The Cartoonist

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A man (Frith) mows his lawn, while another man waves to him over the fence. On the second man’s shoulders and climbing a tree near him are three children, one of whom holds a flag which says Irian. There are palm trees and desert on the other side of the fence, and a lot of people crowding the yard.

Unknown, 1 January 1963

This cartoon, possibly unpublished, probably relates to Australian foreign policy and developments in South East Asia in 1963. The Federation of Malaya joined with Singapore to form Malaysia in that year, and sovereignty over Irian Jaya (West Papua) was transferred to Indonesia from the United Nations.

The man waving over the fence may represent either Sukarno, the Indonesian President, or Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.