Alexander George Gurney (15 March 1902 – 4 December 1955) was an Australian artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist born at Pasley House, Stoke, Devonport (now Stoke, Plymouth), England,[1] famous for his creation of two famous Australian comic strips: Ben Bowyang, and Bluey and Curley.

[9][10][11][12] Alex and Junee Gurney had four children: John (1929–2004),[13] Jennifer Anne (1932–2004), Susan (1937–2003),[14] and Margaret (1943–), the eminent Melbourne artist.

[15] Gurney was educated at Macquarie Street State School, where his prowess with a pencil soon became evident, regaling his classmates with caricatures of their faces perched atop incongruous bodies.

[17] Added to his skills as an artist, his capacity for the observation of his fellow humans made him a successful portraitist and caricaturist;[18] by 1918 he was submitting work to The Bulletin, Melbourne Punch and Smith's Weekly.

Gurney, whose work has gained international reputation possesses what is probably the most travelled, and historic drawing board in the Commonwealth.

The door which marked the entrance to a room in which Marcus Clarke is supposed to have written "For the Term of his Natural Life" was bought at an auction sale, the panel- drawing-board being later presented to the then burgeoning artist.

[27] When he moved to the Melbourne Herald in 1933 (as cartoonist for their Sports pages),[5] he started a series Ben Bowyang (based on the C J Dennis creation, and the earlier caricature by Samuel Garnet Wells[28]) for that paper.

[31] By 1939, his fame was such that, not only was he endorsing Red Capstan, cork-tipped, "special mild" cigarettes, he was also supplying the advertisement's art-work as well.

Alex Gurney, creator of the Bluey and Curley comic strip, who died on Sunday night, was that kind of man.

Selwyn Ide, at St Stephen's Church of England, Gardenvale, on Tuesday, 6 December 1955, was attended by "more than 500 journalists, artists and friends".