Tale of Two Barends

Bill Hartley, who signs his work 'KIDGE' draws for Sedgefield's fortnightly community newspaper 'The Edge'. Being a community based publication, they rarely publish cartoons of a political nature, nor does the Knysna/Plett Herald for whom Kidge has also drawn. But he has sent us this cartoon of his on the vandal of 'The Spear' Barend la Grange, who the cartoonist contests may share more than a first name with Boeremag terrorist Barend Strydom.

A PEN PICTURE OF KIDGE.
He writes: "My first cartoon was published in 2006 in the Knysna/Plett Herald about wasting R7 million on a rubbish dump [see below]. I drew cartoons for them for about a year. Our architectural draughting business then picked up during those boom times and the sketch book was then only yearningly glanced at from time to time. I suppose I can thank the slump in business which has given me time to draw more often. I must add that have never actually earned an income doing cartooning work. I have had no formal art training but neither did Al Hirschfeld. Being nowhere even near to his league, it does however give me encouragement to know that it can be done. At school, not even the cane could stop me from "staring into space", which I have realised is what churns out ideas, sorry Sir.

I use the name "kidge" to sign my cartoon drawings from my second name, Kidger and "bill" for my cartoon strip. I live in Sedgefield and have drawn for the Knysna/Plett Herald and continue to draw for The Edge Community newspaper in Sedgefield. I am an architectural draughtsman and a singer songwriter. I have 50 chickens that roost in a Yellow wood tree and sell their eggs from an honesty box. We have so many great cartoonists in South Africa and too little space to name them but Mark Wiggett and the late great Napier Dunn are up there on top of the pile for me. I am also a fan of Daryl Cagle from the U.S.A.

SIDGE'S FIRST CARTOON: