Book review

Tom Scott Drawn Out

By Mike Beckett

Recently Tom Scott announced that after seventy years of writing and drawing cartoons he was retiring from print journalism and the Dominion Post ran his final cartoon. With this retirement looming he had already written this memoir which is rightly described as ‘a seriously funny memoir’. For that is what it is, at times hilariously funny, however at others serious and heart breaking. 

His introduction to journalism was with the Victoria University student  newspaper in the 1970s. From there he was employed as a Listener political commentator and illustrator where he worked for over a decade before joining the Evening Post and later it’s successor The Dom Post.

Along the way his life has been one adventure after another which are recounted in this memoir. Early years were difficult, his father was a violent alcoholic, eventually his mother had enough and left with Tom and his twin sister Sue. The family were always hard up. He also found school difficult with his strange features condemning him to being an outsider, this along with an inability to grasp basic maths sadly misunderstood by teachers. However with his natural resilient he has many happy childhood memories. 

Journalism with it’s variety of was a perfect fit for his adventurous nature and with his knack of seeing the ridiculous his columns were sharp and amusing attracting an enthusiastic following. He found his natural home in the Press gallery where he became the thorn in Rob Muldoon’s side. Muldoon famously banned Tom from his press presentations and refused to have him on the official press contingent of his historic Indian and China tours. Tom went and an unofficial reporter anyway.

Along with Muldoon he observed at point blank range Prime Ministers Norman Kirk, David Lange, Mike Moore, Jim Bolger, Helen Clark and john Key. And from time to time fallen out with many of them. 

Along with his political writings he has written television documentaries including a series on his friend Ed Hilary. He co-wrote the stage play and film Footrot flats with Murray Ball, along with stage plays including the Daylight Atheist which was a hit both in New Zealand and abroad.  

He has travelled extensively including some far flung places with Ed Hilary. Indeed his frequent travels, along with an engaging personality and admitted ‘wandering eye’ resulted in broken relationships. 

This mix of very serious, amusing and often hilarious memories makes for a very enjoyable read and often thought provoking read. With for older readers a reminder of some interesting times but for everybody just a jolly good read with plenty of laughs along the way.

It would make a great Christmas present. 

Photo with