchasing the Helena (32ft) and joining the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, where he served on the committee.

On retirement, he sailed the Helena to Southport and joined the Southport Yacht Club where he served on many committees. From 1988 to 1990 he was on the House Committee and a Board member. In 1991, he took on Rear Commodore Sail and was also on the Forward Planning Committee. In 1993 he was back on the Board as well as serving on the Forward Planning Committee. In 2002 he had his last year as a Board Member.

His yacht Helena was placed second in the inaugural Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race in 1986. In the yachting world, the race is considered to be only second in status to the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Ian regularly fished at Iluka, on the New South Wales north coast, and played golf in the Blue Mountains.

An active member of many clubs and organisations, he retired to the Gold Coast and served as President of Probus, President of the Domain Bowls Club, a GOMA volunteer guide and Volunteer Marine Rescue Southport.

Ian passed away on 23rd August, 2022, at Estia Health Southport and is survived by wife Helen, brothers Malcolm and Garnet, niece Beverley, nephew Russell and his extended family.

Lindsay Foyle

Ian and Helen Cox

At the 1998 Stanley Awards with Geoff Hook Portrait by Graham Inson (1978)

The Commodore

Vale

Max Foley (1944-2022)

Max Foley was arguably Australia’s the finest press artist, one of the few to have art department careers at both John Fairfax & Son and News Limited. Additionally, Max served as President of the Black and White Artists’ Club in 1983 and was ceremonially “smocked” in 1993. He was the subject of John Thorby’s Tales From the Art Room in the most recent issue of Inkspot (#96); at the time, none of us knew he would soon leave us. The ACA inducted Max into the Cartoonists’ Hall of Fame at the annual Stanley Awards in 2022.

Diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in July, Max would pass away on 26th August. His funeral was held at the Lodge Chapel in Woronora Memorial Park, Sydney, on 12th September and a large contingent of Max’s former Fairfax and News Limited art department workmates reunited to send him off. We are grateful to Max’s daughter, Kirrily Foley, for sharing her touching eulogy with us.

Another time Dad was invited to be a court artist at the Lindy Chamberlain murder trial - the first one.

Mum and Dad split up when Chris and I were in primary school and we began to go out for “Divorce Dad Sundays.” These include a range of activities - ten-pin bowling and golf lasted until Chris got so good that he beat us every week. Then it was movies - lots of movies.

Dad and June got together and Dad gained two step-daughters - Lindy and Becky They moved up to Yarramalong, on the farm, and started a new life together. Even after this marriage ended, Dad and June remained good friends and Dad always spoke fondly to me of June, Lindy and Becky, and their children. This was a happy time for him.

“I once saw Max drawing with one hand and writing with the other down at the Journalists’ Club. I’d never seen anyone do that before”

Dad loved his mates and enjoyed his times down at Greenwell Point on the South Coast, his lunches at the fish markets and times at the races. He was blessed with great neighbours who looked after him and became part of his family. He was a lucky man who was able to stay friends with Mum, with June and with Judie.

Although I have resisted doing this since the 26th of August, today I have to talk about Dad in the past tense and this is hard to do.

Maxwell Charles Serle Foley was born in Drummoyne on May 23rd, 1944, to Nancy and Roy Foley and was the younger brother to Carol. Sadly for Dad, he didn’t get to know his father, as Roy was killed overseas in World War Two, where he was serving as a medic. His name on the wall at the Canberra War Memorial is what we have of him. Nan had to bring up her two children alone. She met and married John, my grandpa, in 1969.

When Max met Pam (otherwise known as Mum and Dad) he was working as an artist and she was working as a secretary. They married in 1970 and then proceeded to have the two most perfect children ever born. This was despite Dad’s plan to have a wombat instead of children. His gift to mum, upon finding out she was pregnant with me, was a book called The Muddle-Headed Wombat

They moved to Patrick Street, Punchbowl, shortly after I was born and the little house grew to include a garden, an art studio, a family room and a pool room with a custom-built bar. Dad was drawing comic strips for the Sunday papers and Tibby the Lion tended to have adventures that reflected the life being lived in this quiet little street. When a tow truck rammed into the back of mum’s car, the following Sunday,

Tibby was run over by an ambulance, with the drivers commenting that it was lucky they were there to help him. The ambulance was then, of course, hit by a tow truck who made the same comment. My brother Chris and I appeared at Narwee train station with “uncle Tibby”.

Working for the newspapers led to some interesting social events and the New Year’s Eve parties at our house were huge. Chris and I would often wake up on New Year’s Day to find an artist or two still asleep on the floor downstairs - I imagine the parties made them very tired.

The art world also led to some adventures for Dad. One time he was invited to meet the real Tibby - a lion that was kept at Western Plains Zoo. He was to go into the cage with the lion for a publicity photo shoot. My understanding is that some dutch courage was required but we do have the photo of dad, the picture of the cartoon lion and the real Tibby, who took a bite out of the cartoon version.

Dad and Judie were friends far a long time before they joined together and travelled the world. Judie gave him the courage to get out and see the planet - and this included a stop in Hong Kong for Dad’s 60th birthday. Not a great idea on my part as, before he visited, he felt a bit sorry for me, thinking I was doing it tough overseas. When he came to stay, I took him to the Hotel Inter.Continental for his birthday and celebrated with champagne and lobster. I never received any sympathy after that. While travel came late to Dad, he really enjoyed this time of his life. When he received his diagnosis, one of the first things he did say was that he had lived a good life and seen the world.

Dad loved a great many things. He enjoyed golf, even though he wasn’t the greatest golfer and will tell of the time he won his only award - the Bradman Prize for getting the highest score. Art was obviously a passion and watching him draw was a delight - he was so talented. He loved music and gardening.

And of course, he loved his DVDs - his collection that took over his house. We firmly believed that Dad would actually die, buried under a pile of his DVDs, but he would have been happy. Above all, Dad loved his family and his friends. He loved his Mum and was there for her to the very end. He was so glad to be living near his cousin Margy and sharing important life moments with her. His sister, Carol, was one of his best mates and the two of them competed at Scrabble and at telling bad jokes.

Everyone always comments on how much Chris looks like Dad. Dad was so proud of Chris and loved to invite himself down to Bulli to stay. Chris and I did offer one disappointment to Dad - we are really not artistic. Then along came Annie and all of Dad’s artistic hopes and dreams fell onto her. There was never a time that he saw her without some sort of art equipment he had picked up - he called them “unbirthday’’ gifts. From a man whose imaginative gifts usually came in the form of a cheque, came forth tins and tins of pencils and paints, art books, sketch pads and canvases. She was his joy. My Thursday phone calls to Dad, always made from the car because he hated it, when I did that, inevitably ended up with a “don’t get me started on Scott Morrison” comment. I never got him started on Scomo - that was all him. My biggest regret is that Dad resisted coming to know Jesus in his lifepartly because he may have missed the chance to see Scott Morrision in heaven and say to him: “don’t get me started on Scott Morrison” to his face. However, there were lots of people praying for him so I will hold on to that hope.

We love you, Dad, and I wish we weren’t talking about you in the past tense. God bless you, Dad.

Kirrily Foley

ROGER FLETCHER

Vale Dorothy Wedd (1925-2022)

Described by her family as the “power behind the throne”, Dorothy Wedd, who passed away on 29th June, determinedly and perfectly complemented her husband Monty to form a powerhouse cartooning duo. We are grateful to Justin Wedd for penning this piece about his mother for Inkspot.

THE ACA BOARD WELCOMES TWO NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS

At the ACA’s Annual General Meeting on 20th November, the results of the ACA Board elections were announced for 2023-2024, resulting in the election of two new faces.

After bidding a reluctant farewell to retiring Committee members Nat Karmichael and Dean Rankine we were pleased to welcome aboard Adele K. Thomas and Mark Tippett

There was initial confusion as the final spot ended in a tied vote between Mark and fellow nominee Ian Jones. While a motion from the floor (to expand the number of spaces on the Board by one) met with widespread approval, it was later found to be unconstitutional. Ian, with characteristic grace, offered to withdraw his nomination, which was eventually accepted at the new Board’s first meeting in December.

During a very productive hour, the meeting heard that the ACA has appointed a (albeit temporary) social media co-ordinator in a bid to improve our communications. The AGM was also updated on our ongoing mutually beneficial relationships

with the Museum of Australian Democracy, the MEAA and the National Cartoon Gallery. President Cathy Wilcox also briefed the meeting on various cartooning highs and lows throughout the year - from the heartwarming coverage from other media to our response to News Corp dropping their comic strips in September, to Nine newspapers appointing “new blood” in The Age

There were formal expressions of gratitude, mainly directed at Cathy for steering the ACA through the pandemic and for advocating for new voices in cartooning, both of which were met with acclaim. The meeting ended with a commitment to revise the submission process for the Stanley Awards Year Book.

As the ACA heads towards its centenary in 2024, it’s reassuring to know it’s in safe hands.

The late Monty Wedd’s wife and partner, Dorothy Wedd passed away on the 29th June, 2022 at the age of 96. Monty and Dorothy were married in 1949 and were together for 63 years. Monty was born on 5th January 1921 and Dorothy (Jewell) was born on 26th September 1925. Their years together resulted in an unequalled partnership with Dorothy often being the muse, mentor, researcher, and spell-checker for Monty’s large body of works.

Dorothy was born in Perth, Western Australia and spent her childhood in Subiaco along with her 5 siblings. Her mother, also named Dorothy, died very young (in her 30’s). Dorothy never spoke of her childhood and it was only later in life that we learned that the family had been abandoned by the father and the children became orphans. Bessie Stevenson, Dorothy’s aunt, was living in Melbourne at the time of her sister’s death and only later discovered the family’s onerous circumstances. By 1937, Bessie (with great difficulty) had found the children in different orphanages and secured their release into her care. Dorothy was 12 when she and her siblings moved to Melbourne to live with Bess. Just before World War II, the family moved to Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

Dorothy was living in Elizabeth Bay when Sydney was attacked by the Japanese using midget submarines in 1942 and was awakened to the sound of an explosion - HMAS Kuttabul has been struck by a torpedo. It sank with 21 naval personnel aboard.

The couple met after the war and, when they were first married, lived with Monty’s parents in Randwick for 2 years, before moving to Dee Why on the Northern Beaches. The couple had four children: Sandra, Justin Warwick and Deborah Dorothy’s elder sister Ivy was married to comics artist Stan Clements, who introduced Monty to his friend (and sometime

business partner), Syd Nicholls and there began one of the great friendships and associations of their life together. Working with Dorothy, Monty became a prolific comic strip artist in the era that is often described as the “golden age” of Australian comics, creating such classics as: Captain Justice, The Scorpion (later banned), Ned Kelly, Ben Hall The Making of a Nation (for Australia’s Bicentenary) and Dollar Bill (for the Decimal Currency Board in 1966).

Monty’s great love of Australia and passion for its history was shared with Dorothy, his life partner and soul mate. Monty and Dorothy worked as a seamless team with many, many days and nights spent researching each project being undertaken. In the days before the internet, many hours were invested in visiting libraries, museums, historical collections and attending site visits to bring the characters and places within each epic tale to life. As a demonstration of how closeknit a team they were, more than one audience member at Monty’s session at the 2008 Stanleys Conference noticed Dorothy finishing many of Monty’s sentences for him from the audience. As Monty completed each and every frame of his artwork, Dorothy would read the researched information to him whilst he was working, checking each completed frame for accuracy and spelling errors.

As part of their extensive research, Monty started acquiring historical items and in 1960, after amassing a substantial collection, opened the Monarch Museum in Williamtown, NSW. Monty passed away in 2012 and with Dorothy following suit, it marks the end of both an era and a great collaboration and partnership. Hopefully, Monty’s and Dorothy’s efforts will live on in the collections of avid fans of comics into the future.

Justin Wedd

ADELE

K THOMAS

Adele is an illustrator, director and art director, with extensive experience in animation film and TV design, children’s books, advertising and apps. Adele is currently working for Flying Bark Productions on Disney’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and illustrating children’s books for Scholastic, Hardie Grant and Penguin. She is passionate about illustrating books, which led her to write and illustrate her own children’s book, Animals Eat Their Veggies Too! Other books released recently include Battle Mum by Zoë Foster Blake, Pearl the Dancing Unicorn by Sally Odgers and Barkly Mansion & the Scruffiest Mischief by Melissa Keil.

MARK TIPPETT

Mark’s art career spans over 25 years (and he is COVID friendly). During that time, he has been a commercial artist, art director, master soapmaker and published author. For the past 11 years he has been a caricaturist and has established a following among his clients, often experimenting with new techniques and ways to express his art. He has Degree in Fine Arts and is also a qualified trainer, teaching art classes to all ages. In 2019, Mark curated the successful HAWKIE!: Drawn to Politics exhibition in Canberra, followed in 2020 by the Toons4Wildlife fundraising exhibition at the National Cartoon Gallery.

The Australian Cartoonists’ Association deeply appreciates the financial assistance from Destination NSW’s Regional Business Development Fund - the 2022 Stanley Awards and Cartoonists’ Conference simply would not have happened without their support

Stanley Awards - 2005

Artist’ Ball - 1950s