Remember When … There’s a tiny bit of Ginger Meggs in all of us!

Gone but not forgotten. In 1921, our first glimpse of the red-headed larrikin who was on his way to become a national icon. Thanks, Ginger, for your antics over the last 102 years.

The inspiration behind Ginger Meggs’ name was a woman.  She was Ross Russell, a social columnist for The Advertiser (Adelaide), who gave Bancks the right name for his red haired, school-wagging and “champeen” of all sports.

Russell was once asked by cartoonist, Jimmy Bancks, who was her favourite friend. Russell replied, “Ginger Mah”. The “Mah” became “Meggs.”

Bancks had named the cartoon Ginger Smith. But, after he had a detailed conversation with Rosslyn, he changed it to Ginger Meggs.

Ginger Meggs made his debut in the first coloured comic section of the Sunday Sun (Sydney) to by published in an Australian newspaper on November 13, 1921. The strip, known as Us Fellers, was drawn by “a promising young artist”, J.C. Bancks.

The strip, currently appearing in Australian papers, is syndicated overseas to more than 45 countries. Featured in the panel is a slightly modified Ginger drawn by James Chatfield.

MAIN: Meggs was Banck’s fortune. Below: The row of Ginger Meggs’ since he was first drawn.

It’ll be one hell of an adventure when you pal up with Ginger Meggs!
 

Chatfield is the fifth artist to draw the cartoon. Various changes have been made to Ginger Meggs in the last couple of years. It also appears on Instagram.

Meggs acts like a modern Australian kid.

Chatfield took over from James Kemsley who had drawn Ginger since March 18, 1984. Kemsley died of motor neurone disease in 2007. Other artists to have the strip include Vivian (1953-1973) and Piper (1973-1984). 

Bancks created the strip at the behest of the great editor, Monty Grover.

The early strips featured the adventures of “a beguiling little girl” called Gladsome Gladys. He was tired of the restriction imposed by the character and decided to develop one of the supporting ‘players’ – a tear-away kid called Ginger.

And in 1922, Gladsome Gladys had vanished from the panel.

The comic was renamed from Us Fellas to Ginger Meggs in November 1929. In 1951, Bancks decamped from the Sunday Sun after 29 years and transferred to the Sunday Telegraph and later to the Sun-Herald (Sydney)

Bancks died in 1952. Ross Russell in 2010.
 

Jason Chatfield & Meggs tell some secrets