West Coast recorder |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Title : | West Coast recorder |
|
||
Source : | Port Lincoln, Tumby and West Coast recorder, 18 October 1905, p. 1 | |||
Date of creation : | 1905 | |||
Format : | Newspaper | |||
Catalogue record | ||||
The State Library of South Australia is keen to find out more about SA Memory items. We encourage you to contact the Library if you have additional information about any of these items. |
Copyright : | This item is reproduced courtesy of Rural Press Ltd. It may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires written permission from Rural Press Ltd and the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form. |
Description : |
In 1904 David Drysdale, owner of the Port Augusta Dispatch, established a newspaper in Port Lincoln. The first issue of the new newspaper acknowledged the prior existence of the Western weekly news, to which was offered 'the right hand of fellowship' (22 July 1904, p. 2), however, only one issue of the older Port Lincoln newspaper is known to exist. Priced at just one penny for six pages of news, the West Coast recorder was a bargain. The Recorder grew from strength to strength. Although using many syndicated articles in its first years, the newspaper - like Drysdale's Port Augusta dispatch - made a point of including news reports from dozens of tiny communities and settlements around the Eyre Peninsula. The economy of the community was largely derived from farming and, throughout the history of the newspaper, articles about farming and agriculture were also featured. Sport in the form of tennis, football, horseracing, cricket and sailing was reportedand from about 1913 'Frivolo' (later 'Frivoll') conducted a ladies' column. During the First World War a 'Children's corner' with Uncle Ned began. By the 1930s this had become 'Aunt Ada's column'. Photographs appeared in the newspaper on rare occasions, beginning as early as September 1905 with views of Port Lincoln taken by J.H. Secombe. In April 1912 Drysdale established a small subsidiary newspaper, the Streaky Bay standard and West Coast advertiser, which only lasted two issues before being absorbed into the Recorder. For the rest of that year a separate page in the Recorder was headed with this title. Twenty years later, the Recorder proprietors published a longer running second title, TheChallenger, the 'official organ of the Eyre Peninsula Primary Producers and Taxpayers Association'. This ceased publication in 1934. While touring Australia in 1920, Drysdale became ill and died at his home in Port Lincoln on 1 February 1921. The Recorder was taken over by Mrs R.L. McGregor and her two sons. McGregor had worked under Drysdale at the Port Augusta dispatch and claimed to have been instrumental in suggesting he begin a newspaper at Port Lincoln. In 1925 she was first approached by another former Port Augusta dispatch employee, Maurice Hill, to sell the Recorder. She refused, and consequently, in 1927, Hill, with J.E. Edwards founded the Port Lincoln times. McGregor made her opinion of the rival newspaper public knowledge on the front of the Recorder in October 1932 (27 October 1932, p. 1). Hill took over the Recorder in February 1939. During the Second World War, the Recorder maintained its news coverage, giving space to comforts fund appeals and fund-raising, Red Cross and C.W.A. news, and reports of the activities of local servicemen and women. 'Letters from members of our fighting forces' was a regular and lengthy column. Shortly before Christmas 1942, the Recorder announced that it was suspending publication 'owing to circumstances associated with the war' (21 December 1942, p. 2). Its readers were informed that their subscriptions would be transferred to the Port Lincoln times. |
Subjects | |
Related names : | Aunt Ada Drysdale, David, 1845-1921 Edwards, John Ernest Frivoll Frivolo Hill, Maurice Henry McGregor, Mrs R.L. Secombe, J.H. Uncle Ned Challenger (Port Lincoln, S. Aust.) Eyre Peninsula Primary Producers and Taxpayers Association Port Augusta dispatch (Port Augusta, S. Aust.) Port Lincoln times (Port Lincoln, S. Aust.) Streaky Bay standard and West Coast advertiser (Streaky Bay, S. Aust.) Western weekly news (Port Lincoln, S. Aust.) |
Coverage year : | 1905 |
Place : | Port Lincoln, S. Aust. |
Region : | Eyre Peninsula and Far West Coast |
Further reading : | 'Death of Captain Drysdale: a useful career ended', West Coast recorder, 8 February 1921, p. 2 McGregor, Mrs R.L., 'JE Edwards of Adelaide claims to be 'dominant personality'...', West Coast recorder, 27 October 1932, p. 1-2 'Suspending publication', West Coast recorder, 21 December 1942, p. 2 |