About the Author EDD(EDuardo Deleon) Aragon arrived in Australia in 1979 with wife Virginia Cristobal (who crossed over in 1987) and to whom the book is dedicated. He was schooled in Manila doing Advertising and Marketing courses in the then Philippine College of Commerce. Worked first as a stenographer-typist in his younger days, drifted to becoming an audio-visual artist for United Laboratories in Manila, joined the student progressive movement in the seventies and learned to do "radical" murals, serigraphs and other artworks for the movement. Edd's first published cartoon strip was "SIC" in 1977 which ran daily in the Philippines Bulletin Today under the editorship of Ben Rodriguez ; and was followed by another daily spot cartoon entitled "Odd Hoc" for the Philippines Daily Express under the editorship of Neal Cruz (currently a Phil.Daily Inquirer columnist). Edd was also a contributing editorial cartoonist for both dailies. Edd also worked for his marital godfather, the late Nonoy Marcelo, Filipino cartoonist and writer (of Tisoy & Ikabod Bubwit fame) and assisted in animation movies. He was also one of the editors of Bukol Magazine, (a Pinoy version of Mad Magazine) also published by Nonoy. Arriving in Australia, Edd joined News Corporation in 1979 as a cartoonist and illustrator. During this time, Tony Dedal published his Philippine Balita in Sydney and Edd was invited to do a comic strip for his community paper. And so Jep was born, a comic strip character whose adventures are based on the exploits of the Filipinos in Australia. In 1984, Edd's martial arts (Arnis & Bakbakan-style fighting) instructor, Rey Galang, published The first Jep book launched in 1985 at the Philippine Consulate in Sydney. In 1989, Edd joined the Sydney Morning Herald where he now works as part-time editorial illustrator and cartoonist. Edd has three children who are also budding artists: Michelle Catherine, now almost 19, doing a degree in Visual Arts in the University of Western Sydney; Michael Edward is 10 and loves nature drawings (and tv wrestling!); and the youngest is Eric Leon, now 8. Exhibits: Manila, 1977, with Sampung Dimensiyon with Hugo Yonzon I, six acrylic paintings; Silahis International Hotel Manila, 1978, with Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas (Edd was one of the founding directors of SKP together with Larry Alcala, Roni Santiago, etc.),Manila Press Club Sydney,1988, with the Australian Black & White Artists, Library of New South Wales Sydney, 1988, with Eric David, Franz Kantor;lifedrawing watercolours, Heritage Gallery Awards: Sydney. 1988, Black & White Artist of the Year nom. award & Best General Illustrator Sydney, 1988, Black & White Artist of the Year nom. award & Best Caricaturist Sydney, 1992 & 1993, Black & White Artist of the Year nom. award & Best Symbolic Illustrator Sydney, 2000, Filipino-Australian Millenium Achiever awarded by San Miguel Corp. & FILCCA |
| You are invited to see Edd's exhibit of political cartoons at the National Museum of Australia (Cartoons 2002) in Canberra; runs from 7th december 2002 to March 17, 2003; and then travels to Perth and Melbourne . more info at www.nma.gov.au |
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