cartoonist and writer, was born in Adelaide and educated at Norwood High School and Urbrae Agricultural High. In 1939 he left Adelaide by pushbike for Kings Cross. He joined the AIF in 1940, sailed to Singapore and was captured at its fall. Gunner Sprod spent three and a half years as a prisoner of the Japanese. He drew cartoons in Changi and produced a hand-made magazine 'Smoke-oh’ to entertain other POWs; he also illustrated Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland at Changi in 1944. His POW cartoons were reproduced as a special feature in the Australian Women’s Weekly on 17 November 1945, eg two diggers carting 'Ishibishi Gasoline Coy’ tank through jungle: '“Gee, I wish it was full of beer.”/ “Don’t be silly. We haven’t got any glasses” (ill. Lindesay 1994, 32).
Sprod returned to Kings Cross in 1945 and was appointed the Daily Telegraph (ACP) cartoonist on the strength of his POW drawings. In 1949 he sailed for London and worked in Fleet Street for 20 years, primarily as a feature artist for Punch during the whole of his stay (Joan Kerr owned a collection of his Punch cartoons). He returned to Sydney in 1969 'owing to a wee bit of domestic trouble’ (Jensen, p.11) and resumed living at Kings Cross. He drew cartoons and illustrations for the Sydney Morning Herald for many years, e.g. [scene of traffic accident chaos, with man in flares, jewellery and fur saying to a policeman] “Can’t you hurry up with the formalities? – We’re on our way to a happening” (ill. Lindesay 1979, 316). ML has 4 original cartoons of the 1960s (PXD 764) and 17 originals of 1981-82 and undated (PXD 739) drawn for the Bulletin , including The People Plague published 30 June 1981, 97 (high rise buildings ruined by a woman hanging out her washing) and another of a bloke unable to leave his terrace house because his female partner is wearing the clothes. Both were included the 1999 SLNSW b/w exhibition. NLA has neg. of 'Strong willing girl wanted’ from Chips off a shoulder .
Sprod entered White Meat , a cartoon published in the Spectator , in the 1992 Stanley Awards (exhibited SLNSW). A longtime member of the Australian Black and White Artists’ Club, he was 'smocked’ in 1994. He was still living at Kings Cross in February 1999 when he visited the Artists and Cartoonists exhibition at the S.H. Ervin Gallery in February 1999 and drew a cartoon in the visitors’ book. He may have moved to a nursing home in 2000. He died early in April 2003.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
