The artist ‘most likely to fail’

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34129, 15 April 1976, Page 1

The artist ‘most likely to fail’

An artist who was told by his teachers that he was their one pupil who was most likely to fail has for more than 30 years been sharing his artistry and wit with thousands as a renowned cartoonist. He is Mr Eric Jolliffe — Jolliffe to his readers — the creator of “Saltbush Bill” and the “Witchetty Tribe.” Although bom in Portsmouth, England, Mr Jolliffe has spent 65 of his 69 years in Australia and in that time has become something of an authority on the Australian outback and Aboriginal culture.

He left school at 15, and because of his love of the wide open spaces became a bushman. As such he tackled all manner of jobs: boundary riding, rabbit trapping, shepherding, and many others. He recalled, that as a shepherd, he castrated ram lambs with his teeth. “And when you’re the only good set of teeth in the gang it’s amazing how tired they can be at the end of the day.” His first desire to be an artist came about through his wanting to paint what he saw of the Australian bush. It was, as he put it, “a random decision. I wanted to paint for fun.” So he read a book on art and decided to

take lessons at the East Sydney Technical College. It was there that his teachers were so uncomplimentary, and suggested that it might be a good idea for him to hang on to his rabbit traps and other bushman’s gear. It is interesting to note — and he told the story with some amusement — that he met one of his old art teachers recently. The teacher was very apologetic about what he had said all those years ago, and admitted that he couldn’t have been more wrong in his predictions. His first cartoon character was "Andy.” Working freelance, he sold his work to the “Sydney Bulletin” for

nine years. The paper was well known at that time for giving aspiring artists and cartoonists a break, he said. Then came the war. He became a camouflage officer in the Air Force, and in that post, he says, he once camouflaged the latrines so well, that by the time the commanding officer found them it was too late. He spent most of his time in the Air Force in Arnhem Land, and made good use of it by studying the bush and the tribal Aboriginals who lived there. He used to hunt and fish with them, and he became acquainted with their art and their culture. “I was impressed with the dignity and the integrity of these people, and the way

in which they lived such a full, rich life,” he said. He began running a mixed farm with Saltbush Bill in the pages of “Pix Weekly” —“with Saltbush sweating away in the hot Australian sun and banging his head on a brick wall, and me doing the paper work.” . Mr Jolliffe is now retained by “Pix Weekly” and the “Sydney Sun.” Book sales of the cartoons are now more than 7m. When his present assignment with Trans Tours, Ltd, touring New Zealand, talking about his work and the Australian outback is over he hopes to take his wife around the South Island by car looking for scenes to draw, particularly old bush carpentry buildings.