''The Western Mail'', or ''Western Mail'', was the name of two weekly newspapers published in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Published 1885–1955

The Western Mail - Christmas 1897 - Page 1

The first ''Western Mail'' was published on 19 December 1885 by Charles Harper and

John Winthrop Hackett Sir John Winthrop Hackett Sr. (4 February 184819 February 1916), generally known as "Winthrop Hackett", was a proprietor and editor of several newspapers in Western Australia, a politician and a university chancellor. Early life Hackett was b ...

, co-owners of ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'', the state's major daily paper. It was printed by James Gibney at the paper's office in

St Georges Terrace St Georges Terrace (colloquially known as "The Terrace") is the main street in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River and forms the major arterial road through the central business district. Its western e ...

. In 1901, in the publication ''Twentieth century impressions of Western Australia'', a history of the early days of the ''West Australian'' and the ''Western Mail'' was published. In the 1920s ''The West Australian'' employed its first permanent photographer Fred Flood, many of whose photographs were featured in the ''Western Mail''. In 1933 it celebrated its first use of photographs in 1897 in a ''West Australian'' article. The Western Mail featured early work from a large number of prominent West Australian authors and artists, including;

Mary Durack Dame Mary Durack (20 February 1913 – 16 December 1994) was an Australian author and historian. She wrote ''Kings in Grass Castles'' and ''Keep Him My Country''. Childhood Mary Durack, born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Michael Patrick ...

Elizabeth Durack Elizabeth Durack Clancy CMG, OBE (6 July 1915 – 25 May 2000) was a Western Australian artist and writer. Early life Born in the Perth suburb of Claremont on 6 July 1915, she was a daughter of Kimberley pioneer, Michael Patrick Durack ...

May Gibbs Cecilia May Gibbs MBE (17 January 1877 – 27 November 1969) was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her gumnut babies (also known as "bush babies" or "bush fairies"), and the book ''Snugglepot a ...

Stan Cross Stanley George Cross (3 December 1888 – 16 June 1977) was born in the United States but was known as an Australian strip and political cartoonist who drew for ''Smith's Weekly'' and the ''Herald & Weekly Times''. Cross is famous for his iconi ...

and Amy Heap. The ''Western Mail Annual'' editions (1897–1955) carried significant collections of Western Australia art, photography and writing from lesser-known artists such as

Amelia Bunbury Amelia Matilda Richardson Pries Bunbury (1863–1956), better known as Amelia Bunbury, was a noted photographer, furniture carver, horse breeder, and botanical collector based in south-west and north-west Western Australia. Life Amelia Matild ...

. The Western Mail was primarily created to provide farmers with up to date information. However, for many women in the most isolated areas of the state it represented their only social connections beyond their families. The women's and children's sections became popular and often attracted the most revenue for the paper. West Australian Newspapers management experimented with a variety of formats in the late 1940s and early 1950s, including the ''Weekend Mail'' for five years (see publication details below). The newspaper was renamed to ''The Countryman'' on 27 January 1955. However, the name ''Western Mail'' was recycled for a last Christmas Annual in 1956.

Published 1980–1988

In 1980 the name was resurrected for a new weekly, published by Western Mail Limited. The push for a new paper was made by

Robert Holmes à Court Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court (27 July 1937 – 2 September 1990) was a South African-born Australian businessman who became Australia's first billionaire, before dying suddenly of a heart attack in 1990 at the age of 53. A great- ...

and

Bell Group A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an intern ...

following his failed takeover attempt of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' (UK). The venture was wound up in 1988. Western Mail centenary cover 1929

Publication details

1885–1955 (WA Newspapers)

The ''Western Mail''. Perth, W.A: West Australian Newspapers * Vol. 1, no. 1 (19 December 1885) – Vol. 70, no. 3403 (20 January 1955) ;Days of issues * Weekly on Thursday 3 July 1919 – 20 January 1955 * Weekly on Friday 27 September 1912 – 27 June 1919 * Weekly on Saturday 16 September 1899 – 21 September 1912 * Weekly on Friday 21 June 1895 – 8 September 1899 * Weekly on Saturday 19 December. 1885 – 15 June 1895 ;Special issues and supplements * Annual Christmas edition – 1897–1956 * State Centenary Number of the ''Western Mail'', 4 July 1929 (including a colour reproduction of the painting 'The Founding of Perth' by G. Pitt Morison, and a historical calendar of the state) * Centenary of the ''West Australian'' 1933 * ''Countryman's Magazine'' (Vol. 1, no. 1 (18 August 1949) – Vol. 2, No. 8 (9 April 1951) * ''Women's Magazine'' (21 March 1946 – 23 October 1947) ;Weekend Mail. Perth .A.: West Australian Newspapers Ltd * Known as ''Weekend Mail – TV'' from 5 September 1959 to 1960 * Vol. 1, No. 1 (22 January 1955) - Vol. 6, No. 290 (30 July 1960) * Weekly on Saturday. * Annual supplement: ''Weekend Mail Annual'' (1955–1960)

1980–1988 (Western Mail Ltd)

The ''Western Mail'', Perth, W.A : Western Mail Ltd., 1980–1988. * Vol. 1, No. 1 (8 November 1980) – No. 374 (31 December – 3 January 1988). * Weekly on Saturday.

Editors

:1944:

Malcolm Uren Malcolm John Leggoe Uren, (7 January 1900 – 22 July 1973) was an Australian journalist who edited the ''Western Mail'' in Western Australia. Early life Uren was born on 7 January 1900 in West Hindmarsh, an inner-city suburb in Adelaide, So ...

Note on sources

Most dates are derived from the entries in the

State Library A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...

's reference catalogue:
''Western Mail'' 1980

''Western Mail'' 1885

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Western Mail, The Publications established in 1885 Defunct newspapers published in Perth, Western Australia Weekly newspapers published in Australia 1885 establishments in Australia 1955 disestablishments in Australia 1980 establishments in Australia 1988 disestablishments in Australia The West Australian Newspapers on Trove