AUSTRALIA
 Spooner
honored
Melbourne, Australia, March 10, 2003 - Melbourne caricaturist John
Spooner has just been named the winner of the 2002 Graham
Perkin Award for the Australian Journalist of the Year. The judging
panel agreed that John Spooner was 'an incisive commentator of the
highest caliber: thoughtful, acerbic, artistic, brilliant. And on
every level Spooner is one of a kind...' Michael Gawenda,
editor of the Melbourne morning paper, said: 'John Spooner is a
genius - a truly remarkable illustrator with a unique range of skills.
He is one of Australian journalism's great treasures...' (The accompanying
Spooner-illustration satirises the Prime Minister's attitude towards
asylum seekers - his lips stitched together by the word "welcome".
This followed reports that asylum seekers had protested by sewing
their lips together). Also launched in March: John Spooner's first
illustarted children's book "A Kingdom for a Hat," published
by Lothian, Melbourne, and authored by Rolf Heimann.
 Tandberg
wins Australian Best Political Cartoon Award
Melbourne, Australia, January 22, 2003 -
Cartoonist Ron Tandberg of the Melbourne
morning paper The Age won the National Museum’s 2002
Political Humour Award. It was judged best of hundred other cartoons
shown at the museum. Tandberg specialises in small ‘pocket’
cartoons. This particular one was published in September 2002 and
deals with the search for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.
It reflects public opinion in Australia, where according to the
latest poll, only six percent of the population supports Australia’s
participation in a war without UN approval.
David Rowe Australia's Artist of the Year
Sydney, Australia, October 27, 2002
- David Rowe won the nomination of Australia's
Artist of the Year at the annual Australian Stanley meeting. The
young cartoonist also impressed the audience with his talk the previous
day when he presented some of his work, including rejected work.
Despite his careful self-censorship, David suffers the fate of many
artists these days: complaints from offended readers. He confesses
that he struggles to understand the issues of terrorism and declared
himself 'immature' in this regard.
 The
continuing fall-out from 9/11
Melbourne, Australia, September 28, 2002
- The events of 9/11 continue to influence editors in Australia.
There is hardly a cartoon about the tragic episode which has not
elicited criticism from some quarters, and editors are showing hightened
sensitivity. Cartoons which would previously have been accepted
without question are being rejected. A typical example is Cathy
Wilcox's cartoon about the rise of fundamentalism in the West, showing
a parade of American flags. Wilcox argued in vain with her editor
who maintained that it was not a legitimate comment, but unnecessarily
anti-American. It was not published.
Australian cartoonists to help the Asian Turtle
Canberra, Australia, September 17,
2002 - The Canberra Zoo and Aquarium has enlisted Australian cartoonists
to raise awareness of endangered species such as the Malaysian Sunbear
and the Asian Turtle. Called CAREtoons, the Canberra exhibition is
connected with activities for children, such as coloring-in and cartooning
competitions and educational events. Cartoonists have donated their
original work or signed prints, and the exhibition will open at the
Canberra Zoo on October 25th. It will be free after Zoo admission.
Group convener Trent Russell, says that without positive
action, every species of turtle and tortoise throughout South East
Asia may be extinct within five years. "We hope that activities
like CAREtoons will help educate the decision makers of today and
tomorrow to take positive steps before itbs too late."
A Wall of Fame for Australian Caricaturists
Melbourne, Australia, September 8, 2002 - Worried about the decline of caricature in the ever reducing number
of Australian newspapers, a group of Australian artists met and discussed
the matter. The result was the formation of a new caricaturists club:
The Mug Club. Each meeting's program includes a talk about a major
artist and a temporary exhibition of his work on a Wall of Fame. The
club is now in it's second year and has expanded from round-table
get-togethers to meetings of 50 plus in an upstairs hall of a Melbourne
restaurant. Celebrity "mugs" are invited and they talk about
what it's like to be on the other side of the pen. Approximately 30
different caricatures of themselves are given to the invited celebrity.
Caricaturists finally get around to drawing each other and their partners.
 Says
President of The Mug Club, Jim Bridges: "Plans are afoot
to manufacture our own mugs for members and guests and we are also
trying to have an annual cash prize competition for caricature in
Australia. We intend to spread Nation-wide. So far 50 Australian
caricaturists are on our list. We would be interested in hearing
from fellow caricaturists and collectors of caricatures from all
over the globe and in obtaining examples (books) of caricatures."
Previous celebrities who attended the evenings included
Victoriaís ex-Premier John Cain and top sporting personalities.
Usually they are thrilled to finally meet the cartoonists who have
drawn them for years. The Mug Club can be contacted through: harv@internex.net.au
or by mail to Jim Bridges, 12 Lantana Ave., Hoppers Crossing, Australia
3029.
Winners announced in Coffs Harbour City
Coffs Harbour City, Australia, September 6, 2002
- The winners of the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City's 2002
National & International Cartoons Awards were announced at a
gala function on Saturday August 31st. Now in its 14th year the
competition attracted a broad array of cartoons and comics from
not only Australia's best but also from professional humorous inkers
around the world. Organizer, Rotarian Tom Foster from the
Bunker Cartoon Gallery, was happy to announce that 2002 saw new
heights reached with both the quantity and quality of the entries
received, especially from overseas. Winner of the International
section Gold Medal and $750 AUD for his cartoon on the theme "Art
& Artists" was Italy's Pierpaolo Perazzolli. Yasar
Nuket Terzioglu (his cartoon illustrates this report) from Turkey
took the runner-up's silver medal and $250 AUD. It is the first
win for Italy in Australia's premier International Cartoon Awards
since the inception of the category in 1990. He joins previous winners
from Germany, The Netherlands, The Philippines, Turkey, Ukraine,
Russia, and Australia as recipients of the gold. See full winners
list on the right under "Festival results."
Cartooning as therapy?
Melbourne, Australia, June 17, 2002 - 'Asthma Australia' in conjunction with 'Astra Zeneca' organized an
art competition with the purpose of raising awareness of the disease
and ways of overcoming them. The first prize was $AUS 1,000. The
Children's section was won by 11-year old Darren Quinn for
his comic strip showing a positive outlook and displaying his love
for physical activity despite suffering of asthma. Putting their
story down in this form helped participants to come to terms with
the disability.
'Old Tom' animated
Melbourne, Australia, May 18, 2002 - Australian cartoonist Leigh Hobbs has been extremely successful
with his cat character 'Old Tom,' featuring him in four black and white
books published by Penguin, and now a hard-covered, colored version
by Little Hare/ABC, that was just launched at the 'Gasworks' in Melbourne.
Work has been underway to animate his stories in 52 segments, and screening
will begin on Australian tv in June 2002, with other countries to follow.
Cost of the work was AUS$12 million. Leigh has been acting as a consultant
to the animation project, a co-production between the French Milimage
and Yoram Gross-EM.TV. It has just been announced that Leigh's artwork
of 'Old Tom' will be displayed in a prestigious gallery in London, together
with sculptures of the one-eyed feline rascal 'Old Tom.'
Australian cartoonist censored
Melbourne, Australia, May 8, 2002 - The number one Melbourne morning paper 'The Age' recently refused
to print a drawing by its popular cartoonist Michael Leunig,
because (according to its editor Michael Gawenda) it was
'inappropriate' and 'offensive to all readers.' Consequently the
cartoon surfaced in the critical television program 'Mediawatch'
(www.abc.net.au/mediawatch). The two-frame cartoon shows two parallel
lies, namely the notorious concentration-camp slogan 'Work brings
Freedom' (Arbeit macht frei) and 'War brings Peace.' Michael
Leunig, denying that the cartoon is anti-semitic, said: 'I think
Michael Gawenda just didn't get it. I think the drawing is sympathetic
to all Jews who ever suffered but sympathy is not always expressed
with sugar.' A survey found that 85% of the Australian population
felt that the cartoon should have been published.
Globalization - and no more black ties for Australian
Cartoonists!
Sydney, Australia, April 14, 2002 - Australian cartoonist have for many years complained that syndicated
cartoons and comic strips from overseas - mainly America - are a cheap alternative
for Australian newspapers, thereby preventing local cartoonists from making
a living. Why should newspapers pay $300, if the same space can be filled
with $30? This situation was the reason why foreign cartoonists could not
become members of the Australian cartoonists association, which saw its
role partly as a lobby group for the interests of Australian cartoonists.
On the other hand it was argued that some Australian artists, such as Kemsey
and Broelman, had their work published overseas through syndicates.
Apart from that, many foreign cartoonists' associations welcome cartoonists
from other countries as members, and what's sauce for the goose is after
all sauce for the gander! This latter argument won the day at a recent referendum,
when a majority of Australian cartoonists voted to change the charter of
their association so that foreign members will be welcome. This decision
was taken along with that for the name change from Australian Black and
White Artists Club to Australian Cartoonists Association. But of greater
concern to Australian members was the decision to scale down the annual
'Stanley Awards', which sometimes sported full orchestras and high-priced
celebrities as MCs. Future Stanley Awards will no longer resemble the American
Oscar nights, but will rather be fun get-togethers.
Australian Walkley Awards
Melbourne, January 20, 2002
- The 2001 Walkley Awards for print cartooning were won by Melbourne
cartoonist Matt Golding (Melbourne Times) and John Spooner
(The Age). John Spooner, who had won the yearly award before (as
well as several of the coveted Stanley Awards) had just finished illustrating
his first childrens book. It is to be published in mid-2002 by Lothian.
The working title is 'The World's Coolest Hat."
 A different kind of war
Sydney, Australia,
January 2, 2002 - "At War with the Toothfairies"
is the title of one of Rolf Heimann's
humorous children's books currently in production in Australia. They have
been written and illustrated by the artist who recently completed a stint
as 'Grand Dragon', a yearly honor for Australian childrens book illustrators.
Ever since Rolf Heimann became an Australian citizen he included a small
map of Australia in his cartoons as well as in all his illustrations, a
feature which became very popular with children. Rolf Heimann's books have
been translated into German, Danish, Spanish and even Chinese.
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