Sunday Mail (Adelaide)
Encyclopedia
The Sunday mail was founded in 1912 by Clarence Moody. Moody initially set up three newspapers - the Sporting mail, Saturday mail and the Mail. The first two titles lasted only two years and five years respectively. The Mail went into liquidation in late 1914, and ownership passed briefly to George Annells and Frank Stone, and then to Herbert Syme. In May 1923 News Limited
purchased the Mail and moved the newspaper to North Terrace
. By this time the News
had developed a strong sporting focus. Results of week-end sporting matches of all types and grades were reported in the Mail.
A particular focus was given to football and horse racing, with many fine sporting photographs and articles being printed. West Torrens footballer and yachtsman Ossie O'Grady became sports writer in 1926 and wrote sometimes controversial sporting feature articles. In the 1930s Ron Boland began his newspaper career as the horse racing writer, 'Trafalgar'. He was later to become editor of the News. Early motoring was another important feature of the newspaper from the 1920s, as was the advent of commercial radio and aviation. From 1922 under the editorship of George Brickhill, the Mail was a well-presented newspaper with quality reading on a range of topics. No doubt the professionally presented real estate pages helped fund the improvements.
The much-loved 'Possum's pages' were born in 1921 as 'the Mail Club' with letters to 'Clubmates' written by 'Possum'. The page was called 'Mates own corner'. In 1924 May Gibbs'
gumnut babies, 'Bib and Bub,' were the first full-scale comic page in the Mail. They were joined in 1932 by Bancks' Ginger Meggs
. During the Second World War
Lionel Coventry's 'Alec the Airman' joined the pages of the paper. Colour was introduced to the comics at the end of the war. Oswald Pryor was cartoonist for the Mail in 1922-1923, followed by Hal Gye
, and in the late 1920s R.W. Blundell. Harry Longson was cartoonist during the war years.
The Second World War had a major impact on many things, not least on newspaper reporting and production. Although horse racing and other sports were still covered in the pages of the Mail, space was also given to war news and the activities of the armed forces. During the war the 'Gossip by Diedre' page gave way to the less frivolous 'Diana's notebook' with photographs such as 'Miss Patricia Hubbard at work in her father's factory' and other reflections of women's war effort activities. Even the 'Suburban acre' gardening page took on a more serious tone as 'Weeders digest'.
After the war, the Mail developed into the newspaper that we are familiar with today. Its name changed to the SA Sunday mail in 1954 and then Sunday mail in 1955. The newspaper's original 1912 circulation of 15,000 had risen to 213,000 by 1962.
For its first 60 years the Mail was printed on Saturday nights. Initially two editions were published, with a 'street' edition coming out at about 7 pm, followed by a midnight edition which was sold to theatre crowds later in the evening, and distributed throughout the state on Sunday mornings. The Sunday mail was first published on a Sunday on 5 November 1972.
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
purchased the Mail and moved the newspaper to North Terrace
North Terrace, Adelaide
North Terrace is one of the four terraces that bound the central business and residential district of the city of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It runs east-west, along the northern edge of the CBD.-North Side of North Terrace:...
. By this time the News
The News (Adelaide)
The News was an afternoon daily tabloid newspaper in the city of Adelaide, South Australia.The newspaper was established in 1869 as the Evening Journal. In 1933, a controlling stake was taken by The Advertiser, controlled by the Herald and Weekly Times. HWT sold off The News in 1949, and Sir Keith...
had developed a strong sporting focus. Results of week-end sporting matches of all types and grades were reported in the Mail.
A particular focus was given to football and horse racing, with many fine sporting photographs and articles being printed. West Torrens footballer and yachtsman Ossie O'Grady became sports writer in 1926 and wrote sometimes controversial sporting feature articles. In the 1930s Ron Boland began his newspaper career as the horse racing writer, 'Trafalgar'. He was later to become editor of the News. Early motoring was another important feature of the newspaper from the 1920s, as was the advent of commercial radio and aviation. From 1922 under the editorship of George Brickhill, the Mail was a well-presented newspaper with quality reading on a range of topics. No doubt the professionally presented real estate pages helped fund the improvements.
The much-loved 'Possum's pages' were born in 1921 as 'the Mail Club' with letters to 'Clubmates' written by 'Possum'. The page was called 'Mates own corner'. In 1924 May Gibbs'
May Gibbs
Cecilia May Gibbs MBE was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best-known for her gumnut babies , and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie....
gumnut babies, 'Bib and Bub,' were the first full-scale comic page in the Mail. They were joined in 1932 by Bancks' Ginger Meggs
Ginger Meggs
Ginger Meggs, a popular long-run Australian comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class household....
. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Lionel Coventry's 'Alec the Airman' joined the pages of the paper. Colour was introduced to the comics at the end of the war. Oswald Pryor was cartoonist for the Mail in 1922-1923, followed by Hal Gye
Harold Frederick Neville Gye
Harold Frederick Neville Gye was an author of cartoons, illustrations and articles for early Australian newspapers and journals. Gye provided the artwork for The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke....
, and in the late 1920s R.W. Blundell. Harry Longson was cartoonist during the war years.
The Second World War had a major impact on many things, not least on newspaper reporting and production. Although horse racing and other sports were still covered in the pages of the Mail, space was also given to war news and the activities of the armed forces. During the war the 'Gossip by Diedre' page gave way to the less frivolous 'Diana's notebook' with photographs such as 'Miss Patricia Hubbard at work in her father's factory' and other reflections of women's war effort activities. Even the 'Suburban acre' gardening page took on a more serious tone as 'Weeders digest'.
After the war, the Mail developed into the newspaper that we are familiar with today. Its name changed to the SA Sunday mail in 1954 and then Sunday mail in 1955. The newspaper's original 1912 circulation of 15,000 had risen to 213,000 by 1962.
For its first 60 years the Mail was printed on Saturday nights. Initially two editions were published, with a 'street' edition coming out at about 7 pm, followed by a midnight edition which was sold to theatre crowds later in the evening, and distributed throughout the state on Sunday mornings. The Sunday mail was first published on a Sunday on 5 November 1972.