''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and folded into '' The Advertiser'' almost a century later in February 1931. The newspaper was the sole primary source for almost all information about the settlement and early history of South Australia. It documented shipping schedules, legal history and court records at a time when official records were not kept. According to the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

, its pages contain "one hundred years of births, deaths, marriages, crime, building history, the establishment of towns and businesses, political and social comment". All issues are freely available online, via

Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text document ...

History

''The Register'' was conceived by Robert Thomas, a law stationer, who had purchased for his family of land in the proposed South Australian province after being impressed by the ideas of

Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a member of parliament). He also had significant interests in Britis ...

. The first issue (printed by William Clowes & Sons, Duke-street, Stamford-street, Lambeth, London),The Register's Fiftieth Anniversary
''South Australian Register'' 3 June 1887 p.6 accessed 6 June 2011 appeared in London on 18 June 1836 with his friend and partner, George Stevenson, as editor. Thomas embarked for South Australia aboard the later that year, arriving on 10 November 1836 with his family and equipment to set up a printing plant. It was six months before the first colonial edition of ''The Register'' was printed on 3 June 1837 in a small mud hut on

Town Acre In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogona ...

No. 56 in

Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and soc ...

, near what is now named Register Place. (The colloquialism "mud hut" would seem to be an understatement for a substantial

pisé Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method. ...

building in which was operated a demy

Stanhope press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the c ...

, an ancient wooden press, and racks holding "half a ton of bourgeois and brevier type, a good fount of small pica for printing official documents, and a quantity of general jobbing type" with all the other requirements for editing, setting up, printing and distributing an admittedly small circulation newspaper.) From the start, the paper asserted a strongly independent stance. Stevenson's style was vigorous and provocative, making himself and ''The Register'' several enemies. His opposition to Colonel William Light's choice of site for the new capital and J.H. Fisher as Resident Commissioner, led them and others to found the ''

Southern Australian ''The South Australian'' was a newspaper published in Adelaide, the capital of colonial South Australia from 2 June 1838 to 19 August 1851. Between 1838 and 1844, it was published as The ''Southern Australian.'' History ''The Southern Australia ...

'' in direct competition with ''The Register''. The paper's antagonism of

Governor Gawler Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, KH, (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 ...

led to ''The Register'' losing government business notably the ''

South Australian Government Gazette ''The South Australian Government Gazette'' is the government gazette of the South Australian Government. The ''South Australian Gazette'' was first printed on 20 June 1839, after the South Australian Government chose to have its own publicatio ...

''. The printers Thomas & Co. had disengaged themselves from editorial content in June 1839 in a vain attempt to protect their monopoly and lost about £1,650 a year. His protest that he was authorised by the British Government to do its printing failed and, insolvent, he sold the paper for £600 to James Allen (previously editor of the ''South Australian Magazine'') in 1842, as Stevenson withdrew from journalism. Thomas also published the weekly ''

Adelaide Chronicle and South Australian Literary Record The ''Adelaide Chronicle'' (full title: ''The Adelaide Chronicle, and South Australian Literary Record'') was an early publication in Adelaide, the capital of the then colony of South Australia. It was published between and , when it ceased pub ...

'' (10 December 1839 – 18 May 1842). John Stephens, who had in 1843 founded ''

The Adelaide Observer ''The Observer'', previously ''The Adelaide Observer'', was a Saturday newspaper published in Adelaide, South Australia from July 1843 to February 1931. Virtually every issue of the newspaper (under both titles) has been digitised and is availabl ...

'', in 1845 purchased ''The Register''. Anthony Forster became part owner in 1848; With the death of Stephens in 1850, his share was taken over by John Taylor. Forster's share was taken over by

Joseph Fisher Joseph Fisher or Joe Fisher may refer to: * Joe Fisher (ice hockey) (1916–2002), Canadian professional ice hockey player * Joe Fisher (journalist) (1947–2001) * Joseph Fisher (priest) (1655–1705), Archdeacon of Carlisle * Joseph Fisher (Austr ...

in 1853, then sold to

John Howard Clark John Howard Clark (15 January 1830 – 20 May 1878) was editor of ''The South Australian Register'' from 1870 to 1877 and was responsible for its ''Echoes from the Bush'' column and closely associated with its ''Geoffry Crabthorn'' persona. ...

in 1865."Fisher, Joseph"
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' Online accessed 2 June 2011 The paper, having been printed sporadically previously, became weekly in June 1838 and later twice-weekly from February 1843. By 1840, ''The Register'' employed a staff of 21. These were an editor, three pressmen, ten compositors, two binders, a collector, a clerk, delivery man and two boys. One of its compositors also acted as sub-editor. Its circulation by 1840 was 900. On 1 January 1850, it became a daily publication, and three years later the paper was bought back by Thomas's son

William Kyffin Thomas William Kyffin Thomas (4 November 1821 – 4 July 1878) was a newspaper proprietor in South Australia. William, the son of Robert Thomas, was born in Fleet Street, London and emigrated to South Australia with his father in 1836 on the . From tha ...

as part of South Australia's first media syndicate with Anthony Forster, Edward William Andrews and

. They also purchased its weekly sister publication, ''The Adelaide Observer'', and established ''The Evening Journal'' (January 1869 – September 1912) which morphed into ''The Journal'' (October 1912 – July 1923) which then became '' The News''. Its Saturday edition was called ''The Saturday Journal'' (July 1923 – April 1929). ''The Register'' outlasted many competitors throughout its long history, holding a monopoly on the market at various stages, but it ultimately met its match in '' The Advertiser''. ''The Advertiser'', founded in 1858, first emerged as a serious challenger to the paper in the 1870s. The defining move which swung Adelaide readership from the conservative ''Register'' to the more egalitarian ''Advertiser'' was the latter's dramatic price reduction from 2d. to 1d., and hiring an army of canvassers, on commission, to peddle the paper. The ''Register'' was slow to respond, the ''Advertiser'' started putting its circulation figures on the masthead. By the time the ''Register'' cut its price the die was cast. The ''Advertiser'' bought out ''The Register'' and closed it down in February 1931 after the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

had severely reduced its fortunes, forcing it to become largely pictorial.

Chronology

Details are from an article marking the 50th anniversary of its first publication in South Australia and from 1886 the article "Sketch of the History of the Register" except where noted. :1836 Vol. 1 No. 1 printed in London by Clowes and Sons for Robert Thomas and George Stevenson on 18 June ::

Proclamation of South Australia Proclamation Day is the name of official or unofficial holidays or other anniversaries which commemorate or mark an important proclamation. In some cases it may be the day of, or the anniversary of, the proclamation of a monarch's accession to th ...

printed for government on 30 December; the first printing job in the new colony :1837 The press was moved to Acre 56, 37 Hindley Street just west of Morphett Street on 1 June. ::The ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'' Vol 1, issue 2 appears, dated 3 June 1837. Although subscribers were promised weekly publication, subsequent issues were published on 8 July, 29 July, 12 August, 16 September, 4 October, 19 October, 11 November. Price at this time was 6d. per issue. :1838? Robert's son

(born 1821), aged 16, began work for the paper. :1839 Government retracted Thomas's right to publish ''Government Gazette'' on 15 June. The paper was henceforth titled ''South Australian Register''. Price was raised to 1s. (12d.) :1840 Thomas and Stevenson purchased ''The Adelaide Chronicle'' copyright and equipment from W. C. Cox; the newly-incorporated ''Chronicle'' (edited by J. F. Bennett) being published on Wednesdays and the ''Register'' on Saturday. ::Early in year enlarged from 6 demy pages to 8, then on 29 August turned to

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...

format. :1842 Purchased by James Allen :1843 Premises moved to corner of Rundle and King William Streets – the "

Beehive Corner The Beehive Corner is a landmark in the Adelaide city centre, on the north-eastern corner of King William Street and Rundle Street, centrally placed between the railway station and the city's shopping precinct. History The name gained curren ...

". ::Publication moved to twice-weekly. :1845 ''Register'' purchased in June by John Stephens, who had acted as editor for some months several years previously. Stephens' own paper ''

'', a weekly newspaper directed at regional South Australia, first published 29 June 1843 and printed by George Dehane, was published concurrently. R. D. Hanson was his hard-working lawyer and occasional contributor. ::Moved to larger premises in Hindley Street :1848 Anthony Forster became part-owner, but after a few months took no part in its running. :1850 Daily publication began in January. Around this time price was reduced to 4d. ::Stephens died 28 November. Publication taken over by William Kyffin Thomas. :1851 Charles Day employed as junior. :1853 The paper was taken over by a syndicate of seven, which soon reduced to four: Forster,

, E. W. Andrews and William Kyffin Thomas. :1854 Move from Hindley Street to

Grenfell Street Grenfell Street () is a major street in the north-east quarter of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. The street runs west-east from King William Street to East Terrace. On the other side of King William Street, it continues as Currie S ...

and steam-powered press installed ::

Andrew Garran Andrew Garran (19 November 1825 – 6 June 1901), English-Australian journalist and politician, was the editor of the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' from 1873 to 1885. Biography Garran was born in London in 1825. He was educated at Hackney Gra ...

joined as editor, left for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1856 :1856? J. H Barrow became co-editor around this time. He left in 1858 to become co-founder of ''

The Advertiser (Adelaide) ''The Advertiser'' is a daily tabloid format newspaper based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. First published as a broadsheet named ''The South Australian Advertiser'' on 12 July 1858,W. W. R. Whitridge William Whitridge Roberts Whitridge (c. 1824 – 26 May 1861) was an Australian newspaper editor in the early days of South Australia. History Whitridge emigrated from England on the ''Panama'', arriving in South Australia in October 1850. A fel ...

succeeded Barrow; he died in 1861. :1860 Robert Thomas died: editorship was taken over by John Taylor. ::Gas lighting installed (from their own generator until town gas was available) :1864 Price reduced to 3d. :1865 Fisher's share sold to

:1868 Sister newspaper ''Evening Journal'' began publication :1870 Format changed from broadsheet to 8 pages of smaller size. Price was unchanged at 3d. :1877 E. W. Andrews died ::J. Howard Clark died ::Charles Day,

John Harvey Finlayson John Harvey Finlayson (3 February 1843 – 30 March 1915) was the editor and part-owner of the ''South Australian Register''. Employment and social advocacy He joined ''The Register'' in 1861 and became head reporter 1866, a proprietor in 18 ...

and

Robert Kyffin Thomas Sir Robert Kyffin Thomas (19 August 1851 – 13 June 1910) was a South Australian newspaper proprietor. Sir Robert was born at Nailsworth, South Australia, the son of William Kyffin Thomas, proprietor of the ''South Australian Register''. T ...

(who were all involved with its production) were brought in as partners. :1878 William Kyffin Thomas died ::Circulation reached 10,000. :1882 Price reduced to 2d. :1890 C. Day retired from the partnership; Robert Kyffin Thomas took his place as commercial manager. :1892 Knickerbocker press installedThe Register's New Printing Machinery
''The Register'' 11 March 1901 accessed 6 June 2011 ::Price reduced to 1d. :1897

William John Sowden Sir William John Sowden (26 April 1858 – 10 October 1943) was a journalist in South Australia, who was knighted in 1918. History Sowden was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, the son of Thomas Sowden (c. 1832 – 3 May 1888), a miner from Cornwall ...

(ex-''

Port Adelaide News The ''Port Adelaide News'' was a newspaper published in Port Adelaide, South Australia between 1876 and 1933 with various sub-titles, several breaks in publication and periods of bi-weekly publication. History The ''Port Adelaide News'' was foun ...

'', ''

Kapunda Herald ''The Kapunda Herald'' was a newspaper published in Kapunda, South Australia from 29 October 1864 to 25 January 1951. From 1864 to 1878 the masthead was subtitled ''"and Northern Intelligencer"''. It was published weekly, except for the period Feb ...

'') acting editor :1899 Sowden and Evan Kyffin Thomas joined the partnership. Sowden (later Sir William) editor 1899–1922. :1900 Name changed from ''South Australian Register'' to ''The Register'' :1901 3-decker Hoe press installed :1929 The company was restructured as Register Newspapers Limited with directors Evan Kyffin Thomas, C. Kyffin Thomas and

Keith Murdoch Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist, businessman and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the current Executive chairman for News Corporation and the chairman of Fox Corporation. Early life Murdoc ...

. :1930 Became ''Register News-Pictorial'' :1931 Circulation improving but still unprofitable. Last issue 20 February 1931Last Issue of The Register on Friday
''The Register News-Pictorial'' 17 February 1931 p.3 accessed 6 July 2011 ::Incorporated with ''The Advertiser'' as ''The'' ''Advertiser and Register'' on 21 February ::Last issue 30 September.

References

External links

* * * {{Adelaide newspapers, ~1850 Publications established in 1836 Publications disestablished in 1931 1836 establishments in Australia 1931 disestablishments in Australia History of Adelaide Defunct newspapers published in Adelaide

History

Chronology

See also

References

External links