Photographed in a Cairo studio , this postcard of a young Australian soldier , W.Woodrof , known as Billy Bluegum, the buckle on his belt said to be from a Turkish soldier , was dated 15/3/1917. It was sent by a member of the Light Horse Regiment to his wife and children in Port Adelaide.
Billy Bluegum was a creation of artist Norman Lindsay .The Australian War Memorial has a Lindsay pen and ink drawing headed National defence which shows a plump Koala in uniform with a slouch hat and rifle .
Information supplied by the Australian War Memorial provides interesting details about Lindsay and Billy Bluegum.
Norman Lindsay was born at Creswick, Victoria, in 1879. As a child Lindsay was confined to the indoors due to a blood disorder. To keep himself occupied, he taught himself to draw by copying illustrations from periodicals and by drawing about the home from life.
Later working for The Bulletin, Lindsay often depicted the activities of a koala bear who was commonly known to readers as Billy Bluegum. Over two tumultuous decades, Billy's adventures reflected the social and political turmoil of a country suffering the birth pains of nationhood and later plunging into the First World War.
Later Billy Bluegum became one of the leading protagonists in The Magic Pudding, a well known children's classic both written and illustrated by Lindsay in 1918.
IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE : Journalist Kim Lockwood repeatedly points out to this blog that cuddly Koalas are not blankety blank bears- they are blessed marsupials !!!
