Robert Martin Osborne (c. 1852 – 22 September 1931) was a newspaper editor and proprietor of several newspapers in South Australia, notably the ''
Petersburg Times
Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to:
Places Australia
*Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia
Canada
* Petersburg, Ontario
Russia
*Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg
United States
* Peterborg, U.S. Vir ...
'' in the town now known as
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, the son of Rev. Robert Ivey Osborne. He was apprenticed to a printer, and had experience in England, Scotland, Ireland and New York before emigrating to South Australia on the steamer "John Elder" in 1884.
He worked on David Drysdale's
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
''Dispatch'', and ran a newspaper in Teetulpa before founding '' The Petersburg Times, Orroroo Chronicle and Northern Advertiser'' in 1887. He was active in the Petersburg community, for a time member of the town council,Another councillor was one William Osborne (1855–1907), bootmaker, married to Fanny (died 1888) and married again in 1889, to Hannah Elizabeth Wade of Jamestown. It is unlikely they were related, as William hailed from
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
. helping establish trees and in other ways improving the town. In 1896 his brother Samuel W. Osborne came out from England to assist him, and together they founded the
Quorn
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin.
Quorn is sold as bo ...
''Mercury'' and the ''Advertiser'' in
Port Pirie
Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
, where he remained for many years.
In 1897 Robert left Petersburg to establish a printing business in
Victoria Square, Adelaide
Victoria Square, also known as Tarntanyangga (formerly Tarndanyangga) (), is the central square of five public squares in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.
It is one of six squares designed by the founder of Adelaide, Colonel William L ...
, later moving to
Currie Street
Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map of the
S.A. Farmers' Co-operative Union, and ''The S.A. Freemason''. He purchased ''The Garden and Field'' (edited by Alexis L. Holtze, son of
M. W. Holtze
Maurice William Holtze (8 July 1840 – 12 October 1923) born in Hanover, Germany, was a botanist who established Darwin's Botanical Gardens in Fannie Bay, Northern Territory, Fannie Bay, Darwin in 1878. When he left to take charge of Adelaide Bo ...
), edited the
Unley
Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...
''Citizen'', and for a time ran ''The Critic''. In 1909 R. M. Osborne sold the ''Times'' and ''Quorn Mercury'' to W. H. Bennett, previously an employee. The building, which was still owned by Osborne, was destroyed by fire 23 December 1909, at a great loss to Mr. Bennett.
Robert left for Launceston, where he served as Alderman, and was elected Mayor in 1929. He died in Sydney following a surgical operation.
Family
He married Laura Martha Axford, (c. 1861 – 16 April 1928) on 26 January 1887; their children included Mrs. L. F. Sutherland, of Sydney, and Miss Dorothy Osborne, of Launceston.