Arthur Sidney Lyon (1817–1861), was a journalist and newspaper proprietor in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. He was known as "the father of the press in colonial Queensland". He was the founder of the ''

Moreton Bay Courier Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ...

'' (later ''

Brisbane Courier ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

'', now ''

The Courier-Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, ...

'') and the ''

Darling Downs Gazette The ''Darling Downs Gazette'' was a newspaper published from 1848 to 1922 in Drayton and Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia. History ''The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser'' was founded in 1858 by Arthur Sidney Lyon. The first issu ...

''.

Early life

Lyon started his career as a station manager in

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

(later the Colony of Queensland) in 1842. He managed

Henry Stuart Russell Henry Stuart Russell (16 March 1818 – 5 March 1889) was an English-born explorer, politician, historian and pastoralist, best known for establishing the Cecil Plains Station around the Condamine River area of Australia. Early life Russell wa ...

's Burrandowan station on the

Burnett River The Burnett River is a river located in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta a ...

Newspaper career

He worked on newspapers in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

prior to his arrival in Moreton Bay district. In February 1846 he convened a meeting at the Victoria Hotel in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

for the purpose of establishing a newspaper. He received a number of offers of support at the meeting. When James Swan (later the proprietor of the ''Courier'') arrived soon afterwards with the requisite material, the first paper in the district was started under the title of the ''Moreton Bay Courier'', and our "No. I" made its appearance on 20 June 1846. Mr. Lyon's connection with the newspaper continued for about three years. In July 1850, he returned to journalism, writing for the '' Moreton Bay Free Press'', a paper which was started as the organ of the party who were at that time anxious to achieve "separation with exiles." In October 1855, he became the editor of the newspaper '' North Australian, Ipswich and General Advertiser'', the first issue of which was issued on the 2nd of that month. After working for about two years on that newspaper, he had a disagreement with the proprietors and that ended his relationship with the newspaper. Lyon attempted to start a second paper in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

but decided it would not succeed. He then looked further afield to the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

, and on 11 June 1858, he published the first issue of the ''

'' in Drayton (now a suburb of

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

). A short time subsequently, he became the subject of repeated and virulent paralytic attacks, and he resigned as editor, but continued as proprietor.

Later life

After leaving Drayton he went to live in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and the southern islands of

where he lived until his death. He died at Cleveland Point on 22 October 1861 from an inflammation of the abdomen at 44 years of age and was buried at the

Cleveland Pioneer Cemetery Cleveland Pioneer Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at Lisa Street, Cleveland, City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Cleveland No.1 Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 18 September 2009. Hi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, Arthur Sidney 1817 births 1861 deaths Australian newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century Australian journalists 19th-century Australian male writers 19th-century male writers People from Redland City Pre-Separation Queensland 19th-century Australian businesspeople Australian male journalists

Early life

Newspaper career

Later life

See also

References