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Thomas Garrett Thomas Garrett i(A127603 works by) (Organisation) assertion
Born: Established: Wollongong, Wollongong area, Illawarra, South Coast, New South Wales, ;
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1 y separately published work icon The Manaro Mercury, and Kiandra Advertiser The Monaro Mercury, and Kiandra Advertiser; Monaro Mercury 1861-1931 Cooma : Thomas Garrett , 1861 Z1933120 1861 newspaper
A public meeting in Cooma on 23 February 1861 resolved that ' funds be provided to the extent of £300 as an inducement to the proprietors of the Alpine Pioneer to remove the plant of that journal to Cooma and for indemnifying the said proprietors for the expenditure of moneys necessary for carrying out and perfecting the undertaking'.

The Alpine Pioneer was owned by J. and T. Garrett and it is probable that the Garretts (or at least Thomas Garrett) initially set up the Mercury in Cooma. In its early life, the newspaper was managed by Messers Dixon and Hardie and then by Richard Taylor. In 1864, the paper was acquired by Thomas William Heney, a printer and the father of poet and journalist T. W. Heney. Heney was assisted by his cousin G. W. Spring.. Following Heney's death in 1875, Spring took full control until he sold his interest in the paper to W. M. Madgwick in 1889. A decade later, Madgwick sold the Monaro Mercury to F. C. Hogg who remained as proprietor until 1931.

Source: Monaro Pioneers, (transcribed by Patrick Mould from Felix Mitchell, 'Back to Cooma' Celebrations (1926): 100)
1 y separately published work icon The Alpine Pioneer and Kiandra Advertiser Alpine Pioneer 1860 Kiandra : Thomas Garrett , 1860-1861 Z1933131 1860 newspaper
1 y separately published work icon The Illawarra Mercury 'The Illawarra Mercury and Southern Districts Advertiser 1855 Wollongong : Thomas Garrett , 1855-1950 Z935752 1855 newspaper (353 issues)

In 1855 Thomas Garrett (1830-1891), later a prominent politician, established The Illawarra Mercury at Wollongong, then a town of 800 people. There was no railway and communication with Sydney was mainly by sea. The Illawarra Mercury was produced on an Eagle hand-operated press and the initial circulation was 200 copies.

Source: Kirkpatrick, Rod, Country Conscience (pp. 21-22)

Between 1856 and 1862 the Illawarra Mercury published: Local Intelligence from the area, Court Reports, Sydney News, Colonial News, European News, Extracts and Sketches, Original Correspondence, Select and Original Poetry. In the issue published on January 7, 1856 the editor informed subscribers: 'we shall commence sending the Mercury to all places south of Wollongong ... [Dapto, Jamberoo, Kiama, Shoalhaven] ...thus furnishing them with Sydney news, and the state of the markets ... our columns will, for the future, contain an account of the Arrivals and Departures of the Sydney Shipping; also of the coasters inwards, laden with colonial produce, which, we believe will be of interest to many.'

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