Creative Cuts - THANK YOU, MICHAEL

by Victoria McGuin

We have lost our treasured Australian cartoonist, poet, philosopher and writer, Michael Leunig, and myself, my family, and millions of others are mourning that such a special light has gone out.

The official  statement on December 19 was as follows:

“The pen has run dry, its ink no longer flowing - yet Mr Curly and his ducks will remain etched in our hearts, cherished and eternal.

“Michael Leunig passed away peacefully today, in the early hours of December 19, 2024.

“During his final days, he was surrounded by his children, loved one, and sunflowers - accompanied as ever, by his dear old friends, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.”

I would like to take this moment to add a few words of gratitude about Michael.

Such was my admiration and affection for Michael Leunig’s work, that when I was appointed the role of editor of the Hinterland Times, the first thing I did was contact him to ask if I could use his cartoons each month. 

The HT is about community, environment, creativity, kindness and spreading positivity, something I knew Michael would value. Of course, he said yes.

In 2023, I received a phone call from his PA, Nicola, sharing that they would be touring the area soon and would I like to meet for coffee in Maleny? I jumped at the chance!

In person, Michael was an intelligent, thoughtful man, telling affectionate stories from his past, especially some mischievous moments from his 20s, and there was much laughter, fascinating conversation and insights about human nature, as we spent an hour or so together. I will be forever grateful for that day.

Michale Leunig was born in East Melbourne in 1945, and by the 1960s he had dropped out of university and began drawing. His first book of cartoons, The Penguin Leunig, was published in 1974, and his work also appeared in Woman’s Day and London’s Oz magazine.

Over the years, his paintings, drawings and prints have been exhibited in public and private collections, and his books of cartoons have been by turns thought-provoking, humorous, gentle, pertinent, hard-hitting, wry, honest, moving and poetic. 

In 1999, the National Trust declared Michael “a national living treasure”.

Michael himself once said it was his job to “probe the tender spots” as he felt they were important. This sometimes led to controversy in his later work for The Age, but as he told the ABC, “It’s a harsh environment now, you can be ticked off by the wardens of culture and propriety and, as they say, political correctness.”

The world has lost someone special, and it’s hard to find the words to express how much he has meant, and will continue to do so through his body of work. 

In the last few months, he was no longer working for any newspapers, with timelines, and he looked on this as a gift.

I will leave the final words to dear Michael Leunig, who knew how to put things in a way that touched your heart.

 “I have been refreshed and granted a precious new chapter in life in which to plant trees, to paint pictures, to talk to the birds and kangaroos, to harvest my own vegetables and avocados, to appreciate all those have helped and encouraged me, to be with friends and loved ones, to get on with the memoir and various projects…

“To be surprised and changed, to be grateful, to listen to music and birdsong, to grow, to wonder, to die… and of course, to be a funny old grandfather in the garden.”