David Campbell with some of the cartoons. Picture: KEN ROBERTSON
Former Illawarra politician David Campbell has been dressed as the caped crusader, tied to railway tracks, and stuck aboard a sinking ship - in cartoon form that is.
The former lord mayor of Wollongong and NSW Labor minister was always a great target for cheeky but clever political cartoonists including the Mercury's Vince O'Farrell, Sydney Morning Herald's Alan Moir and Corrimal-based cartoonist Paul Dorin.
Always funny, but hardly ever flattering, the cartoons mostly got a chuckle out of Mr Campbell, who framed many of them and hung them on the walls of his parliamentary office - even those that depicted him as a walrus.
When his political career ended in 2010, he donated the cartoons to the University of Wollongong library and an exhibition of them will open tomorrow evening.
"Some were complimentary, others were having a bit of a go at me in the political sense, but I took the good with the bad and had a laugh at them," Mr Campbell said.
"They were always another tool for me to stay grounded while I performed my duties in public office and that's why I collected the originals and hung them in my office. They always provided a bit of a talking point."
Mr Campbell said his favourite cartoon was one by O'Farrell, which read 'David is now a Goliath', which ran in 2003 when he was appointed Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Illawarra, and Minister for Small Business.
"That was a positive one so of course I liked it," he said. "Another favourite [which ran in 2008] when I had the transport portfolio, showed me as a masked, caped crusader on the train platform and read 'The mystery shopper - the scourge of transport workers everywhere'."
Mr Campbell, now director of the University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus, said political cartoons were a great illustration of political issues and events.
"They add a point of interest to a newspaper as well as a sense of cutting satire and commentary on the news of the day," he said. "They're a great snapshot of what's happening."
UOW librarian Margie Jantti said the cartoons would be digitised to allow a broad audience to view them.
Mr Campbell resigned as roads and transport minister in May 2010 and he did not seek re-election for the seat of Keira at the 2011 general election.
Thirty-four cartoons from O'Farrell, Moir and Dorin will feature in the exhibition which will run until September 23.
