My name is Dr Philip Norrie
FYI - I am the son-in-law of Ron Vivian who was the cartoonist who drew Winnie the War Winner every week for the Australian Women’s Weekly. I am currently writing a thesis about him and during my research I have come across many original black ink on white cardboard WTWW cartoons. I thought your members may be interested because the WTWW radio was vital in the campaign to contact Darwin.
I wish to know why did they name it after the cartoon ( the Australian War Memorial still has it being named after Winston Churchill in their radio display even after I convinced their historian that it was named after Ron’s cartoon) and who thought of it ?
Secondly I wish to donate an original WTWW cartoon to be displayed with the radio in the National War Memorial in Canberra but they cannot guarantee this - the Vivian family do not want it locked in their archive never to be seen again - it should be with the radio !!
Any help in these two endeavours would be greatly appreciated.
I can send you an 8 page article I wrote about Ron which appeared in Inkspot - the quarterly journal of the Australian Cartoon Association - ( the oldest in the world). Ron is in their Hall of Fame as he drew Ginger Meggs for 20 years from 1953 to 1973 after its creator Jimmy Bancks died in 1952. He was the most diverse cartoonist in Australia and the most diverse cartoonist during WW2 until he joined the RAAF after Pearl Harbour and did two tours in PNG. Most cartoonists did one cartoon during WW2 such as Wally and the Major or Bluey and Curley but Ron did WTWW, Private Willie , Ginger ( no relation to Ginger Meggs) and cartoons for the RAAF magazine WINGS which came out every two weeks during WW2 - so four different types of cartoons in all.
I am also writing a book on the portrayal of women in cartoons during WW2 and it will feature a chapter on Ron, because he was the most diverse cartoonist in WW2, as well as WTWW and the 2/2 Commandos WTWW radio story - some International cartoon exposure for you !!
Regards
Phil Norrie
