Australasian Post
Encyclopedia
Australasian Post, or "Aussie Post," was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine.
The origins of Australasian Post date back Saturday 3 January 1857 to the first volume of the publication Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle (probably best known for Tom Wills
1858 famous Australian rules football
letter). The weekly publication was based on the format of Bell's Life in London
and produced by Charles Frederic Somerton in Melbourne
. The paper expanded to the Sydney market with "Bell's life in Sydney and sporting reviewer" (later sporting chronicle), first published on Saturday, 13 October 1860.
In 1864, the weekly newspaper The Australasian was launched to an Australian and New Zealand
audience in a similar format to Bell's Life papers but with a much less focus on sport.
As a result, the local paper "Bell's Life in Victoria" and "Bell's Life in Sydney" were gradually phased out of publication and on Saturday 4 January 1868 the last issue (no. 504) and Saturday, 31 December 1870 (no. 731) respectively and the Australasian adopted locally based editions during the transition.
The Australasian was read by millions at the height of its popularity in the 60s and 70s, and features a uniquely Australian mix of scandal, sensationalism
, human interest stories, fashion, politics, culture and entertainment. It was the staple of barber shops
across the country.
One of its best features is its focus on Australiana
, with pages of jokes and cartoons, including the Ettamogah Pub
series by cartoonist Ken Maynard
.
On the coat tails of the sexual revolution
in the late 1960s and 1970s, the magazine became more daring with their covers and content, often running stories focused on adultery, hedonism and nudity.
In 1982 then Sun News-Pictorial features editor Feyne Weaver was appointed Post editor. He immediately doubled the number of articles in the magazine and, while keeping the bikini-clad cover girl, got rid of all the "tit 'n bum" inside. The circulation rose to an all-time high, overtaking the then market leader People
. Weaver resigned in mid-1984 to move to the United States.
Post's trademark bikini-clad covergirl became its downfall in the politically-correct late 1980s and 90s and it suffered a rapid decline in popularity. The execution was stayed momentarily when knockabout Herald Sun
columnist Graeme "Jacko" Johnstone took the helm, took the bikini girl off the cover, and focused on its knack for telling uniquely Australian stories. The magazine was renamed Aussie Post in 1997.
It wasn't enough and it closed its doors on 2 February 2002. At the time of its last edition, it was the longest-running continuously-published magazine in Australia.
The origins of Australasian Post date back Saturday 3 January 1857 to the first volume of the publication Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle (probably best known for Tom Wills
Tom Wills
Thomas Wentworth "Tom" Wills was an Australian all-round sportsman, umpire, coach and administrator who is credited with being a catalyst towards the invention of Australian rules football....
1858 famous Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
letter). The weekly publication was based on the format of Bell's Life in London
Bell's Life in London
Bell's Life in London, and Sporting Chronicle was a British weekly sporting paper published as a pink broadsheet between 1822 and 1886.Bell's Life was founded by Robert Bell, a London printer-publisher....
and produced by Charles Frederic Somerton in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. The paper expanded to the Sydney market with "Bell's life in Sydney and sporting reviewer" (later sporting chronicle), first published on Saturday, 13 October 1860.
In 1864, the weekly newspaper The Australasian was launched to an Australian and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
audience in a similar format to Bell's Life papers but with a much less focus on sport.
As a result, the local paper "Bell's Life in Victoria" and "Bell's Life in Sydney" were gradually phased out of publication and on Saturday 4 January 1868 the last issue (no. 504) and Saturday, 31 December 1870 (no. 731) respectively and the Australasian adopted locally based editions during the transition.
The Australasian was read by millions at the height of its popularity in the 60s and 70s, and features a uniquely Australian mix of scandal, sensationalism
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
, human interest stories, fashion, politics, culture and entertainment. It was the staple of barber shops
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
across the country.
One of its best features is its focus on Australiana
Australiana
Australiana is an item of historical or cultural interest of Australian origins. Australiana often borrows from Australian Aboriginal culture, or the stereotypical Australian culture of the early 1900s....
, with pages of jokes and cartoons, including the Ettamogah Pub
Ettamogah Pub
The Ettamogah Pub is a cartoon pub that was featured in the now defunct Australasian Post magazine. The cartoonist Ken Maynard, loving empty spaces and having nothing around him, enjoyed an area just outside of Albury at Table Top, named Ettamogah, thus christening the name of his now famous pub...
series by cartoonist Ken Maynard
Ken Maynard (cartoonist)
Ken Maynard was an Australian cartoonist.Originally a police officer, he got his break as a cartoonist in 1958 contributing his Ettamogah Pub cartoons to the Australasian Post...
.
On the coat tails of the sexual revolution
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
in the late 1960s and 1970s, the magazine became more daring with their covers and content, often running stories focused on adultery, hedonism and nudity.
In 1982 then Sun News-Pictorial features editor Feyne Weaver was appointed Post editor. He immediately doubled the number of articles in the magazine and, while keeping the bikini-clad cover girl, got rid of all the "tit 'n bum" inside. The circulation rose to an all-time high, overtaking the then market leader People
People (Australian magazine)
People is a weekly Australian lad's mag published by ACP Publishing, a division of PBL Media. It has been published since the 1950s. It is not to be confused with the gossip magazine known by that name in the United States; that magazine is published under the name Who in Australia.People focuses...
. Weaver resigned in mid-1984 to move to the United States.
Post's trademark bikini-clad covergirl became its downfall in the politically-correct late 1980s and 90s and it suffered a rapid decline in popularity. The execution was stayed momentarily when knockabout Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
columnist Graeme "Jacko" Johnstone took the helm, took the bikini girl off the cover, and focused on its knack for telling uniquely Australian stories. The magazine was renamed Aussie Post in 1997.
It wasn't enough and it closed its doors on 2 February 2002. At the time of its last edition, it was the longest-running continuously-published magazine in Australia.