His novels frequently focussed on criminal outsiders such as 'The Push' (a Sydney larrikin element analogous to the 'bodgies' of the 1950s, 'rockers' of the 1960s and bikies of today), bushrangers such as Thunderbolt, Ben Hall.
Following the misadventures of two larrikin soldiers, the strip was based on the "Gunn's Gully" newspaper humor columns written during the 1920s and 1930s by C. J. Dennis of the Melbourne Herald.
The program commenced in 1986 during the tenure of the Labor Hawke Government in Australia, and featured Bob Hawke as its main character, although the program usually referred to him as "King Bonza the Charismatic" - a reflection of Hawke's larrikin image and populist appeal.