Special Air Service Historical Foundation

Cartoons

This section highlights the work of three notable cartoonists who have contributed to the visual representation and humor associated with the Special Air Service Regiment. This collection features the artistic talents of Dean Alston, Rene 'Dikko' Dikkenburg, and Paul Rigby, each bringing their unique style and background to depict various aspects of SAS life and culture through their cartoons.

Dean Alston

Dean John Douglas Alston (born 1950 in South Perth, Western Australia). He grew up in Mount Pleasant. In 1967 he started a cadetship in cartography with Western Australia’s Landsand Surveys Department. In 1980, he bought into the Carine Glades Tavern, running it until 1984. That year, he married Lisa Prendiville with whom he had a daughter Geraldine (Deanie) in 1985 and a son David in 1988. The couple spent the next eighteen months in England, where Alston worked as a bus driver, drew graphics for British Gas, and produced a strip cartoon for a news and travel magazine. After returning to Western Australia in 1985, Alston was employed by The West Australian. He took over as cartoonist the following year. As of December 2005, he has published nearly 10,000 cartoons, and won numerous awards, including a Walkley in 1991.

See Dean's work

Tactical Insertion - by Dean Alston

Who Dares Wins - by Dean Alston

SAS Troopers in a foreseeable rescue mission - by Dean Alston

I love to go a wandering...- by Dean Alston

Report from Afghanistan - by Dean Alston

Future SAS...Somewhere in Afghanistan - by Dean Alston

The unknown soldier's wife Lest we forget - by Dean Alston

Rene 'Dikko' Dikkenberg

Dikko is a graduate of Port Moresby HighSchool and joined the Royal Australian Survey Corps in the early 1970s. His maths skills weren’t all that great but the recruiters seemed impressed by the fact that he can speak English, Dutch and Melanesian Pidgin. He went on 14 Mapping Operations and received the Australian Service Medal for service in Papua New Guinea. His surveying duties took him to where no white man had ever been and he lived amongst the head-hunting tribesmen in the upper reaches of the Nomad River. Following jungle paths he accessed their villages with 30 native porters behind him carrying his gear. Snakes and crocodiles and villages riddled with leprosy made for an interesting time.

He has served with the Army News for over 20 years. His cartoon strip ‘On The Ball’ was also in the Sports Pages of the Adelaide News and he illustrated the book ‘Understanding Cricket’, which sold out when first published in 1985 and again in 2006. He has drawn just about everyone including the Governor General. Radio also had its appeal and he wrote 12 radio serials which were read in peak time Breakfast Radio when the station had 40% of the listening audience or 400,000 people. On Saturdays he also did live radio broadcasts at the local football and a summary of the matches live to air.

Poetry has always been an interest and many of his poems have been published. The best known being ‘Silent Voices’ which appears on the title page of the book of the same name. For the last five years he has considered himself exceedingly fortunate to be associated with SASR.

Paul Rigby

Paul Crispin Rigby AM was born in Melbourne in 1924 and passed away in November 2006 in Margaret River WA. He was an Australian cartoonist who worked for newspapers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He usually worked under the name Rigby and fostered a close relationship with SASR when working in Perth.

See Paul's work

The Golf Course - by Paul Rigby

SAS Jump This Week - by Paul Rigby

Cartoons

Dean Alston

Rene 'Dikko' Dikkenberg

Paul Rigby

SAS Artworks