Chewing Pencils

I’ve just returned from five days in country Victoria, visiting family and celebrating my Father-in-law’s 60th. It was a full five days, but there’s something about life on the farm that makes suburbia seem far too busy…

Anyway, while I was away, two well known Australian people were killed. Steve Irwin (left) was stabbed in the heart by a Sting Ray and racing driver Peter Brock was killed in a rally car accident. Both men were well respected in their fields and generally popular with a wide audience. The news papers, tv news and internet were buzzing with reports as details unfolded, and very quickly, the internet was flooded with tributes.

As I was having some time off, I didn’t draw anything in response, but was interested to see what different cartoonists were drawing. Without exception, none of the images were funny - they weren’t meant to be. Instead, they were a recognition of, and tribute to, Irwin and Brock.

Many of the Irwin cartoons featured a crocodile crying at the loss of the ‘Croc Hunter’ and a number pictured the men at the pearly gates. The image I found most moving was that of Mark Knight, cartoonist for the Herald Sun. His cartoon was a picture of Irwin walking into the sunset with a crocodile under one arm. Next to him, a Brock Commodore had pulled over, with Peter calling out the window, “Need a lift?” Nothing profound, but touching nevertheless.

I have no doubt that in the coming weeks and months, there will be jokes about both Irwin and Brock doing the rounds. For some reason, that seems to be how we cope with the loss of famous people we admire. It keeps their memory going for a bit longer I guess. But immediately after death is a time for grieving and mourning.

It is in this time that a cartoonist can express thoughts, emotions and feelings that words cannot. And for a brief moment, funny doesn’t matter at all.