SA Newspapers: Women

The Adelaide Observer was established by John Stephens with a country readership in mind. He also aimed for an apolitical newspaper, and this was a stance largely followed throughout the Observer’s long life. In 1845 Stephens purchased the Register, so that the Observer then became a weekly summary of the daily news reports in the Register. Many articles were simply copied from the daily title. By 1852 the Observer was printing two editions - the first an early country edition on Friday, sent to Burra and other distant places, and a second 'town edition' appeared on Saturday morning. As the rail network spread through the 1870s, the delivery of daily city newspapers to the country eroded the need for the country weekly summary. The Observer then changed its focus, becoming more of a week-end leisure newspaper. While still summarising the week's news, it included literature, a 'ladies column', agricultural articles, etc. Many of Adelaide’s earliest women journalists and aspiring writers had their work published in the Observer. This included Catherine Helen Spence, Winifred Scott and Ellen Liston. From 1902 it contained a regular four-page photographic supplement. Earlier supplements had appeared intermittently since September 1895.

The Free Press was an interesting but short-lived newspaper. It was one of several short-lived titles produced by the outspoken Charles Chandler, founder of the Truth newspaper (Adelaide), and author of Darkest Adelaide. It was published in the year after South Australian women achieved the right to vote, and was not in favour of the legislation change. It contains many derisive comments about women's movements and prominent individuals in these organisations. Its strongest statements however, are against prostitution, making libellous allegations about ‘old colonists,’ church members and MPs who allegedly kept mistresses and visited prostitutes. Even the short stories in the newspaper took this theme. The Free Press made unflattering comments about several well-known figures, including Catherine Helen Spence, Samuel Way and Charles Cameron Kingston.

This small religious newspaper was the work of the gifted but unbalanced lawyer, Paris Nesbit. With his sister Agnes Benham, he was interested in the 'new thought' movement of the 1890s, with its socialism and sexual reform. Benham contributed book reviews and articles on religious topics. Poems by local and other contributors featured largely, particularly in the early years. Nesbit took a strong political stance, advocating the nationalising of the legal profession to enable access for the poor. He also suggested divorce law reform and more employment opportunities for women. The newspaper was strongly against the 'White Australia' policy. After four months Nesbit handed the editorship to the John Newton Wood, who took an interest in spiritualism and vegetarianism. The final issue discusses socialism and the Broken Hill strikes. It includes an article about effective voting by Catherine Helen Spence.

The Observer was established by John Stephens with a country readership in mind. Stephens claimed it would be apolitical, and this was largely the case throughout the Observer’s long life. In 1845 Stephens also purchased the Register, and the Observer became a weekly summary of the Register’s daily news. Many articles were simply copied from the daily title. By 1852 the Observer appeared in two editions. First was an early country edition sent to Burra and other country places on Fridays. A second 'town edition' appeared on Saturday morning. As the rail network spread through the 1870s, the delivery of city newspapers to the country eroded the need for the country weekly summary and the focus of the Observer changed to week-end leisure reading. While still summarising the week's news, it included literature, a 'ladies column', agricultural articles, etc. Adelaide’s earliest women journalists and aspiring writers had work published in the Observer. This included Catherine Helen Spence, Winifred Scott and Ellen Liston. From 1902 a regular four-page photographic supplement was included. Earlier supplements had appeared intermittently since September 1895.

For some time the South Australian Country Women's Association was given news coverage in the Rural Review. But from March 1953 this newspaper was itself incorporated within the pages of the new weekly, the South Australian Countrywoman. The newspaper reported activities of the Association both locally and further afield. Recipes, knitting patterns and other handicraft articles, gardening notes and a questions and answers column also featured. The format changed in September 1971 to a monthly magazine, with some of its previous coverage taken over by the Farmer and Grazier newspaper.