At the last Stanley Awards

I was asked at little notice – a couple of days prior – if I was interested in announcing the recipient of the Australian Cartoonists Association’s Stanley Award’s Comic Strip category. Of course, how could I say "no"?! However, I was bamboozled. What could I say? Inspiration arrived at 3 a.m. on the day of the ceremony!
Here’s what I said (for posterity):

“I’d like to relate to you all tonight a true story. You may think it’s funny, but it is a true story.
“There’s a cartoonist I knew who lived in Gympie. It was a time in my life where I was going through a little trouble in my relationship. He wanted to offer me some advice.
“This cartoonist is now in his third marriage." (Knowing that would get their attention, this caused some murmurs in the audience.)
“His name is Ken Dove. Look, he doesn’t get into the news in Inkspot often. And he doesn’t attend these annual dinners or award nights. But Ken is a member of the Australian Cartoonists Association. And he remains a member because he likes getting his copy of Inkspot.
“Ken Dove drew the political cartoon for The Gympie Times for many, many years. And Ken recently got married. Married a lovely girl called Barbie.”
(Some laughs from the audience.) “Yes, this is a true story.
“Ken’s an example how sometimes little people can give big advice. Ken’s advice to me: ‘Laugh. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Go on a holiday’.”

“I’d like to think that comic strips in our newspapers are on holiday. Because a newspaper without comic strips is a newspaper that doesn’t take itself too seriously."

“And a country without comic strips is a country that takes itself too seriously."

“Australians need to laugh more. You people (our cartoonists) try to make us do just that. You’re the little people doing a big job. Thank you.” [End of Speech.]

The nominees for the Comic Strip category are:
Gary Jones
Tony Clark
Ian Lopes  
And the recipient is … Gary Clark.