Government Printing Office, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 1876
By Remembering the Past Australia / March 27, 2022 / Australia / 0 Comments
Place:
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Date:
1876
Historical Information:
This image is part of the Colonial Office photographic collection held at The National Archives UK.
South Australia’s first newspaper, the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, was printed on 18 June 1836. Based in London, the privately-owned company Thomas and Co. relied on a hand-driven Stanhope Press and a staff of only two men. When the colonisation of Australia was proclaimed, the operation moved to Hindley Street, Adelaide. However, the founders of the newspaper, Robert Thomas and George Stevenson (Secretary to Governor Hindmarsh), earned a reputation for their biased political stance and consequently, on 15 June 1839, the rights to publishing government proceedings were legally restricted.
The South Australian Gazette was established on 20 June 1839, initially printed by Archibald MacDougall, then Andrew Murray, followed by John Stephens. As a result of Thomas and Co. issuing an unauthorised gazette on 12 November 1840, Parliament renamed its official publication the South Australian Government Gazette. This proclamation introduced consistency in printing the periodical each Thursday.
To authenticate future gazettes, the Government Printing Office was formed in Victoria Square, Adelaide. William Caddy Cox was appointed the first Government Printer on 12 April 1849, operating steam-driven presses with a staff of three men, a boy, and a horse. [Government Gazette SA]
Description:
Showing the Government Printing Office in Adelaide, South Australia. Original photo published 1876.
From the collection of:
