Design and Art Australia Online

cartoonist, was born in Sydney in July 1910. Adopted at the age of six months, he went to primary school in Balmain and Drummoyne. In 1918, aged eight, he moved with his family to a place called Dry River, at Cobargo on the far south coast of NSW, and completed his education through Correspondence School. Returning to Sydney in 1929, he worked as a blacksmith’s striker for six months, a job his hero Les Darcy had also held. Also in emulation he enrolled at Jack Dunleavy’s gymnasium, but withdrew from the boxing profession before his first fight. An accident while driving a petrol wagon for the Vacuum Oil Company put him in hospital for a long time, when he began taking art lessons by correspondence. Afterwards, on the dole, he studied life drawing at the Catholic Guild, Sydney.

Dixon freelanced with the Bulletin , Rydges Business Journal and Smith’s Weekly and drew comic stories for Frank Johnson publications until appointed art editor of Smith’s Weekly after Jim Russell left. His original cartoon '- and the judges have called for a photo’ was donated to the SLNSW ML in 1999 by the wife of a reporter on Smith’s , along with over 20 other originals and a copy of the final issue (28 October 1950) signed by all the cartoonists. Another of his cartoons, in the Thomas Ottaway donation, 'But only God can make a tree’ (ML ) n.d. [1940s?], was probably also done for Smith’s .

Les joined the army in 1941 but served only three months because his earlier injuries prevented him from wearing a tin hat. He was the dominant figure of Smith’s post-war years, leaving in 1949 (not long before it folded in October 1950) to join the Sydney Production Unit of the Brisbane Courier Mail as art editor (Cullen, Horseman and other Smith’s artists also moved there). He left in February 1957 to take over 'Bluey and Curley’ after Norman Rice died (who had succeeded the strip’s creator, Alex Gurney). He continued it until 26 July 1975 and also created the comic strip, 'Phill Dill’.

Dixon was made a life member of the Australian Black and White Artists’ Club in 1991 and was awarded a Silver Stanley in 1994 for his contribution to Australian cartooning. Mid 1990s strips in the Black and White Artists’ Club Collection are at SLNSW ML. After he retired he lived at Summerland Point and drew a regular strip (and often other cartoons) for the free national monthly newspaper, The Australian Senior Citizen. He has organised art competitions for Aboriginal children throughout Australia. Contributed to S.H. Ervin cartoonists’ book in February 1999. Included in Brenda Rainbow’s Federation Cartoonists (2001).

Writers:

Kerr, Joan

Date written:

1996

Last updated:

2007