''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia.

History

The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir James Joynton Smith, a prominent Sydney figure during World War One, conducting fund-raising and recruitment drives. Its two other founders were theatrical publicist

Claude McKay Festus Claudius "Claude" McKay OJ (September 15, 1890See Wayne F. Cooper, ''Claude McKay, Rebel Sojourner In The Harlem Renaissance (New York, Schocken, 1987) p. 377 n. 19. As Cooper's authoritative biography explains, McKay's family predated ...

and journalist

Clyde Packer Robert Clyde Packer (22 July 19358 April 2001), usually known as Clyde Packer, was the son of Australian newspaper magnate Frank Packer and the elder brother of media baron Kerry Packer. From 23 April 1964 to 22 April 1976 he was a Member of ...

, father of

Sir Frank Packer Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network. He was a patriarch of the Packer family. Early life Frank Packer was born in K ...

and grandfather of media baron

Kerry Packer Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling ...

. Mainly directed at the male (especially ex-Servicemen) market, it mixed

sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotion ...

, satire and controversial opinions with sporting and finance news. It also included short stories, and many cartoons and caricatures as a main feature of its lively format.Blaikie, George ''Remember Smith's Weekly'' Angus & Robertson, London 1967 One of its chief attractions in the 1920s was the ''Unofficial History of the A.I.F.'' feature, whose cartoons and contributions from returned soldiers helped perpetuate the image of the " digger" as an easy-going individual with a healthy disrespect for authority. It also worked hard to ensure that promises made to soldiers during hostilities were not swept aside in peacetime. Of particular concern was men affected by shellshock, a condition which was being minimised by some "experts" as deserving scorn rather than sympathy. Staff cartoonists associated with this feature included the succession of

Cecil Hartt Cecil Lawrence Hartt (15 July 1884 – ''c''. 17 May 1930) was an Australian cartoonist and caricaturist. As a wartime artist, he popularised the concept of the Australian digger as independent, easy-going and disrespectful of authority, ...

Frank Dunne Lawrence Francis Dunne (1898 – 23 December 1937), generally known as "Frank" but also as "Beau" was an Australian cartoonist, born in Boorowa, near Harden, New South Wales. While apprenticed as a process-engraver in 1914, at the outbreak ...

and Lance Mattinson. From 1922 the ''Smith's Weekly'' offices were at 126-130 Phillip Street. It also had a special Investigation department staffed by journalists with a bent for sleuthing. One of its many exposures is credited with dealing a fatal blow to the

New Guard The New Guard was an Australian fascist paramilitary organisation during the Great Depression. It was the largest and most successful fascist organisation in Australian history. The New Guard, known for its violent agitation against Premier o ...

, an incipient fascist movement of the 1930s. One of ''Smith's Weeklys innovations was, in conjunction with Union Theatres Ltd., the first "

Miss Australia Miss Australia was the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest or the Miss Australia Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named. From 2002, the Miss World Australia contest has been held, and the Miss ...

" beauty contest, selected from winners from each State. Prizes included a trip to America with £500 spending money, a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

and paid speaking engagements. Winners were: *1926:

Beryl Mills Beryl Lucy Mills (3 January 1907 – 13 July 1977) was an advertising agent, librarian, and beauty queen. She was the first woman to win the Miss Australia quest in 1926 Early life Beryl Lucy Mills was born on 3 January 1907 at Walkaway, Weste ...

Geraldton, Western Australia Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

; she married journalist Frank Davison of ''Smith's Weekly'', her escort on the World Tour. *1927: Phyllis von Alwyn of

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

. The company which promised a motor car as part of the prize never delivered. The winner of the "Miss New South Wales" heat was controversially changed at the last moment. The contest was then quietly dropped, but re-instituted in 1936 with much broader selection criteria, in which beauty was not mentioned. The judging panel was composed entirely of prominent women; the winner was Sheila Martin of

Wagga, New South Wales Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

. The prize for "Miss Australia 1937" was a trip to London to attend the coronation of Edward VIII on 12 May 1937 (which instead became the coronation of

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

) followed by a tour of Canada and the United States. ''Smith's Weekly'' staff included notable poet

Kenneth Slessor Kenneth Adolphe Slessor (27 March 190130 June 1971) was an Australian poet, journalist and official war correspondent in World War II. He was one of Australia's leading poets, notable particularly for the absorption of modernist influences int ...

as editor, and cartoonists of the stature of

George Finey George Edmond Finey (16 March 1895 – 8 June 1987) was an Australian black-and-white artist, noted for his unconventional appearance and left-wing politics. He was born in Parnell, New Zealand. While working as an apprentice lithographer at the ...

, Emile Mercier and Stan Cross. It was a launching pad for two generations of outstanding Australian journalists and cartoonists. In the 1930s Dick Randall submitted articles for publication in ''Smith's Weekly'', later becoming finance editor. In 1966, as Sir Richard Randall, he became Secretary to the Treasury, Canberra. Three rare

Lovecraftian Lovecraftian horror, sometimes used interchangeably with "cosmic horror", is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named a ...

stories were originally published by the well-known "Witch of the Cross" in Sydney,

Rosaleen Norton Rosaleen Miriam Norton (2 October 1917 – 5 December 1979), who used the name of Thorn, was a New Zealand-born Australian artist and occultist, in the latter capacity adhering to a form of pantheistic / Neopagan Witchcraft largely devoted to t ...

in ''Smith's Weekly''. They were later reprinted as, ''Three Macabre Tales'' (US: Typographeum Press, 1996).

Decline and closure

On 5 April 1932, Francis Barnby Wilkinson and his girlfriend Dorothy Ruth Denzel, were victims of a callous double murder at

Moorebank Moorebank is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Moorebank is located 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Liverpool. Moorebank features a mix ...

by William Cyril Moxley. In the issue dated 30 July 1932, ''Smith's Weekly'' published a barrage of ugly allegations against Wilkinson, including attempted extortion and being a police informant. They were quickly proven false, a fact that was seized on by the daily newspapers. ''Smith's Weekly'' never fully recovered from its loss of reputation. Its fortunes revived somewhat during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, once again doggedly supporting the men at the front, but at war's end rising costs and lack of capital (new owners seeing its value as real estate rather than a business) accelerated its decline, and the last issue, dated 28 October 1950, was a tabloid of a mere 24 pages.

Noteworthy employees

Editors-in-Chief *Claude McKay 1919–1927 * Frank Marien 1928–1936 *Harry Cox 1938–1939 *

June–September 1939 *Claude McKay 1939–1950 Editors *Reg Moses 1930–1935 *Kenneth Slessor 1935–1939 *George Goddard 1939–1947 *Edgar Holt 1947–1950 Artists * Stan Cross – employed from March 1919, the second artist employed by ''Smith's Weekly''.'Smith's' Gigantic Easter Egg: History of 'Smith's' Art Supremacy
''Smith's Weekly'' (Sydney), 20 April 1935, page 21. *

Les Dixon Leslie Dixon (1910–2002), was an Australian cartoonist and commercial artist. Biography Dixon was born Leslie Charles Brailey in Sydney on 25 July 1910 and adopted by Charles and Lillian Dixon when he was only six months old. He attended ...

* George Donaldson *Lance ('Driff') Driffield *

*John Endean *

* Charles Hallett * Cec Hartt – employed from the first edition in March 1919 to his death in 1930; the first artist employed by ''Smith's Weekly''. * Mollie Horseman *

Eric Jolliffe Eric Ernest Jolliffe (31 January 190716 November 2001)Tony Stephens, "A talent drawn from the bush", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 27 November 2001, p. 44. was an Australian cartoonist and illustrator. Early life Born in Portsmouth, England, ...

Joe Jonsson Nils Josef Jonsson (originally Jönsson) (13 December 1890 – 19 March 1963) was an Australian cartoonist born in Halmstad, Sweden. At age 18 he went to sea for nine years, painting in his spare time. In 1915 he "jumped ship" in New Zealand whe ...

*Alex King *Joseph Lynch *Lance Mattinson * Emile Mercier * Syd Miller * Norm Mitchell * Joan Morrison *'Petrov' (Geoffrey Claude Turton) * Jim Phillips – Walkley awards 1960, 1962. * Virgil Reilly – began to contribute during 1924, probably becoming a staff artist from about January 1925; he left ''Smith's'' in about January 1938 to work for Consolidated Press (publisher of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' and ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

''). * Jim Russell * Alek Sass (born Alexander Phillip Williams; known as Alek or Alec Sass) – employed from March 1919, the third artist employed by ''Smith's Weekly'', and its first art editor. Alek Sass died on 1 December 1922.Alek Sass Dead
''Evening News'' (Sydney), 1 December 1922, page 8. Crime reporters *Vince Kelly, who also wrote: ''Guarded Pearls'' (1948); ''The Shadow – Australia's underworld cop'' (1954) – about Frank Fahy; ''The Bogey Man – the exploits of Sergeant C J Chuck, Australia's most unpopular cop'' (1956); ''Rugged Angel – the amazing career of policewoman Lillian Armfield'' (1961, 1995? ); ''The Shark-arm Case'' (1963, 1975 ); ''The Charge is Murder'' (1965). *Harry Maddison Writers and reporters *

Bartlett Adamson George Ernest “Bartlett” Adamson (22 December 1884 – 4 November 1951) was an Australian journalist, poet, author and political activist. Life and work Adamson was born at Cascade, Ringarooma, Tasmania, Australia, on 22 December 1884 to a ...

* George Blaikie 1931–1950 *Clem Cleveson *

Dorothy Drain Dorothy Drain (16 August 1909 – 31 May 1996) was an Australian journalist, columnist, war correspondent, editor and poet. She worked as a journalist with ''The Australian Women's Weekly'' for 38 years, with the final five years being as its e ...

(journalist and poet) *Reg Harris (later press secretary to several Federal Ministers) *

Bernard Hesling Bernard Hesling (1905–1987) was a British-born muralist and painter who lived and worked in Australia and produced many vitreous enamel artworks and wrote humorous autobiographies. Early years Hesling was from a Yorkshire family. He was born ...

* Errol Knox (later Sir Errol of The (Melbourne) Argus) *

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial perio ...

Lennie Lower Leonard "Lennie" Waldemar Lower (24 September 1903 – 19 July 1947) was an Australian humorist who is still considered by many to be the comic genius of Australian journalism. Life and career Lower was born in Dubbo, New South Wales. His fathe ...

Ronald McCuaig Ronald McCuaig (2 April 19081 March 1993) was an Australian poet, journalist, literary critic, humorist and children's author. He was described by Geoffrey Dutton as "Australia's first modern poet" and Kenneth Slessor included him in "the front ...

*Alex MacDonald (previously scriptwriter for "Mo"

Roy Rene Roy Rene (born Henry van der Sluys, 15 February 189122 November 1954) was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. ...

) *Adam McKay (literary editor) *Reg Moses ("Mo") (satirist) 1920–1935 *John O'Donnell *John Quinn (poet) 1945–1947 *Dick Randall (finance editor) 1930s (later Sir Richard Randall) *Helen Seager * Colin Simpson (author, journalist and traveller) *

*Rupert Tribe (motoring journalist, also wrote short stories) *Gus Walker Sports writers *Jim Donald (boxing) *Tom Foley (racing) *Cliff Graves (racing) Advertising *Ernie Brewer *Hugh Dash (later press secretary to Prime Minister

Menzies Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

) *William Gasnier (later father of Rugby League star

Reg Gasnier Reginald William "Reg" Gasnier (12 May 1939 – 11 May 2014) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967 and represented Australian national rugby league team, Australia in a then ...

)

Digitisation

''Smith's Weekly'' has been digitised as part of the

Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program 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 ...

of 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 ...

References

External links