News Corp Release Official Statement On Bill Leak’s Death
News Corp has released an official statement following the shock death of cartoonist Bill Leak, 61, from a heart attack on Friday morning.
It comes on news today that the The Cartoonist of the Year award at News Corp Australia’s News Awards has been renamed after Leak.
The statement read in full:
“It is with immense sadness News Corp Australia announces the passing of The Australian cartoonist Bill Leak today in Gosford Hospital. He was 61.
The Australian Editor-In-Chief Paul Whittaker said: “It is with huge sadness and shock that I share the news of Bill Leak’s passing today.
“We will miss him dreadfully and our hearts go out to his wife Goong, his step-daughter Tasha and his sons Johannes and Jasper.
“Bill was a giant in his field of cartooning and portraiture. He was a towering figure for more than two decades as The Australian’s editorial cartoonist. Our friend Bill is simply irreplaceable.
“Bill’s last public event on Wednesday night to launch his new book was a great triumph. He spoke with his trademark wit and wisdom to a room filled with friends, colleagues and fans, all of whom wished him well and expressed great appreciation of his strength and his unwavering commitment to free speech and true Australian values.”
News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said: “Bill was a man of extraordinary talent – one of the premier cartoonists of his generation but also a highly accomplished portrait painter and writer.
“His stature in our industry among contemporary cartoonists was unsurpassed and in my opinion, he was at the pinnacle of his long career.
“Few can match Bill’s career achievements: two News Awards for cartoonist of the year, nine Walkley awards for excellence in journalism, 19 Stanley Awards from the Australian Cartoonists’ Association and an Archibald Prize finalist 12 times.
“His portraits of Bob Hawke and Bill Hayden hang in Canberra’s Parliament House and his portraits of Sir Donald Bradman, Dick Woolcott and Robert Hughes are in the National Portrait Gallery collection.
“But most of all Bill was Bill: a man with a unique talent for understanding the most complex of issues and cutting through the smokescreens to focus Australians on the real issues no matter how confronting.
“He was brave and insightful, provocative, at times outrageous, irreverent but always clear and brilliant – and most of all passionate. He was one of Australia’s greatest champions of freedom of speech.
“However what really set Bill apart and made him an industry legend was that he was incredibly funny. We will never forget the humour in his work and his wit and laughter as a person.”
Latest News
Wednesday TV Wrap: TV Viewers Show Little Love For The 2020 ARIA Awards
It appears Australians weren’t all that interested in the 2020 ARIA Awards, with just 287,000 metro viewers tuning in to watch the Awards on Channel Nine, according to OzTAM data. Tame Impala took out Album Of The Year with The Slow Rush, while Song of the Year went to 5 Seconds Of Summer’s ‘Teeth’. ABC’s Gruen was […]
Apple Spreads The Christmas Joy In New Ad Starring Rapper Tierra Whack
It’s been a tough year for a lot of us. But rather than reminding everyone of the hardships 2020 has brought, tech giant Apple has decided to spread the joy of Christmas in its latest holiday spot. The ad features an initially gloomy Tierra Whack (American rapper, singer and songwriter) coming home from what appears […]
Frontier Advertising Rebrands, Wins New Clients & Boosts Teams
Frontier Advertising has rebranded to Frontier Media, complete with a fresh new look, and expanded its core team to accomodate some big clients wins. Frontier Media was acquired by Australian-owned, independent agency group VMG (Venetian Media Group) in early 2020. The rebrand is seen as an important step in VMG’s growth strategy and core services […]
How Starlight Children’s Foundation Relies On The Power Of Storytelling And Intelligencebank To Amplify Its Brand
As one of Australia’s best-known charities, the Starlight Children’s Foundation has a reputation for providing much-needed support and happiness. Starlight brings a little more brightness into the lives of seriously ill children and their families, so they can forget about their illness for a while and reconnect with the joy of being a child. Of […]
Peak Season? Let’s Talk Peak Performance
With this year’s Black Friday sales now just days away, Kristen Cornale, Co-founder and Strategic Director at UnDigital, gives her advice on how to get the most from your Black Friday sale. It’s no secret that online shopping has become more and more prominent over the last few years. With the introduction of Click Frenzy […]
Indie Agency Paykel Media Snares Dan Hojnik For Strategy & Planning Role
Independent media agency Paykel Media has announced the appointment of Dan Hojnik to the new role of head of strategy and planning. Hojnik will start at Paykel Media on 4 January. Based in Melbourne, he will report to Sarah Keith, who joined Paykel Media as national managing director in early November, based in Sydney. Hojnikwas […]
GroupM Agencies Dominate Global New Business Media Wins For Q1-Q3
According to the latest global media agency study New Business Barometer for Q1-Q3 2020 published by COMvergence, Wavemaker came out as the top global media agency in new business results with total new business value of $US1.1 billion (including $US370M of retentions) during the first nine months of 2020. This is largely due to strong […]
Six Ways To Supercharge Your Service Standards & Value
Mark Carter (main photo) is an international keynote speaker, trainer and coach. He has over 20 years’ experience as a global learning and development professional and author of the book Add Value. In this guest post, Carter offers easy tips to adding a value proposition to your customer service… Adding value via service is a […]
ACTIV Brand Management Strikes New Partnership With Nine’s The Block
Melbourne-based, boutique activations and brand experience company, ACTIV Brand Management, has secured a new partnership with Nine The Block, which saw them deliver a series of sensory brand experiences to support the show’s sponsorship engagement and virtual events calendar. In response to the changing events landscape, the team at ACTIV recently launched Brand Box, a […]
VERSA Expands Into India
World-leading conversational AI agency VERSA has announced its expansion into India, capitalising on demand for specialised conversational strategy and design in a market with a population of more than 1.3 billion people, and an installed base of nearly a billion mobile phones. VERSA India will be a 50/50 joint venture between VERSA (Headquartered in Melbourne, […]
Alive – Pioneering The Transition From Live Events To Meet The Demand Of Virtual For The Last 10 Years
Alive are celebrating 10 years! Leaders in creative event production, and the launch of ‘Alive TV’ showcases the revolutionary concepts created for clients during this challenging year; such as the most recent virtual success stories with clients such as Luxoticca Brickworks and The International Rose Garden Festival. Alive Events have pioneered the virtual space for […]
Study: 68% Of Aussies Don’t Want Their Health Data Used For Marketing
B&T's editor is happy marketers use his health data and welcomes ads from Anusol, De-Gas and Canestan Anti-Fungal.
Adobe: Gen Z Believes It Is Australia’s Most Creative Generation
Apparently all the technology invented by the Boomers and the Xers have given the Zs delusions of grandeur.
The Ultimate Shoey! Iconic Aussie Brands VB & Volley Partner To Launch Must-Have Shoe Of Summer
The vegan, lactose-free tofu sausage aside, the must-have at any hipster BBQ this summer has to be the VB Volley.
Thinksmart Marketing Executes Campaign From Hot Air Balloon
Integrated B2B marketing agency Thinksmart Marketing (TSM) has managed to execute a campaign from 3,000ft up in a hot air balloon. NICE inContact, approached TSM earlier this year to build preference, drive demand and generate strong leads for the brand across ANZ, with a campaign focusing on showcasing the capabilities and agility of its global-leading […]
Study: 74% Of Aussies Believe Brands Lie In Their Marketing Communications
B&T doesn't tolerate lying in any form except when it comes to our weight, our Tinder profile & our annual tax return.
AppsFlyer Opens Sydney Office Amid Expected Surge In Mobile Marketing Spend
Global attribution and marketing analytics company AppsFlyer has expanded into Australia and New Zealand, with the official opening of its first office in Sydney. It marks the opening of the company’s 19th office worldwide, with AppsFlyer hoping to “support the region’s rapidly growing local app economy”. The company said it plans capitalise on ANZ’s mobile […]
Bushfire Survivors Tell Their Stories In Latest South Australian Country Fire Service Campaign Via Nation
The stories of Black Summer have the power to change the way we all prepare and plan for bushfires.
Carrie & Tommy To Return To Hit Network’s National Drive In 2021
Carrie Bickmore returns to the Hit Network's drive show. Thankful not to have to suffer Waleed for a few hours.
“More ABC Funding Cuts?”: Triple J & Radio National Suffer Horrendous Broadcast Malfunction
triple J listeners subjected to distorted, whiny noise following breakdown. Confused it for Lime Cordiale's new album.
Are We Ready For The Future Customer?
All B&T will say on the "future customer" is we hope they're less "Karen from Bunnings" or Woolies' aisle Fight Club.
Why The Marketing Industry Needs Skills-Based Training
Calls today for better skills-based training for marketers. Although that doesn't include Reiki or cupcake decorating.
Creative Directors Toby Moore And Luke Thompson Join Special Group Australia
It's been a mega week for Special Group - B&T's Agency Of The Year, new appointments & a new seal on the dishwasher.
Global Ad Spends Drop 6.8% in 2020, But Set For A 5.9% Rebound In 2021
After biding our time for two decades, B&T's managed to dust-off our favourite Sydney 2000 trampolining photo for this.
Torrens University Announces Removal Of ATAR Requirement, In Campaign Via VCCP Sydney
In good news for the dim, thick and illiterate, Torrens University announces abolition of the ATAR requirement.
Akcelo Appointed By VentureCrowd For Marketing Transformation Program
Brand experience and innovation company Akcelo has been appointed by equity crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd to lead its marketing transformation plans. Akcelo will drive VentureCrowd’s customer strategy, acquisition and nurturing programs as part of the transformation program, including the Salesforce Marketing Cloud integration to its business ecosystem. VentureCrowd is a digital investment platform which gives investors […]
Earth Funerals Reveals New Brand Identity And Digital Platform Via VMLY&R Melbourne
Admittedly, it's been deathly quiet on the funeral news front of late at B&T, but we've done some digging here.
The PR Hub Announces New Hires & Client Wins
Public Relations agency The PR Hub is expanding its team, announcing the hire of two senior account managers, Olivia Jarman and Trudy Scott. The hires will support growth in the business with the agency experiencing an increase in demand for B2B and B2C communications and personal branding services across a broad range of technology driven […]
Mondelez International Appoints Publicis Groupe & Sorrell’s MediaMonks To Handle Its Global Production Operations
Sir Martin greedily dunking a Mondelez Oero in his Twinings English Breakfast this morning as S4 chalks up another win.
Food Corp Launches Shoppable Media Platform And Autumn/Winter 2021 Trends
It's a Autumn/Winter 2021 food trends report which will make grim reading for lovers of the cheese & pineapple hedgehog.
