''The Border Watch'' is an Australian newspaper based in

Mount Gambier, South Australia Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

, as of October 2020 owned by TBW Today Pty Ltd. The paper services Mount Gambier, the South Australian

Limestone Coast The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twenty-first century for a South Australian government region located in the south east of South Australia which immediately adjoins the continental coastline and the Victorian border. The ...

, and parts of

Western Victoria Western Victoria is a wine grape growing zone in the southwestern part of the state of Victoria in Australia. It extends approximately from the South Australia border to Ballarat and from Horsham to the coast. It includes the defined wine regio ...

. It is the oldest and largest regional newspaper in South Australia. After 159 years of publishing the newspaper (along with sister publications '' The Pennant'' and the '' South Eastern Times'') was briefly discontinued on 21 August 2020. However, ''The Border Watch'' resumed operation, under a consortium of new publishing owners, in an initial weekly format on 16 October 2020.

History

''The Border Watch'' was first published on 26 April 1861 by proprietor and editor Andrew Frederick Laurie (1843–1920), aided by his brother

Park Laurie James Park Dawson Laurie (1846 – 2 December 1928), generally known as "Park Laurie", was a pastoralist and politician in the colony of South Australia. History Laurie was born at Kangatong station, near Warrnambool, Victoria, the third son of ...

(1846–1928) and their mother, the widow of the Rev. Alexander Laurie, first Presbyterian minister of nearby

Portland, Victoria Portland is a city in Victoria, Australia, and is the oldest European settlement in the state. It is also the main urban centre in the Shire of Glenelg and is located on Portland Bay. As of the 2021 census the population was 10,016, increasin ...

. It started as a 4-page, single broadsheet weekly in Gambierton, as Mount Gambier township was then known. John Watson (ca.1842 – 13 December 1925) joined in 1863 as editor, and he and A. F. Laurie as publisher managed the company for the next 50 years. Laurie was president of the Mount Gambier Racing Club from its inception and Watson was Mount Gambier's first mayor. Laurie and Watson founded ''

The Narracoorte Herald ''The Naracoorte Herald'' is a weekly newspaper first published in Naracoorte, South Australia on 14 December 1875. It was later sold to Rural Press, previously owned by Fairfax Media, but now an Australian media company trading as Australian Commu ...

'' in 1875, run initially by Archibald Caldwell and

John Baxter Mather John Baxter Mather (5 March 1853 – 7 November 1940) was a Scottish born journalist, newspaper proprietor, landscape painter and art critic in South Australia. History Mather was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Thomas S. Mather (c. 1824 – 20 ...

, and taken over in 1880 by Mather and George Ash. The newspaper went on to incorporate two rivals: the biweekly ''Mount Gambier Standard'' (3 May 1866 – 1874), and the ''South Eastern Star'' (2 October 1877 – 13 October 1930), which had been run by James Fletcher Jones. It also owned and printed the weekly newspaper ''The Pennant'', which services Penola and district, and the ''South Eastern Times'' at Millicent. The newspaper was eventually bought by transport businessman,

Alan Scott Alan Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of a magical ring which grants him a variety of powers. He was created by Mar ...

in 1977. In 2006, prominent editorial staff resigned or took leave due to the perceived interference of the newspaper's owner. Scott died in 2008 and the business remained in the family as part of ''The Border Watch'' Media Group (which also controlled ''The Pennant'' and the ''South Eastern Times)''. On 21 August 2020, as a result of losses due to the pandemic, all three newspapers were discontinued with the loss of 38 jobs. However, a revitalised ''The Border Watch'' later announced on 24 September that it would return to print, initially in a weekly format, from 16 October 2020. The new owner, TBW Today Pty Ltd, represents a partnership of independent newspaper owners from South Australia (i.e. Andrew Manuel of the ''

Plains Producer The ''Plains Producer'' is a weekly newspaper published Wednesdays by Papers and Publications Pty. Ltd. in Balaklava, South Australia. It was founded in 1903 and was printed until 1941, when it was stopped by the second world war. The publication ...

''), Victoria, and a Queensland media consultant.

Awards

It won the "Best Newspaper" category in the South Australian Country Press Awards in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2018.

References

External links

''The Border Watch'' homepageSA Memory:SA Newspapers — ''Border Watch''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Border Watch, The Newspapers published in South Australia Newspapers established in 1861 1861 establishments in Australia Mount Gambier, South Australia Weekly newspapers published in Australia