Grubby politics?

Different species but with a shared liking for Black Holes?

Fairly un-fair?

Presenting the federal budget as based on fairness for all will be a difficult task for our current political leaders as everyone with an axe to grind will have a different notion of what is a 'fair go' for their particular sphere of interest.

William Ellis Green (AKA) WEG. 1923-2008.

Bill Green's work as a cartoonist for the H&WT newspaper group was always the key reason for me to buy their daily publications. His output was prodigious and I still consider his style of drawing and comical on the spot caricature to be the best of have ever encountered. As essentially a consumer and admirer of his product I never thought I would ever meet the bloke let alone be accepted as a fellow pro-'toonist and friend.

But, c.1985 I was invited to join the Victorian chapter of the Australian Black&White Cartoonists' club and 'WEG' became 'Bill' from then until he sadly passed away in 2008. Bill was never a keen adopter of computers as a tool in the cartooning profession, whilst I was quick to see the role IT could play in simplifying colour cartoon reproduction. We had many jocular debates on the subject over the odd beer or two but it never dimmed my respect for the giant Bill was in the history of Australian cartooning.

Here's a caricature I did of my 'cobber' in 2003.

Vale Lou Richards 1923-2017

I saw my first live VFL football match c1943 when my Dad brought myself and younger brother from the Latrobe Valley district of Victoria on a day trip to see a Carlton v. Collingwood match at Princes Park. My lasting impression of the game was 'big blokes' in dark blue jumpers against 'little fellows' in black and white stripes. I don't remember which team won, but from then on I became a
'magpie' supporter, perhaps purely on the basis of sympathy for the apparent 'under-dog' in any contest? On that day, one of the 'little guys' would've been Lou Richards who had joined Collingwood in 1941.

Today's illustration is an original mapping pen and india ink drawing of Lou made by me from a press photo sometime before November 11, 1949 (I know that because it was part of a submission of similar sporting star drawings in the 'hobby' section of a Morwell Flower Show held on that date. The work achieved 'second prize' according to a card accompanying this and the other age-yellowed 183 x 273mm sized original pages in my archive.)

Little did I know then that within 3 years I would be training with Lou and other magpie heroes on the Collingwood ground at Victoria Park as a 'March wannabe' who became captain of the Third 18 in 1954, before moving temporarily to Perth to pursue 'other interests'. But, that's another story.

Gonski 2.0

Education Minister Simon tries to explain the new schools funding arrangements.

It aint simple!

Budget fixer?

As Sco Mo's day in the spotlight fast approaches, we wonder if he can 'cook the books' more successfully than his pre-decessor Smoking' Joe's multiple cake-burnings saw him rewarded with banishment to the colonies?