Story tellers - Hal Eyre & Llywelyn Lucas | State Library of Queensland

This is the story of one of Australia’s best-known illustrators and one of Queensland’s prolific but lesser-known poets, whose creative collaboration has gone largely unrecognised.

Hal Eyre, cartoonist and illustrator

Hal Eyre (1875-1946), also known as Alf Ponty and Harry Lucas, was one of Australia's best-known illustrators of the early twentieth century.

Portrait of Hal Eyre, 1930. State Library of Queensland

Illustration: "Coo-ee" Australia welcomes the world aviators, by Hal Eyre. Accession: 8016, Hal Eyre cartoons, State Library of Queensland.

Eyre was born at Sofala, NSW, and first moved to Brisbane in the 1890s. Eyre worked in the boot-making industry before joining The Queenslander and later The Daily Mail (Brisbane) as an illustrator and cartoonist.

In 1908 he was appointed political cartoonist in Sydney for the Daily Telegraph, and established a national reputation. During the First World War, his cartoons were widely admired for their symbolism and satirical portrayals of political leaders. Eyre married ceramicist Violet Hodgson in 1901, they had three children, Alwunne, Harry and Elaine. The 357 original drawings he produced for the paper during the First World War were purchased by the State Library of NSW in 1920.

Eyre returned to Queensland in the late 1920's, where he lived with author Llywelyn Lucas, in a rural village south-west of Brisbane, going under the name Harry Eyre Lucas. Hal and Llywelyn had a daughter in 1937 who they named Halyn. Hal continued to write, illustrate and exhibit until his death at Boonah in 1946.

Illustrations from "Betty and the Bears" written and illustrated by Hal Eye, 1932. The library's copy is signed by the author and was donated by Llywelyn Lucas in 1940

Llywelyn Lucas, poet and playwright

Beryl 'Llywelyn' Lucas (1898-1967) has been described as one of the strong minded and independent band of women poets who flourished in Queensland from the 1920s to the 1940s, and who lived an unconventional life.

Illustration by Hal Eyre, Poem by Llywelyn Lucas. Accession: 8016, Hal Eyre cartoons, State Library of Queensland.

Portrait of Llywelyn Lucas: The Home : an Australian quarterly., v.9, no.9, 1928-09-01, p.79

Lucas was born in Victoria to Albert Llewellyn Lucas and Mary Mackie. Her father died before her birth, and she was raised by her widowed mother.

Although she initially hoped to study medicine, Lucas studied horticulture at the Burnley School and established a gardening business with her mother. After moving to Brisbane following the First World War, Lucas worked for her brother Keith, a veterinary surgeon, while pursuing her writing.

During the 1920s her poetry, plays and short stories were published in newspapers, and she became a regular contributor to the Brisbane Telegraph. Her first collection of poetry was published in the 1930s under the name Lyn Lucas, after which she adopted Llywelyn as her pen name.

Following Eyre's death in 1946, Lucas moved to Victoria Point with her daughter who would have been just 9 years old. Llwelyn continued writing throughout her life, her final work 'Brown Boronia : a collection of 66 poems' was published in 1966. She was buried in the Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane under the name of Beryl Llywelyn Eyre.

The artistic collaboration between Eyre and Lucas is not well known, but the State Library holds quite a number of collections and publications that reflect this time they shared. They include art works, plays and poetry.

A significant collection of original materials - Hal Eyre's art works and Llywelyn Lucas's papers - manuscripts, poems and plays was donated to the State Library over a number of years by their daughter Halyn.

Story tellers - Hal Eyre & Llywelyn Lucas

Hal Eyre, cartoonist and illustrator

Llywelyn Lucas, poet and playwright

Read more ...

Comments