James Lawrence KemsleyOAM (15 November 1948 – 3 December 2007) was an Australian cartoonist who was notable for producing the comic stripGinger Meggs (originally created byJimmy Bancks) between 1984 and 2007.
James Kemsley was born in theSydney suburb of Paddington, but lived for a few years with his parents and sister inNew Guinea where his father served as master of patrol boats. He then attended the Roman Catholic boarding schools, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College (1958–60) andChevalier College (1961–62), both located inBowral, New South Wales. He also attended the Christian Brothers College at Rose Bay (1962–63). Afterwards he lived for a while with his father inTraralgon,Victoria.[1]
Kemsley attended theIndependent School of Dramatic Art,North Sydney (1968–71) as well as a National Institute of Dramatic Art Playwright Forum in 1973 and aRADA Professional Workshop in London in 1979.
Kemsley's background was in acting and television. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kemsley was known to television audiences as "Skeeter the Paperboy", an on-screen cap-wearing persona (who once said his full name was Amos Skeeter - a play on "a mosquito") that he portrayed as a cast member ofSuper Flying Fun Show, and then as host ofSkeeter's Cartoon Corner inSydney on theNine Network. Another show,Skeeter's Music Hall, also ran on TCN-9 in 1972 immediately afterCartoon Corner.[2]
Cartoon Corner offered a mix of US cartoons (such asWacky Races,Scooby-Doo andThe Archies), with viewer competitions. One of Skeeter's tag lines on the telephone with viewer contestants who were unsuccessful was "golly gosh". When Kemsley left in 1973 to travel to the UK, the host role was given to 16-year-old Greg Bepper. later ofClass of '74.[3] In March 1974 the slot was filled byThe Channel Niners withMarty and Emu and the following year the Melbourne version ofCartoon Corner, hosted byDaryl Somers, was instituted in both Sydney and Melbourne.[4]
In 1973 Kemsley compered a variety program on the Nine Network titledJunior Cabaret. He also appeared in the ABC TV mini-seriesThe Cousin From Fiji andSeven Little Australians.
Kemsley studied acting at the Independent Theatre of Dramatic Art from 1969–1972 underDoris Fitton and attended the Playwright Forum at theNational Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1973 under the directorship of David Whittaker. He went on to write three children's plays:The Land Of Coloured Dreams,Once Upon A Time... And All That andThe Magical Adventures of Puck.
Kemsley left Channel Nine and then studied in England at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in 1979.
In 1984 Kemsley was invited to take over the syndicated comic strip,Ginger Meggs, and several comic books featuring the character have since been published.
He has also contributed toThe Traralgon Journal,Adelaide'sSunday Mail,Sydney'sThe Sun-Herald,The Sydney Morning Herald andThe Daily Telegraph. Kemsley twice served as President of the Australian Cartoonists' Association.
Awards include the 2001 Stanley Award for Cartoonist of the Year, presented by theAustralian Cartoonist's Association. In 1990 & 2004, Kemsley received the Stanley for Comic Strip Artist, as voted by his peers. Under Kemsley's pen and Atlantic Syndication's marketing, "Ginger Meggs" now appears in newspapers in over 120 newspaper in 30 countries.
Kemsley continued to draw theGinger Meggs strip until he died at his home inBowral, New South Wales on 3 December 2007 after a two-year battle withmotor neuron disease.[5]
