Labour Leader Andrew
Little has paid tribute to the iconic Kiwi artist Murray
Ball who passed away today.
“Murray mined a rich
vein of New Zealand popular culture and exported it to the
world. Wal and Dog and all the other Kiwi characters he
crafted through Footrot Flats were hugely popular here and
in Australia, Europe and North America.
“They
captured a quintessential part of our great country and were
inspired by farm life he shared with his wife Pam.
“As a young lad growing up in Taranaki, I really
connected to his cartoons of provincial life in New
Zealand.
“He not only brought a smile to my face,
he really was a hero of mine, because he used his standing
to push for greater social justice.
“He was a man
of conviction and I remember his strong voice protesting
against the 1981 Springbok Tour.
“I’ll miss him
greatly as will many New Zealanders, but his memory will
live on and be honoured through his cartoons.
“I
extend my sympathies to his family at this sad time,” says
Andrew
Little.
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