Nevile Lodge drawing the Golden Kiwi numbers and visiting a NZ news stand in 1964.
Nevile Lodge (1918-1989) drew from an early age and like his fellow New Zealand cartoonist Sid Scales honed his skills as a prisoner of war during World War Two after being captured at El Alamein. Lodge later joked that he ‘studied on the Continent for three years’ referring to his time in camps in Austria and Italy. After the War Lodge became one of New Zealand's most prolific cartoonists of the twentieth century with regular features in newspapers as well as book and magazine illustrations. In 1981 Nevile Lodge was made an OBE.
Prior to his experience as a prisoner of war Lodge contributed cartoons to a variety of troop publications including Parade and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Times. In 1941 setting out with fellow New Zealand troops of the 4th reinforcements aboard H. M. T. 24 Lodge contributed cartoons to a sixteen page troop publication Convoice which is credited on the last pages as 'Published and printed on board H. M. T. 24'.
From the Convoice introduction,
CONVOICE - a voice from a convoy. A live young voice, born, nursed, and grown on H.M. T 24. It laughs, it moans, in patches it is serious. To those on board we hope it will be more than a memory of life aboard the "Twenty-four" on this, her first voyage with New Zealand troops. To our people at home we hope it will show something of our hopes joys and little disappointments. Newspapermen at home. overseas, and even in the Army are wont to talk -shop-. So it was on this ship: they talked, planned, appealed, wrote and from it all arose this publication. It sounds easy, but let nobody be deceived. There were a thousand difficulties each one presenting its own little complications. From the beginning it has been a race with time. Old Man Time has had his supporters, but with more than our fair share of good luck we have won. Photographs and cartoons were rushed ashore to make reproduction blocks; thousands of sheets of paper were bought and taken on board; a printing staff has worked 24 hours a day. A race well won has its own reward. All we ask is that "Convoice" be accepted in the spirit with which it was published. Overlook its short-comings and remember that it is a troop magazine written by troops for troops. Long hours of work and thought are nothing if to those on board, all working for the same cause, it is of some small value. To many ashore and afloat we are indebted for their assistance. To them all we extend our thanks. Other troops will follow us in H. M. T. 24. and other magazines will be published. We hope they are an improvement on what we have done, but, as New Zealanders, we are proud to have been the pioneers.
Lodge began a long association with Wellington newspaper The Evening Post in 1947. Lodge is one of the few New Zealand cartoonists that had cartoons produced at broadsheet size with his cartoon covers for the Saturday Sports Post. For significant sporting events Lodge would prepare multiple covers for publication depending upon the outcome of the game.
Nevile Lodge cartoon from the Sports Post.
Source: Ian F. Grant. 'Lodge, Nevile Sidney', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 5-Nov-2013 URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/biographies/5l14/lodge-nevile-sidney
