''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 predate ...

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 t ...

, 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 ...

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 emoti ...

, 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, Frank Dunne 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, 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 an Australian beauty pageant held from 1908 until 2000. It was replaced by Miss World Australia from 2002, and Miss Universe Australia from 2004. From 1926 to 1991 the program operated as the Miss Australia Quest, after which ...

" 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. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...

and paid speaking engagements. Winners were: *1926: Beryl Mills of

Geraldton, Western Australia Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldton had an urban population of 38,595. Geraldton is the seat of ...

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

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...

. 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 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

. 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 on 16 March 1895 in Parnell, New Zealand. While working as an apprentice l ...

, Emile Mercier and

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 ...

. It was a launching pad for two generations of outstanding Australian journalists and cartoonists. In the 1930s

Dick Randall Sir Richard John Randall (13 October 1906 – 15 November 1982) was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of the Treasury between October 1966 and October 1971. Life and career Dick Randall was born ...

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, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is na ...

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 an Australian artist and occultist, in the latter capacity adhering to a form of pantheistic / Neopagan Witchcraft largely devoted to the Greek god ...

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 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 *

1919–1927 * Frank Marien 1928–1936 *Harry Cox 1938–1939 *

June–September 1939 *

1939–1950 Editors *Reg Moses 1930–1935 *Kenneth Slessor 1935–1939 *George Goddard 1939–1947 * Edgar Holt 1947–1950 Artists *

– 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 * George Donaldson *Lance ('Driff') Driffield * Frank Dunne *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 * Joe Jonsson *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 British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' and ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known simply as ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Are Media in Sydney and founded in 1933. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before bein ...

''). * 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 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 ...

(journalist and poet) *Reg Harris (later press secretary to several Federal Ministers) * Bernard Hesling * 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 period ...

* Lennie Lower * Ronald McCuaig *Alex MacDonald (previously scriptwriter for "Mo" Roy Rene) *Adam McKay (literary editor) *Reg Moses ("Mo") (satirist) 1920–1935 *John O'Donnell *John Quinn (poet) 1945–1947 *

(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 Australia in a then record 36 Tests and three World Cup g ...

)

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 documen ...

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