Frank Dunne

Who was Frank Dunne?

Lawrence Francis Dunne, generally known as "Frank" but also as "Beau" was an Australian cartoonist, born in Boorowa, near Harden, New South Wales.

While apprenticed as a process-engraver in 1914, at the outbreak of WWI, he and his brother Bill joined the First AIF. He served with the 1st Field Ambulance from 1915 to 1919 in theatres as far apart as Gallipoli and Pozieres.

He joined Smith's Weekly in 1928 as staff cartoonist and after the death of Cecil Hartt in 1930, illustrated its Unofficial History of the AIF pages with similar joke drawings of the Australian "digger". He was in turn succeeded by Lance Mattinson. While at Smith's, he made a notable caricature of the staff artists "Seeing's Believing - Smith's Artists On Parade 30 July 1932"

Frank was also a talented painter in oils, despite his being colour-blind - his sons would help him distinguish red from green.