cartoonist, was born in Auckland, New Zealand of Irish descent. His father was a stonemason and competent amateur violinist. Joe also played the violin. With his older brother, sculptor Guy Lynch (known as Frank) and former schoolmate Cecil “Unk” White , Joe came to Sydney in 1922, encouraged by reports from their NZ mate George Finey . Six-foot, red-haired Lynch with his 'mad Irish humour and his mad Irish rages’ (Dutton) contributed to the Bulletin , Smith’s Weekly and Melbourne Punch (c.1925). He was considered a rising cartoonist when one night in May 1927, dead drunk, he jumped off the 7.45 p.m. Neutral Bay-Mosman ferry Kiandra en route to a party at George Finey’s house (at Manly acc. Lindesay, Neutral Bay acc. newspaper report) and drowned near Fort Denison, inspiring Kenneth Slessor’s elegy “Five Bells”.
Cartoons in Smith’s and the Bulletin signed 'Lynch’ include the [undated] Bulletin bushie joke signed 'Lynch’: 'Sarah (at city hotel): “Are you going to leave anything for the waiter?”/ Dad: “No hope! Ten to one 'e wouldn’t eat it if I did!”’ (ill. Lindesay 1979, 183, who attributes it to 'Joe Lynch’). Others are: Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made Of (England, America, Japan and Russia dreaming of smoking canons, Australia dreaming of cricket), Smith’s Weekly 16 January 1926, 12; The Little Evening (two man getting drunker and drunker), Smith’s 14 June 1924, 23; 'Dave: “I’ve brought some hundreds and thousands. Would you like one?”’ Smith’s 26 June 1926, 8; and 'Shame of a traffic cop on realising that his blunder is irremediable’, Smith’s 8 May 1926, 15.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
