Unless detected by Border Security , Little Darwin expects to receive through Australia Post , under plain wrapper , a rare copy of the last pulped 1969 edition of a lively Australian publication , Broadside , edited by Melbourne activist , former Labor MHR, Pete Steedman , which featured the eye catching adventures of the Prime Minister's whip wielding personal secretary , Fabula.
Because of our scholarly research and longtime interest in Fabula , Little Darwin can inform our learned readers that the Broadside archive, containing original artwork of Fabula , drawn by acclaimed comic book writer, artist and graphic illustrator , Gerald Carr , and that of other artists such as Peter Burleigh and Michael Leunig , connected with the magazine, is about to go into the Latrobe Library collection in Melbourne .
Through his involvement with Melbourne university publications , see Dissent The Student Press in 1960s Australia, by Dr Sally Percival Wood, Scribe , 2017, Steedman mixed with a talented, restless crew , which included Carr , born in Bendigo in 1944 , who early in his career worked for a Sydney outfit which distributed Disney products .
Through his comic books and comic strips , Carr became well known internationally, with a considerable following in America and Italy . As an example of Carr's brilliant mind, he devised Fire Fang, a comic about a Chinese vampire exiled to the Australian goldfields in the l860s.
Then there was a comic strip about Brigette , who started off in Go-Set, the teen magazine, in 1968 , as a contemporary Australian girl who was coming of age. A number of newspapers ran Brigette's adventures until frank discussions on sexual freedom and occasional mention of drugs caused concern among some readers and timid newspaper proprietors .
Then there was a comic strip about Brigette , who started off in Go-Set, the teen magazine, in 1968 , as a contemporary Australian girl who was coming of age. A number of newspapers ran Brigette's adventures until frank discussions on sexual freedom and occasional mention of drugs caused concern among some readers and timid newspaper proprietors .
Vampires , spies and other menacing beings were fought against in his comic strips . Vixen , a super-heroine, who cavorted in a fictional American location called Pacific City , in l980 won Carr Cartoon of the Year Award at the Australian Rotary Cartoon Awards held in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
French Connection
Steedman and Carr put their heads together and came up with Fabula , inspired by the sexy French science fiction strip, Barbarella , for Broadside . Fabula has been described as "thinly veiled" commentary on contemporary Australian politics , set in a futuristic world . She was also thinly attired .
Fabula , plucked out of the typing pool by Prime Minister Sir John Grey , became the nation's most powerful person, prepared to put her body and brains on the line for Oz.
Because Steedman was being fed a lot of inside information about the goings on in Canberra , he wrote the script for Fabula and Carr used his brilliant , from another dimension creative mind , to bring her to life in the office of the leader of a Great Southern Continent , with lots of sheep, which aliens and others wanted to purloin.
Gotto left Canberra , built up an international business reputation, married a lawyer , returned to Australia as chief of staff to Finance Minister Senator Helen Coonan , a former occupant of the position none other than powerful Peta Credlin , who became PM Tony Abbott's whipcracker.
Liberal Wiggles
Fabula attracted eyeballs just before Prime Minister John Gorton's influential staffer , Ainsley Gotto ,started to grab the headlines . Some Liberals claimed she had too much power. Indeed, when the Minister for Aviation , Dudley Erwin , got the chop in a Cabinet reshuffle, he said the reason was because "it wiggles, its shapely and its name is Ainsley Gotto . "
Fabula attracted eyeballs just before Prime Minister John Gorton's influential staffer , Ainsley Gotto ,started to grab the headlines . Some Liberals claimed she had too much power. Indeed, when the Minister for Aviation , Dudley Erwin , got the chop in a Cabinet reshuffle, he said the reason was because "it wiggles, its shapely and its name is Ainsley Gotto . "
Gotto left Canberra , built up an international business reputation, married a lawyer , returned to Australia as chief of staff to Finance Minister Senator Helen Coonan , a former occupant of the position none other than powerful Peta Credlin , who became PM Tony Abbott's whipcracker.
The way in which Carr depicted politicians in Fabula blew Pete's mind . Each time he received the latest strip it caused an outbreak of uncontrollable laughter. In particular, just this week, Pete mentioned the sheer genius of Carr in draping Catholic activist B. A. Santamaria like a monk .
Broadside , with a print run of 20,000 , came to an abrupt end after management pulled and pulped an edition which featured an anti Viet Nam War cartoon and promoted ALP leader Gough Whitlam in the looming election . Steedman had been running the magazine like a one man band with limited resources, poor advertising support .
Age editor Graham Perkin offered Steedman a job as a political reporter in Canberra, but Pete hit the long and exciting road to England , via India , Kashmir , his many adventures and subsequent life detailed in this blog .
Carr continued receiving accolades - in 2016 , The Jim Russell Award presented by the Australian Cartoonists' Association for significant contribution to Australian cartooning and , 2019, The Ledger Honour at the Ledger Awards.
Carr continued receiving accolades - in 2016 , The Jim Russell Award presented by the Australian Cartoonists' Association for significant contribution to Australian cartooning and , 2019, The Ledger Honour at the Ledger Awards.
UPCOMING : The issues tackled by Broadside 50 years ago which are still relevant today-abortion law reform, cheap accommodation , war , treatment of the elderly and much more .
