Burrangong Argus Explained

The Burrangong Argus was an Australian newspaper based in Young, New South Wales, published twice-weekly from 1865 to 1913.^{[1] [2]} It was, at the time of its closure, the oldest newspaper in Young.^[3] It sold at 6d per copy, then 3d per copy and finally 1d per copy, as it attempted to compete with later rivals the Young Chronicle and Young Witness.

It was first published on 22 October 1864 by John Bird Stormer. James George Clevier was editor for the first three months, after which Stormer assumed the role himself. It replaced an earlier newspaper, The Star, which had folded some time beforehand. Stormer would reportedly deliver the newspaper himself around the mining diggings, which had only been renamed from Lambing Flat to Young the year before after the fallout of the infamous Lambing Flat riots.^{[4] [5]}

At the end of 1869, Stormer sold the newspaper to one of his contributors, Benjamin John Bennett, and moved to Gulgong, where he founded the Gulgong Argus.^{[6] [7]} There was fierce competition between the Argus and its later rival the Burrangong Chronicle.^[8] Bennett Sr was reported to decline to take a part in public movements so as not to interfere with his independence as a journalist.^[9]

Bennett Sr died in January 1891, and his widow Anne Josephine Bennett inherited his interest, with the newspaper being managed by their son, Benjamin Holland Bennett.^{[10] [11] [12]} The newspaper took on a less conservative tone under Bennett Jr, who unlike his father was a Labor supporter.^[13] Chris Watson, the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia, reputedly credited the support of the Argus for significantly assisting his first election to parliament. The Young Chronicle described the newspaper's politics as having been "independent at the start; then it favoured the Liberal side, and finally...took up the cudgels here on behalf of Labor".^[14]

Bennett Jr acquired his mother's interest in the newspaper in 1911.^[15] He was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1912, with F. H. Hopwood assuming the editorship in his absence. The Argus ceased publication in February 1913, with the newspaper's assets sold to the Young Newspaper Company, owners of the Young Witness.^{[16] [17]} The new owners reportedly stated it had been decided that "the wiser course will be to damp down the fires, so to speak, of [the Argus] altogether".^[18] The last issue was printed on 8 February 1913.^[19]

The Freeman's Journal described the Argus following its closure as "the only authentic record existing" of the earlier periods of the town's history. It wrote that "its path has been an undeviating one of pure unalloyed honesty", and suggested that if it had been less so it might have experienced more success.^[20] The Australian Town and Country Journal wrote that it "contributed largely towards the advancement of Young and the district around".^[21]

External links

• Issues of the Burrangong Argus

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Burrangong Argus (NSW : 1865 - 1913) . National Library of Australia . 10 August 2021.
2. News: History with Brian James: The early newspapers of Young . Young Witness . 30 November 2020 . 10 August 2021.
3. News: "Burrangong Argus" Sold. . . New South Wales, Australia . 10 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
4. News: MEN AND WOMEN . . New South Wales, Australia . 9 April 1921 . 10 August 2021 . 6 (LATEST EDITION) . National Library of Australia.
5. News: The riots history erased: reckoning with the racism of Lambing Flat . The Guardian . 7 August 2018 . 10 August 2021.
6. News: Local Intelligence. . . XII . 1067 . New South Wales, Australia . 15 May 1872 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: NOTICES BY CONTEMPORARIES. . . New South Wales, Australia . 14 January 1891 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
8. News: Sixty Years of Newspaper History Recorded . . 60 . 44 . New South Wales, Australia . 25 May 1934 . 10 August 2021 . 9 . National Library of Australia.
9. News: MR. BENNETT'S DEATH. . . New South Wales, Australia . 14 January 1891 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
10. News: Death of Mr. B. J. Bennett. . . 7372 . New South Wales, Australia . 10 January 1891 . 10 August 2021 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
11. News: Death of an Old Colonist. . . 55 . 3590 . New South Wales, Australia . 21 January 1918 . 10 August 2021 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
12. News: OBITUARY. . . New South Wales, Australia . 11 January 1918 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
13. News: PERSONAL, SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS . . 5599 . New South Wales, Australia . 13 August 1907 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
14. News: PUTTING UP THE SHUTTERS. . . LXXIV . 5127 . New South Wales, Australia . 8 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
15. News: Newsy Notes. . . 33 . 1,776 . New South Wales, Australia . 5 July 1911 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
16. News: Werriwa Election. . . 42 . 5924 . New South Wales, Australia . 4 June 1912 . 10 August 2021 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
17. News: NEWSPAPER CEASES PUBLICATION. . . New South Wales, Australia . 6 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 4 (EVENING) . National Library of Australia.
18. News: Passed Out. . . New South Wales, Australia . 12 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
19. News: "The Argus." . . New South Wales, Australia . 8 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
20. News: PRESS HISTORY OF YOUNG. . . LXIII . 3862 . New South Wales, Australia . 20 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 30 . National Library of Australia.
21. News: Ceased to Exist. . . LXXXIV . 2245 . New South Wales, Australia . 12 February 1913 . 10 August 2021 . 16 . National Library of Australia.