It was in early 1982, while I was leading a six-weeks course in "cartooning" for GAS that I told the class that I had never had much inclination to draw Political Cartoons. I was, however, still keen to find outlets for the unpublished cartoons and strips I had been working on to that point, so I approached Ian Pedley, the Editor of the Gympie Times newspaper with that in mind.
Ian said, "You can draw, alright!" but declined to exchange silver for my drawings, instead asking if I would care to contribute a weekly "current Affairs" cartoon focusing on Gympie and district. The next course session found me red-faced, telling my students that I had taken up "political" cartooning!
My first cartoon was published on 19th June, 1982 and featured the Gympie Mayor of the day, Mick Venardos, welcoming the establishment of a Pulp Mill in the district, a potential source of income for the city. In quick succession, my cartoons introduced the then Chairman of the neighbouring Shire, Adrian McClintock, the then local State member of Parliament, Len Stephan, the then State Government Minister for Local Affairs, Russ Hinze and some local celebrities including the musical Webb Brothers, etc. etc. Their caricatured likenesses were all accepted in good part and the stage was set for a popular series stretching over the next 15 years, featuring the changing faces and events of the district, infiltrated when necessary by State and Federal Government personalities. I and my readers had a ball.... mostly! (except for a couple of blunders and some "racist" claims, but only one threatened law suit and no death threats).
Future posts will resurrect some of the most memorable but here is that very first:
