Now it's the Mt Eliza resident's turn to hit the headlines in his own right. Mr Hook, 83, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day honours for his service to the print media as a cartoonist and political and social commentator.

Mr Hook, who signed his cartoons as 'Jeff' because he thought it looked better, was shocked by the recognition.

"It's the sort of thing you read about happening to other people, and can understand why those people have been honoured, but you don't really consider yourself in that category," he said.

Mr Hook's cartoons always contained a hidden hook, which was eagerly searched for by his fans. He recalled getting the occasional ear-bashing over the years from politicians who didn't appreciate his pithy humour.

"I always prided myself on being a permanent member of the opposition when being a cartoonist," he said. "I was apolitical — the government of the day was fair game.’’

Mr Hook said cartoons had the potential to influence public opinion. "A cartoon can carry a message quicker [than a story].''

"If it's funny, the person who is looking at it will remember the joke and that will carry some influence."

He still draws cartoons when the mood takes him, which are uploaded to his website by wife Pauline "as I'm a bit of a dill with the computer".