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In the Political Conning Tower – 2nd column
The Column got another run on October 11, 1902.
Here is the second column, obviously the column only gets a run when Federal Parliament is sitting.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196581565?searchTerm=Member%20for%20Indi
Non Bendigonians may not know, but Sir John Quick was one of Bendigo’s most famous citizens. Depicted fairly youthfully here, he was 50 years of age when elected to the first federal Parliament, the same year he was knighted. He served in the Deakin Ministry from 1905-1913. Very important behind scenes player in Federation. (one of the key wordsmiths of the constitution)
Bert would have known Quick, as Quick had written a forward to Bert’s Souvenir Booklet on Bendigo two years earlier. Howard (one of the founding Members of Bert Levy Appreciation Society, BLAS) gave a stunning address on Quick to the young coves at Latrobe University on their graduation some time back. They are still talking about it to this day !! (see attached) https://www.latrobe.edu.au/bendigo/news/quick
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In the Political Conning Tower….
Bert finds a new role at the Leader, sketching the first sittings of the new Federal Parliament. I have a strong feeling this also is written by Bert. The style, the wit are very much like the material generated in Bendigo the prior two years. The author’s name “Verges” I can’t explain nor the line in the sketch “Marry Sir, Our Watch Tonight “(Much Ado) Any thoughts out there ?
In the Political Conning-Tower’ written by a columnist called ‘Verges’ in September 1902.
The ‘Conning Tower’ reference obviously to someone in the overhead chambre gallery. Pre dating submarines obviously? New column seems to have intentions on gossip from gallery of new the Federal Parliament which was sitting the Victorian Lower House Chamber until Canberra was built.Here is the full page on Trove – well worth a read. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196586467?searchTerm=In%20the%20political%20Conning-Tower
Here are some of the characters referenced in the column and Bert’s sketches.
Interesting description of the future Prime Minister later referred to as ‘the Rat’. The columnist says ….. 
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Final 7 ‘Representative Men’ from the Leader Newspaper 1902
The final 7, with the last being the most interesting.
Victorian Treasurer William Sheils
Sir Thomas Fitzgerald – A notable Surgeon 
Mr Richard O’Connor- Senate Leader
Mr Richard Fitz Gibson – Board of Works Chairman 
Sir Duncan Gillies MLA & Speaker 
Sir William Lyne – Federal Home Minister 
Mr William Trenwith M.L.A Minister for the Railways and Chief Secretary This last Representative Man would have been an interesting sketch for Bert. YOu may recall Bert was an apprentice boot maker at his father’s factory in West Melbourne in the 1880s… probably age 13-14. Bert wrote of this time and seeing Mr Trenwith the Union Leader visits to his father’s factory in 1912. (below)
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The Railway Picnic at Ballarat.
The Railway Picnic at Ballarat – Leader Newspaper February 8 1902 See the full page on Trove
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196578962/21367922
These sketches are so good they deserve enlargement. The captions for each also priceless.
No. 1. Those who pay 
No. 2. Those ‘on the nod’. 
No. 3. The horrified member of the Peace Society 
No. 4. The Acting Commissioner ‘Sad in his pleasures’ 
No. 5. An overworked Minister 
No. 6. A Porter’s Enjoyment -‘Hurry up, Please’ 
No. 7 A Rush for the Last Train -
Leader newspaper ‘Representative men’
The Leader was a weekly newspaper in Melbourne and came out on Saturday. It was a “companion weekly” to the daily newspaper The Age, and was edited by David Syme‘s brother George Syme.[1] Its first issue was released in February 1855, under the title “The Weekly Age”.[2] Like many other newspapers (The Bendigo Independent also) it disappeared at the end of the WW1.
For nearly three years Bert’s sketches were prominent on Page 33 of the Saturday Leader.
Rev Dr Llewelyn David BEVIN (1842–1918). Controversial Congregationalist Minister. Caricature likeness of Bevan by ‘B.A.L.’ (Bert Abraham Levy) in the series ‘Representative men’ was published in the Leader in 1901. Here is the full Leader article & sketch – August 24 1901 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196600847?searchTerm=representative%20men%20Bevan
Charles Kingston was a leading figure in the popular movement for federation, and in 1900, he travelled to London with Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin to oversee the passage of the federation bill through the Parliament of the United Kingdom. City of Kingston in Melbourne’s south east named after him. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196600164?searchTerm=Charles%20C.%20Kingston
The Honourable Speaker was Mr Francis Conway Mason, Member for Gippsland South https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196599095?searchTerm=representative%20men%20speaker
Federal Treasurer Sir George Turner P.C https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196597648?searchTerm=representative%20men
JOHN CHRISTOPHER WATSON, M.P. FEDERAL LABOR LEADER. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196576165?searchTerm=representative%20men
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More ‘Representative Men’ by Bert
From the ‘Leader Newspaper’ 1901/02/03
THE HONORABLE ALFRED DEAKIN, M.P. FEDERAL ATTORNEY-GENERAL in 1901 and of course future Prime Minister. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196574471?searchTerm=representative%20men
THE HON. GEORGE SELTH COPPIN Upper House Conservative MP https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197944423?searchTerm=representative%20men
A line from Coppin’s profile – ‘His tendency was Conservative, if anything. For instance, he was opposed to payment of members, and always disbursed his £300 a year in charity, a display which, however, had something of a smack of the old “artful Dodger” of the puppet world of players.’
JOHN ANDERSON PANTON P.M. Panton became magistrate and Gold Field’s Commissioner at Woods Point then at Heidelberg, where he also mapped the Yarra Valley, naming Panton Hill, after himself, obviously. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197945892?searchTerm=representative%20men
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM HILL IRVINE.
M.L.A., PREMIER OF VICTORIA. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196571282?searchTerm=representative%20menFrom his wikipedia page – “Irvine carried a vote of no confidence in the Peacock ministry. Commissioned to form a government, he was remarked for his temerity in choosing a cabinet without consulting David Syme“.
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Continuing Bert’s sketches in the Leader Newspaper 1902
Sir Thomas Bent was Minister of the Railways in the State of Victoria when Bert sketched him in late 1902. He went onto become the 22nd Premier of Victoria. He was so conservative he was kicked out of the Conservatives !!
I have a sneaking suspicion that Bert wrote these political profiles as well as doing the sketches. The writing is very Bert as seen in Bendigo the two years earlier. One quote in the article about Bent reads…
“His motto, therefore, is appropriately enough, ‘Nil Desperandum’. It might still more appropriately be, “Bent, not Broken.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bent
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196579967?searchTerm=REpresentative%20Men 
Statue in Brighton near Bay Street -
“Can a Souffle rise twice ?”
Been waiting for an opportunity to use this quote, however, upon doing some checking, this famous Peacock was not related to the colt from Kooyong! Bummer. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/peacock-sir-alexander-james-7994
Bert’s sketch of Sir Alexander Peacock, Premier of Victoria in 1901 and staunch Federation proponent. Member for Creswick. 
State Library Catalogue description: Photomechanical prints of some of these held in Pictures collection in a series titled “People we know”. All signed by artist.
Painted on cardboard with paper sheet fixed to top of image to protect surface.
45cm X 25cmHere is how Bert’s sketch was used in Syme’s ‘The Leader’ paper on Dec 28 1901.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196595002?searchTerm=REpresentative%20Men Article highlights how he went from grocer’s boy in Clunes to wealthy Premier of the state.
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Working for David Syme at the Age
Extract from Bert’s bio piece in the Lone Hand Theatre Magazine in February 1912.
Sir George Jenkins, clerk to the first Legislative Assembly, wearing robes and wig. State Library of Victoria Collection. ‘People We Know’ series
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Another politician by Bert.
David Syme (the age) had Bert sketch all the most prominent players of that era. (1902)
Sir John Forrest, explorer and Politician. He was a big man !! In 1901, Forrest was invited to join Prime Minister Edmund Barton‘s inaugural federal cabinet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forrest
Below is the paper (the Leader) where the sketch was published. 
If time, read the article at the link below.. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196578962?searchTerm=representative%20man
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Bert Levy 