Alexander George Gurney
Encyclopedia
Alexander George "Alex" Gurney (15 March 1902 – 4 December 1955) was an Australia
n artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist born at Pasley House, Stoke, Devonport
(now Stoke, Plymouth), England.
(now Stoke, Plymouth), England.
His father died in 1903. His mother, who was an Australian, born in Hobart, returned with Alex to Hobart, Tasmania. On 2 July 1908 his mother (always known as Birdie, rather than Alice) remarried; she married James William Albert Hursey (1866–1946).
Alex Gurney married Junee Grover (1909-1984) on 16 June 1928 at Christ Church, South Yarra. Junee was the daughter of the journalist Montague "Monty" MacGregor Grover (1870–1943) and Ada Goldberg.
Alex and Junee Gurney had four children, John (1929-), Jennifer Anne (1932-2004), Susan, and Margaret (the eminent Melbourne artist).
in the hope of becoming an electrical engineer. He also studied art, part-time, in night classes at Hobart Technical College, where he was taught by Lucien Dechaineux (1869–1957).
By 1918 he was submitting work to The Bulletin
, Melbourne Punch
and Smith's Weekly
.
In 1923, he was awarded first prize at the Kingborough Agricultural Show for "an original pencil drawing".
In 1926 he published a book of his caricatures of eminent Tasmanians, Tasmanians Today, the first book of its kind ever published in Tasmania.
Also in 1926, he began working for newspapers, briefly in Melbourne for the Morning Post, then freelanced in Sydney
until he landed a job with the "Sunday Times", then for a Labor
paper "The World", followed by The Daily Guardian
, The Sydney Mail, then to Adelaide with The News
in 1931.
Throughout his lifetime he was renowned for his generous habit of giving the originals of his caricatures, cartoons, and comic strips to anyone who asked.
) for Beckett's Budget; and The Daggs for the Sunday Times.
In 1932, he created "Fred, the Football Fan" for the Adelaide Mail.
When he moved to the Melbourne Herald
in 1933 (as cartoonist for their Sports pages), he started a series Ben Bowyang (based on the C J Dennis creation) for that paper.
In 1934 he became their feature cartoonist.
By 1939, his fame was such that, not only was he endorsing Red Capstan
, cork-tipped, "special mild" cigarettes, but he was also supplying the advertisement's art-work as well.
. He applied for the copyright registration of "Bluey and Curley" on 16 October 1939; and his application was granted on 9 November 1939 (Australian Copyright No.6921).
Bluey and Curley first appeared in the "Picture-News" magazine. It was transferred to The Sun News-Pictorial
in 1940, from whence it was syndicated throughout Australia, New Zealand
and Canada
.
The strip, about a pair of soldiers, Bluey, the Great War veteran who had re-enlisted, and Curley, the new recruit to the A.I.F.
The strip was widely appreciated for the good-humoured way it depicted the Australian "diggers" and their "mateship", as well as for its realistic use of Australian idiom of the day.
During the war, he was accredited as a war correspondent, and he visited army camps throughout Australia and New Guinea
to ensure authenticity for his strip.
While in New Guinea he contracted malaria
and was incapacitated for some time.
Gurney was in England in June 1946, as part of an Australian Press Syndicate sent specifically to view the Victory Parade.
As well as sending caricatures of various eminent people involved in that parade back to Australia for distribution through the press, he also used the opportunity to have Bluey and Curley attend the parade, and a number of his Bluey and Curley comic strips reflected that event.
Gurney's visit to London, and his version of events, as seen through his Bluey and Curley comic strip, was also historically significant for another reason: it was the first time that a newspaper comic strip had ever been transmitted from England to Australia by radio.
The strip lost some of its appeal and readership when the pair returned to "civvy street".
After Gurney's sudden death from heart attack, the strip was continued by Norman Rice, and then by Les Dixon
.
, now known as The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL), the Black and White Artists' Club, now known as The Australian Cartoonists' Association, and the Savage Club
.
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist born at Pasley House, Stoke, Devonport
Stoke, Plymouth
Stoke, also referred to by its earlier name of Stoke Damerel, is a parish, once part of the historical Devonport, England. Prior to 1914, it was a suburb of Devonport. In 1914, Devonport and Plymouth amalgamated with Stonehouse: the new town took the name of Plymouth...
(now Stoke, Plymouth), England.
Family
He was the son of William George Gurney and Alice Birdie Gurney (née Worbey), who had married in Portsmouth on 29 May 1901. He was born on 15 March 1902 at Pasley House, Stoke, DevonportStoke, Plymouth
Stoke, also referred to by its earlier name of Stoke Damerel, is a parish, once part of the historical Devonport, England. Prior to 1914, it was a suburb of Devonport. In 1914, Devonport and Plymouth amalgamated with Stonehouse: the new town took the name of Plymouth...
(now Stoke, Plymouth), England.
His father died in 1903. His mother, who was an Australian, born in Hobart, returned with Alex to Hobart, Tasmania. On 2 July 1908 his mother (always known as Birdie, rather than Alice) remarried; she married James William Albert Hursey (1866–1946).
Alex Gurney married Junee Grover (1909-1984) on 16 June 1928 at Christ Church, South Yarra. Junee was the daughter of the journalist Montague "Monty" MacGregor Grover (1870–1943) and Ada Goldberg.
Alex and Junee Gurney had four children, John (1929-), Jennifer Anne (1932-2004), Susan, and Margaret (the eminent Melbourne artist).
Education
After leaving Macquarie Street State School at age 13, he served a seven-year electrical apprenticeship with the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric CommissionHydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as The HEC, is the government owned enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia...
in the hope of becoming an electrical engineer. He also studied art, part-time, in night classes at Hobart Technical College, where he was taught by Lucien Dechaineux (1869–1957).
Artist
As well as significantly embellishing his wonderful graphic skills as an artist, his exceptional capacity for the observation of his fellow humans also allowed him to successfully perform as an impersonator of well known people.By 1918 he was submitting work to The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
, Melbourne Punch
Melbourne Punch
Melbourne Punch was an Australian illustrated magazine founded by Edgar Ray and Frederick Sinnett, modelled closely on Punch of London which was founded just fifteen years earlier....
and Smith's Weekly
Smith's Weekly
Smith's Weekly was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. An independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia, Smith’s Weekly was one of Australia’s most patriotic newspaper-style magazines....
.
In 1923, he was awarded first prize at the Kingborough Agricultural Show for "an original pencil drawing".
In 1926 he published a book of his caricatures of eminent Tasmanians, Tasmanians Today, the first book of its kind ever published in Tasmania.
Also in 1926, he began working for newspapers, briefly in Melbourne for the Morning Post, then freelanced in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
until he landed a job with the "Sunday Times", then for a Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
paper "The World", followed by The Daily Guardian
Smith's Weekly
Smith's Weekly was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. An independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia, Smith’s Weekly was one of Australia’s most patriotic newspaper-style magazines....
, The Sydney Mail, then to Adelaide with The News
The News (Adelaide)
The News was an afternoon daily tabloid newspaper in the city of Adelaide, South Australia.The newspaper was established in 1869 as the Evening Journal. In 1933, a controlling stake was taken by The Advertiser, controlled by the Herald and Weekly Times. HWT sold off The News in 1949, and Sir Keith...
in 1931.
Throughout his lifetime he was renowned for his generous habit of giving the originals of his caricatures, cartoons, and comic strips to anyone who asked.
Cartoons and comic strips
During this time he created several comic series; Stiffy and Mo (based on the radio comedy starring Nat Phillips and Roy ReneRoy Rene
Roy Rene , born Harry van der Sluys, was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. Roy Rene was born in Adelaide in the 15 of February 1892 with the name Harry van der...
) for Beckett's Budget; and The Daggs for the Sunday Times.
In 1932, he created "Fred, the Football Fan" for the Adelaide Mail.
When he moved to the Melbourne Herald
The Herald (Melbourne)
The Herald was a broadsheet newspaper published in Melbourne, Australia from 1840 to 1990.The Port Phillip Herald was first published as a semi-weekly newspaper on 3 January 1840 from a weatherboard shack in Collins Street. It was the fourth newspaper to start in Melbourne.The paper took its name...
in 1933 (as cartoonist for their Sports pages), he started a series Ben Bowyang (based on the C J Dennis creation) for that paper.
In 1934 he became their feature cartoonist.
By 1939, his fame was such that, not only was he endorsing Red Capstan
Capstan (cigarette)
Capstan is a brand of unfiltered British cigarettes made by Imperial Tobacco originally launched by W. D. & H. O. Wills in 1894. The brand became less popular when the health effects of tobacco became more widely known, few shops now sell them....
, cork-tipped, "special mild" cigarettes, but he was also supplying the advertisement's art-work as well.
Bluey and Curley
In 1939 he created the characters for which he became famous: Bluey and CurleyBluey and Curley
Bluey and Curley is an Australian newspaper comic strip written by the Australian artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist Alex Gurney.Few original Bluey and Curley strips are held in public collections, because, throughout his lifetime, Alex Gurney was renowned for his generous habit of giving the...
. He applied for the copyright registration of "Bluey and Curley" on 16 October 1939; and his application was granted on 9 November 1939 (Australian Copyright No.6921).
Bluey and Curley first appeared in the "Picture-News" magazine. It was transferred to The Sun News-Pictorial
The Sun News-Pictorial
The Sun News-Pictorial, commonly known as The Sun, was a morning daily tabloid newspaper in Melbourne, Australia established in 1922 and closed in 1990.It was part of The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd stable of Melbourne newspapers...
in 1940, from whence it was syndicated throughout Australia, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The strip, about a pair of soldiers, Bluey, the Great War veteran who had re-enlisted, and Curley, the new recruit to the A.I.F.
The strip was widely appreciated for the good-humoured way it depicted the Australian "diggers" and their "mateship", as well as for its realistic use of Australian idiom of the day.
During the war, he was accredited as a war correspondent, and he visited army camps throughout Australia and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
to ensure authenticity for his strip.
While in New Guinea he contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and was incapacitated for some time.
Gurney was in England in June 1946, as part of an Australian Press Syndicate sent specifically to view the Victory Parade.
As well as sending caricatures of various eminent people involved in that parade back to Australia for distribution through the press, he also used the opportunity to have Bluey and Curley attend the parade, and a number of his Bluey and Curley comic strips reflected that event.
Gurney's visit to London, and his version of events, as seen through his Bluey and Curley comic strip, was also historically significant for another reason: it was the first time that a newspaper comic strip had ever been transmitted from England to Australia by radio.
The strip lost some of its appeal and readership when the pair returned to "civvy street".
After Gurney's sudden death from heart attack, the strip was continued by Norman Rice, and then by Les Dixon
Les Dixon
Leslie "Les" Dixon , was an Australian cartoonist and commercial artist.Dixon was born Leslie Charles Brailey in Sydney, New South Wales on 25 July 1910 and adopted by Charles and Lillian Dixon when he was only six months old...
.
Associations
Gurney was a member of the Returned Sailors' Soldiers' and Airmens Imperial League of Australia (RSS&AILA)Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
, now known as The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL), the Black and White Artists' Club, now known as The Australian Cartoonists' Association, and the Savage Club
Melbourne Savage Club
Melbourne Savage Club is a private Australian gentlemen's club founded in 1894, primarily for professionals in the arts and sciences, politics and business.Dr...
.
Death
Gurney died suddenly, of heart disease, on 4 December 1955. He had been ill for several months, and had collapsed in his motor car that was parked outside his residence at 7 Merton Avenue, ElwoodElwood, Victoria
Elwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
.
Publications
- Tasmanians Today: Caricatures and Cartoons Hobart 1926.
- Stiffy and Mo: Cartoons, Darlington 1928.
- How to Draw for "The Mail", Young People's Supplement, The (Adelaide) Mail, (Saturday, 8 April 1933), p.2.
- Ben Bowyang Herald and Weekly Times 1938.
- Sickness without Sorrow (illustrations to stories by 'GP') Robertson & Mullens, Melbourne 1947.
- Life with Laughter (illustrations to stories by 'GP') Georgian House, Melbourne 1950.
Illustrator
- Dyer, B.Bob DyerRobert "Bob" Dies OBE , who took the stage name of Bob Dyer, was an American-born vaudeville entertainer, radio personality, and radio and television quiz show host who made his name in Australia. Dyer is best known for the long-running radio and then television quiz show, Pick a Box...
, This'll Slay you! by Bob Dyer; illustrations by Gurney, Bob Dyer, (Melbourne), 1943.