AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Richard Osburne and John Wilkinson were the original proprietors of The Warrnambool Examiner and Western Districts Advertiser. 'The gold rush closed the paper and Osburne reluctantly moved to Forest Creek, near Castlemaine, where he ran a store with a nephew. In October 1853 Osburne resumed publication of the Examiner. He leased it to H. Laurie and W. Fairfax for five years from October 1867, and with his family temporarily moved to Melbourne. When Osburne resumed control of his paper, Laurie and Fairfax launched the Warrnambool Standard; another competitor was the short-lived Guardian. Osburne, '"father of the Warrnambool press" complained of disloyalty from friends and the public, and gave up his proprietorship at the end of 1880. In 1883 the Examiner was incorporated in the Standard.'
Source: John Barrett, 'Osburne, Richard (1825-1895)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/osburne-richard-4346/text7057,
Sighted: 06/05/2013
Notes
-
While some sources state that The Warrnambool Examiner and Western Districts Advertiser ceased publication in 1878, there is conflicting evidence suggesting it was still being published at least until 1880 and possibly until 1883. See for example 'Memories of the Victorian Press' by Our Old 'Chronicle' Boy, Williamstown Chronicle, 2 March 1918, p. 3.
It is probable that sources providing the later end date confuse the Examiner with its successor, the Warrnambool Guardian and Examiner (1878-1879).
-
For publication history, including details of mergers, etc, see: http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/44011
