The Lang Lang Guardian and the Koo Wee Rup Sun

Dr Niel Gunson, in his book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (1) wrote this about local newspapers -  The changes in the local press symbolize the role of towns in the community. From 1889 to 1902 the press within the Shire was located at Cranbourne. The Mornington County Herald (to 1893) and the Cranbourne County Herald (to 1902) reflected the prosperity of the centre of the Shire at the end of the century. The first editor, Phillip Pitt Nind, (1848-1891) (2) was also proprietor of the Warragul Guardian. His son Vernon moved to Lang Lang in 1902 where he printed the Lang Lang Guardian in a tin shed in Roseberry Street. In 1903, he sold out to J.C. Ryan, and the Guardian was published at Lang Lang until 1918. In that year the press moved to Koo Wee Rup. The ‘succession’ being continued in the Koo Wee Rup Sun which also incorporates the Cranbourne Shire Record (1927-1937) (3).

This is a list of all the publishers of the Lang Lang Guardian and the Koo Wee Rup Sun.

The masthead for the first Lang Lang Guardian February 22, 1902.

Vernon Pitt Nind - first newspaper February 22, 1902; last paper March 21 1903. Vernon was born in 1874 in Walhalla to Phillip Pitt Nind and Janet Elizabeth Cue. He married Sophia Cutbush (born 1885) of Caldermeade at Christ Church of England, South Yarra on September 28, 1903. After leaving Lang Lang they are listed in the Electoral Rolls at Walhalla, Warracknabeal and Mildura. He was in the printing industry until around 1921 when his occupation is listed as a Inspector; he was the Health Inspector at Mildura. In July 1924 Sophia sued Vernon for maintenance for herself and her youngest child and she said that since the birth of her child in June 1924, Nind had accused her of infidelity, refused to live with her or support her. The Court ordered him to pay maintenance. In November 1925 he filed a petition for a divorce from Sophia on the grounds of her 'misconduct' with Thomas Perry, Chief Engineer of the Power House at Mildura. Nind claimed £750 in damages. Sophia and Thomas denied the allegations and the petition was dismissed and Nind was required to pay all costs. From the 1930s to the 1950s Nind was listed in the Electoral Rolls at Gisborne, occupation was Health Inspector. He died at the age of 92 in 1966 and the death was registered at Cheltenham. Sophia was living in St Kilda at the time of the divorce hearing. She was listed in Albert Park in the Electoral Rolls until 1949, when she moved to Sydney, where she died May 18, 1954.  I hope she had some happiness in her life (4). 

J. Cue Ryan - first paper March 28, 1903; last paper March 28, 1906. James Cue Ryan, was born in 1869 to James Ryan and Susan Cue. I believe that Susan was the sister of Janet Elizabeth Cue, the mother of Vernon Pitt Nind. This means James Cue Ryan and Vernon Pitt Nind were first cousins. From the 1920s until his death he was listed in the Electoral Rolls at Maffra, occupation journalist.  James  died in Sale in 1955, aged 86 (5). 

H. Furze - first paper - April 4, 1906; last paper May 1, 1907. This is Henry Alfred Furze, listed in the Electoral Roll as a journalist, with his wife Eva Frances Furze.

H. Churchland - first paper May 8, 1907; last paper Dec 31, 1907. Even though this man is listed as H. Churchland, I believe this is Charles Churchland. In 1908 he sued the Victorian Railways as his furniture was destroyed by fire whilst in charge of the railway officers when in transit. Read a report in The Age of October 27, 1908, here. He was living in Mortlake but was called a newspaper proprietor at Lang Lang. 

D.T. Henderson  - first paper  January 8, 1908; last paper July 12, 1918. David Thomas Henderson, journalist, listed in the Electoral Rolls with his wife Gertrude. 

G. F Hopkins - first paper July 17, 1918;  last paper October 8,  1919. George Foster Hopkins. After he left the Koo Wee Rup Sun he moved to Willaura, then back to Garfield where he established the short-lived Garfield Gazette. In 1927 he started the Cranbourne and Berwick Shire News. It was reported on here in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of January 13, 1927. 

The masthead for the first Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 17, 1918.

The second Koo Wee Rup Sun had the address of Sun Lane, Koo Wee Rup.

W. J. Bath & A. E. Millard -  first paper October 15, 1919. The partnership between Bath and Millard was dissolved in January 1932, when Mr Millard departed for Western Australia. The Electoral Rolls list Wilfred John Bath, printer, and his wife Olive Clarissa Bath. They celebrated their Ruby Wedding in 1952, according to a report in the Dandenong Journal of May 7, 1952, see here. The Electoral Rolls also list Albert Edward Millard, journalist.

Article about the dissolution of the partnership between Millard & Bath.

Dandenong Journal, Janaury 28, 1932  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/201111504

W.J. Bath - first paper January 7, 1932. Mr Bath had the paper until 1955. We have the Koo Wee Rup Suns at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society and 1956 and 1957 are missing, so I am unsure when he finished at the paper.

William F. Giles - was the publisher from at least January 1958; last paper August 20, 1975.

Christopher Gilbert Fisher - first paper August 27, 1975. The firm was later taken over by David Syme & Co, then the publisher of The Age (6).  The last Koo Wee Rup Sun we have at the Historical Society is 1981, so I presume it was the last year of publication. 

This is from August 1975 and as you can see the paper was no longer being printed in Koo Wee Rup.

Footnotes

(1) Gunson, Niel The Good County: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968)

(2) Phillip Pitt Nind, read his obituary, which inlcudes a full account of his funeral in the Warragul Guardian of March 17, 1891, here.

(3) Gunson, op. cit., p. 216-217.

(4) Birth and death information from Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages and the New South Wales Indexes.  Marriage notice was in The Argus, October 15, 1903, see here. The Argus July 11, 1924 has an account of the maintenance hearing, see here.  Reports of the Divorce hearing were in The Argus, November 19, 1925, here and The Herald, November 23 1925, here and The Age November 25, 1925, here. Electoral Rolls are available on Ancestry.

Sophia Nind's death notice from The Age May 20, 1954.

 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205383350

(5) Birth and death information from Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. J. Cue Ryan's father, James, was also a 'pressman', you can read his obituary in the Gippsland Times of April 28, 1902 here and the Maffra Spectator of May 1, 1902, here. Electoral Rolls are available on Ancestry.

(6) Hooper, Fred The Good Country - 'Into the dawn of a new day' 1968-1988 Shire of Cranbourne (Shire of Cranbourne, 1988), p. 29.