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About Geoff "Jeff" Hook...
Geoffrey "Jeff" Raynor Hook OAM was born in Tasmania in 1928, 27th December, and finally hung up his brushes in 2018, on the 20th July.
Starting out as a cadet press artist on the Hobart Mercury, he completed a course in Graphic Art at the Hobart Technical College which included tuition in Fine Arts under Jack Carington Smith, Margaret Chandler, Harry Buckie and Edith Holmes. He started his career as a press artist and part-time cartoonist on the Hobart Mercury; moved to Melbourne and started at the Sun News Pictorial in 1964. Geoff became the full-time cartoonist for The Sun (later to become the Herald Sun) soon after.
Geoff has traveled widely in the course of work, including the U.K., Europe, the United States, Vietnam, and China.
In 1987, Geoff won the award for humorous illustration in the Australian Black and White Artists Club's Bulletin Awards. In 1987 Geoff won the award for the Best Political Cartoon at the International Cartoon Festival at Knokke-Heist, Belgium, and in 1991 he won the award for Best Press Cartoon at the same Fesitival.
Geoff "retired" in early 1993 and began freelancing. In addition to giving talks on cartooning, he regularly contributed to the Sunday Herald-Sun (editorial cartoons), as well as doing cartoons and illustrations for other papers, magazines and books. He illustrated "Harry the Honkerzoid" and "Planet of the Honkerzoids" written by his son, Brendan, and published in the Penguin Puffin Series. The Penguin Puffin series also included a reprint of "Jamie the Jumbo Jet", a children's book written and illustrated by Geoff, and first published in the mid 1970's.
In 1998, Geoff was awarded the Australian Black and White Artists Club's Silver Stanley Award for lifetime achievement and in 2009 he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Melbourne Press Club.
In 2012, on January 26th, Geoff was further recognised for his service to the print media as "a political and social commentator, and as a cartoonist" when he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Geoff was a life member of the Australian Black and White Artists Club and was also a member of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists. In addition to cartooning, he especially enjoyed sketching and using the watercolour medium.
For relaxation, Geoff was fond of cycling and rode across the Rocky Mountains in the United States during the cross country bicycle ride that was held during that country's Bicentennial celebrations. He also rode from Melbourne to Sydney in 1988 as part of Australia's Bicentennial celebrations and has taken part in several Great Victorian Bike Rides.
Geoff's work is represented in international cartoon collections, and several corporate collections in Australia, as well as the collection of political cartoons at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, and Geoff completed extensive interviews for the Oral History Collection at the National Library of Australia, Canberra. Open access with the library to tape and transcript is available.
You can find further information on Geoff at his Wikipedia entry as well.