Really ‘Yowie Power’, began around 78 years ago when Geoff Pike started caring about the ‘wild folk’ and drawing animal cartoon characters …….
*1936 – 40: Started drawing animals – giving them names ( Aged 7 – 10 )
* 1940 – 44 : Keeping rabbits during war, supposed to be for dinner- gave them names – couldn’t eat them, let them go – raided other peoples hutches at night to let their rabbits out / writing stories – drawing animal characters in air- raid shelters / evacuated – skipped school in favour of wild-life nature study / won prizes for posters and essays on Rabbits / hares / moles / voles / squirrels / hedge hogs / foxes / ( age 10 – 13 )
* 1944 – 45: War teaches a kid that life may be short – losing mates to night – raids, not in school in the morning / Joined training ship – continued drawing animals and birds – frequently punished for WHIPPED FOR IT . ( aged 14 -15 )
* 19945 – 1947 – went to sea as deck-boy … first ship into Hiroshima, checked out local wild-life all over the world / Suez / Canary – Islands / Gibralter / West Arica / Toulon / Siagon / Celon / lndia / Japan /….drawing animal characters and writing stories in spare time af sea … body of work thrown overboard by bosun and crew …. kept on going – kept on throwing …
* 1946 – Blinded by sunstroke in the Persian Gulf / paid off as from Merchant Navy / hospitalized Liverpool regained sight (aged 16 ). Applied for Arts school Watford – animation studio Cookham – Berkshire / rejected by both for lack of funds .. 2 Pics of those animal character submitted aged 16
* 1947 – Went back to sea on Swedish coal-burning oil tankers / checked out wildlife when and where possible through-out the Caribbean – Curacao / Venezuela / Trinidad …. monkies / gibbons / pythons / marmosets / armadillos ….
* 1948 – 49 – Joined Anglo – Iranian oil tanker – Red sea / Bahrain / Abadan / Somaliland …. only camels / donkies / goats … and vultures …no trees or wildlife for for 18months
* 1949-50 – jumped ship at Kurnell walked from Sydney to Baththust – thrilled by wild-life on the way … / bag sewing / wheat-lumping / station Hand / shearers tar boy / railway fettler / boundary rider … in all of these jobs fascinating wild life everywhere – roos and emus / dingos / wallabies / koalas / goannas / black-snakes / mopokes / cockatoos – black and white / grass parrots / rosellas / eagles / blue heron….
Used boundary rider’s hut as animal sanctuary for Joey Kangaroos cast out by mothers during Kangaroo Shoots / bush-fire victims – PIC Of SAME HUT …
Crew on deep seas trawlers- fascinated by types o sea creatures shark / whale / Giant Tasman crabs / moray eels …
Timber-cutter at Oberon practiced new characters in tent … took work to Sydney , contracted to supply for Sandusky over-seas ‘glow in the dark cartoons’ … sold it
19 50 – 51 Traced by authority as illegal Immigrant / 6 months jail / or crew a sinking ship back to England / took ship via South Africa… Liverpool ….
Ran pleasure boat from Falmouth to Truro / Back to sea on Swedish tankers, Caribbean / still drawing cartoons to decorate fo’c’sle …
1952 – Ran pleasure boat from Falmouth to Truro Cornwall / Caught and put into the Army / 2 years / Drill Sergeant – signals instructor …
1954 …’10 pound Pom’ back to Aus. as legal Immigrant…
1954 – 55 … wharehouseman / … Freelance cartoonist – first paying job for cartoon brochure Commenwealth bank – Easter Show bag greetings card painter PICS OF CARTOON BROCHURE
1956 – Greetings Card Painter – John Sands … one of 1st animated cartoonist one week before first TV broadcast … created and wrote kids series TV Tours with books for Channel 7 – Unbearable bear around the world. PIC OF BOOK AND COPY OF CARTOON
1958… Became Director of Animation … first to co-produce US cartoons for paramount Pictures …
1960 … Creative Director Mc Cann – Erickson. took Aussie animation through out Asia for Channel
1961 … Joined syndicate , bought 80 ton Chinese junk sailed 6months painting in the islands of West Pacific … PIC OF JUNK
1962 … Rejoined McCann Executive Film Producer … Assoiate CD
1967 … Regional Creative Director for McCann South East Asia and Pacific Region. Living in Hong Kong / S’apore / Manila / Bankok …
1970 … Won Angus and Robertson Fellowship plus Commonwealth Literary Award …
19 71 … Writing full time first three novels of 20 … in UK / Ireland …
1977 … Living in Manila … martial Arts student / Cancer of the Throat …
1979 … BUNYIP BUSINESS … Established own Company PCS – Pike Creative Services began working On concept of Yowie …
1995 … after 10 years presenting around the World … sold to CSPL …
2013 … The Yowies make their debut in the USA / back in Aussie and every where in the world
( PLENTY OF TV GRABS OR PICS OF gp WITH TOYS / KIDS ETC. …
MORAL : DONT GIVE UP TRYING …
1980 Yowie started out … ‘Bunyip Business’ … prototypes, concept and presentation to all TV Stations … Sam Chisholm keen / Sydney Toy Fair …..
Hong Kong Partner / Hong Kong toy fair / New York toy fair …
Took it to LA / pitched to all major studios … Letter of Intent – Marvel Comics and Fox for Kids
Prototypes made in China … back to LA pitched Yowie to every major toy maker and animation studio in LA … Pitched in New York to King Features …. major interest but no cigar …
Created’ The All Australian Mopoke Band’, with John Laws for bicentenary – emu on bass / red – roo on drums / Koala on ‘ horn / etc …
Re- 1995
Origen of Yowie ? Shot of Boundary Rider’s hut that was my first Aussie home on the Nevertire Plains after jumping ship at Kurnell in 1945 …
Fascinated by wildlife / black-snake ( in my corn-flakes box ) started saving joie roos – turned hut into sanctuary for injured animals – aveeyy for wounded birds