Corporal Norman Frederick Hetherington

Service number N205247, NX131018
Birth Date 1921-05-29
Birth Place Australia: New South Wales, Sydney, Lilyfield
Death Date 2010-12-06
Death Place Australia: New South Wales, Sydney, Greenwich
Places
Conflicts/Operations
  • Second World War, 1939-1945
  • Second World War, 1939-1945
Description

Norman Frederick Hetherington OAM (1921 - 2010) was an Australian artist, teacher, cartoonist (known as "Heth"), puppeteer, and puppet designer. He is best remembered as the creator of Mr. Squiggle, one of Australia's longest running children's shows.

Born in Sydney, he contributed his first cartoon to 'The Bulletin' while still at high school, before studying art at East Sydney Technical College in the late 1930's. He joined the Citizens Military Force in 1941, and enlisted in the Second AIF in 1942. Despite having enlisted in the infantry, his talent as a cartoonist and performer was quickly recognised, and he was moved across to the Army Entertainment Unit, Second Division Concert Party, later called the number 4 Detachment of the 1st Australian Army Entertainment Unit. During the war he served in Dutch New Guinea, New Guinea, New Britain, and in the Torres Strait Islands, all the time drawing, painting and cartooning.

Hetherington joined the Bulletin full time after his war service, and began to experiment with puppetry. his television career at the ABC begain in 1956; Mr Squiggle was so successful that it ran from 1959 for 40 years.

Timeline

Date of birth 29 May 1921
Date of enlistment 16 May 1941
Date of discharge 16 May 1946
Date of death 06 December 2010