Australian Newspaper Plan
Search and Rescue Campaign
Australian Newspaper Plan
Preserving for Permanent Access
Search and Rescue Campaign
What is the Search and Rescue campaign?
In early 2008, the Search and Rescue Campaign was launched by the Australian Newspaper
Plan (ANPlan) libraries to:

recruit the help of the public in finding newspapers which are missing from the
collections of the ANPlan libraries;

raise public awareness of the role of libraries in collecting, preserving and providing
access to Australian newspapers.
Conceived by the National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) Public Programs and
Communications Working Group (PPCWG), the Search and Rescue campaign has been a joint
publicity campaign of the ANPlan libraries.
Further information about the campaign
In support of the campaign, the Communications and Marketing Branch of the National
Library of Australia (NLA) has produced media resources.
On 12 March 2008, the Tasmanian Minister for Education and Skills, David Bartlett, launched
the ANPlan Search and Rescue campaign in Tasmania.
A list of newspapers from all states and territories which are known to be missing is available
on the NLA’s ANPlan website.
See also:
 Wanted: Queensland’s Missing Newspapers

Australian Newspapers—Searched and Found!, Gateways, June 2009

Search and Rescue: The Australian Newspaper Plan, Gateways, April 2008
The Search and Rescue campaign has resulted in a very high level of interest from both the
media and the public. Media coverage of the Search and Rescue campaign in print, radio,
television and the Internet, has been extensive.
There have been many enquiries and offers of assistance with newspapers from members of
the public. The campaign is demonstrating that the public are willing to work with libraries to
ensure ongoing access to newspapers. Many have also contacted the libraries to offer
significant non-newspaper material – ephemera, monographs and magazines.
A significant proportion of newspapers found to date were not previously known to exist.
www.nla.gov.au
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What newspapers have been found so far?
VIC
Spring Creek Advertiser and
Rodney Standard (1868-9)
This newspaper from the central Victoria
region published in the late 1860s has been
donated to the State Library of Victoria
(SLV). This newspaper was known to have
existed in the 1860s but no copies of it had
ever been sighted by Library staff or by
leading historians of Victorian
newspapers. The volume covering 1868-69
was found in the archives of a local
newspaper office in Heathcote.
TAS
The examiner: north-west (1 Jan
1968 - 30 Apr 1969)
Five bound volumes of this newspaper
have been found and acquired by the State
Library of Tasmania (SLT). It was not
previously known that this edition existed.
TAS
Weekly Courier ((17 Jul 1913
and 29 Oct 1914))
Collaboration with publisher
TAS
North Eastern Advertiser (19131914 & 1917)
TAS
Butterfly (Nov 1869; Apr-Aug
1870)
Catholic Standard (1937)
Colonial Record (1839)
Colonial Times (1825-1857)
Cornwell Chronicle (1935-1845;
1847-1880)
Emu Bay Times and North West
& West Coast Advocate (18981899)
In 2008 the Archives Office of Tasmania
(AOT) combined with the Heritage
Collections section of the State Library of
Tasmania to form the Tasmanian Archive
and Heritage Office (TAHO). As a
consequence of this merger, a number of
titles formerly on the 'missing' list that
were in AOT are to be incorporated into
the one Newspaper collection in TAHO.
This is a transitional process.
Hobart Town Courier (18271859)
Illustrated Tasmanian Mail
(1921-1935)
Monitor (1894-1920)
Morning Star (1891-1894)
North Western Advocate
(Devonport) and the Emu Bay
Times (Burnie) Tasmania (19001911)
Tasmanian (Oct-Dec 1834)
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www.nla.gov.au
Australian Newspaper Plan
Search and Rescue Campaign
Weekly Courier (1901-1935)
TAS
Mercury (Hobart) Southern
edition July-Dec 1941
Found in a Hobart school during
renovations and donated to SLT
TAS
Van Diemen's Land
Chronicle (Hobart) Mar 4, 1842
The re-discovery of this loose copy is the
first material evidence that the Van
Diemen’s Land Chronicle did indeed
continue beyond Dec. 1841.
TAS
North Western Advocate and
Emu Bay Times (Devonport &
Burnie) miscellaneous
issues from 1914-1916
Acquired from various sources; holdings
for the period 1912-1918 are still
fragmentary
QLD
Barcoo Independent (15 Nov
1902; 3 Apr 1906; 12 Oct 1907;
15 Oct 1910; 22 Oct 1910; 23
Dec 1916; 9 Oct 1926)
QLD
Daily Record Rockhampton (9
May 1907)
QLD
Warwick Daily News (19 Jun
1914; 4 Dec 1945)
QLD
Longreach Leader (3 Jan - 5 Dec
1930 & Sep 1955)
Donated from Longreach Shire Council
Library.
QLD
Gympie Times (25 Apr 1992; 2
May 1992; 13 Feb 1992; 19 Dec
1995; 15 Apr 2005)
Donated by Gympie Library
QLD
Barfly
QLD
Cassowary Times
QLD
Courier Mail (15 Aug 1945)
QLD
Mackay MidWeek (14 Nov
1984-23 Dec 1986)
QLD
Marlin Coast Gazette
QLD
Muckay Mockery (1966-1999)
QLD
Son of Barfly
QLD
Suburbia (29 Apr 1941)
QLD
Norwester: A monthly budget of
sense and humour (May 1926)
www.nla.gov.au
December 2011
This newspaper was previously unknown
to exist. Copies of this newspaper were
found rolled up inside the brick wall of an
old building in Townsville which was
being renovated. The rolls were labeled
with the names of businesses to which the
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newspapers were meant to be delivered.
One was labeled "Terminus Hotel,
Ingham", and the other "Royal Oak Hotel,
Townsville". It is possible that these are the
only surviving issues. Following their
arrival at State Library, the newspapers
were carefully unrolled by the library's
Conservation staff, with the result that they
can now be read. The Norwester vol. 1 no.
2, May 1926 is 32 pages long and the size of
a magazine. It contains Humour; Trade
and Progress; Motors and Motoring; Stamp
Collecting; Children's Page; Digger Doings;
Ladies Page; Editor's Page; Clippings from
here, there and everywhere; Cartoons;
Illustrations; etc.
QLD
Esk Record (19 June 1942)
QLD
Goondiwindi Argus (selected
issues 1915 & 1931)
QLD
McIntyre Herald (selected
issues Apr-May 1915)
QLD
Pacific Airlines News (Oct 1969
- Apr 1977)
Loaned to State Library of Queensland by
Gold Coast Local Studies Library for
microfilming
QLD
Queensland Times (23 June
1896)
Donated to State Library of Queensland by
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery,
Tasmania
QLD
Queenslander Annual (6 Nov
1934)
Donated to State Library of Queensland by
Gold Coast Local Studies Library
QLD
Sun News Pictorial (11 Dec
1927)
Donated to State Library of Queensland by
Gold Coast Local Studies Library
QLD
Thargomindah Herald (pages
from 14 Jan 1913; 13 Jan 1914;
12 Jan 1915)
QLD
Wide Bay and Burnett News (4
Feb 1893)
QLD
Douglas times and Douglas
Shire visitors’ guide 12 Feb.
1986-Apr. 1986; first 8 issues
WA
Kanowna Democrat (1896)
NT
Army News (1941-1946)
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Donated by Douglas Shire Historical
Society to SLQ
Issues missing from Australian libraries’
collections were borrowed from the
www.nla.gov.au
Australian Newspaper Plan
Search and Rescue Campaign
Australian War Memorial for microfilming
NSW
Vema (Greek newspaper; 19711990)
NSW
Wagga Wagga progress weekly
(Vol. 1, no. 7; May 22, 1969)
NSW
Sugar valley community news
(Mar. 1992-Mar. 1996)
Borrowed for microfilming by the State
Library of NSW (SLNSW)
NSW
Braidwood dispatch and mining
journal (1858-1860)
Donated to the NLA
NSW
Armidale budget Vol. 3 No. 30;
5 June, 1897
Donated ; from University of New England
Heritage Centre to SLNSW (microform
version only)
NSW
Burrowa news and Marengo,
Binalong, Murrumburrah and
Cootamundra reporter; four
miscellaneous issues from
1923-1951
From private donor to SLNSW
NSW
Moruya Examiner (1989) Aug.
18, 1993; Dec. 1, 1993; Dec. 7,
1994; Apr. 2, 1995; Dec. 19,
1997; Feb. 18, Mar. 18, 1998
Issues loaned to the SLNSW for
microfilming
NSW
News leader 1984-1990
Issues donated by Shoal Haven City
Council to the SLNSW
NSW
The Referee 1891-1895; 19011909
Purchased by SLNSW
SA
Western Weekly News (AprilOct 1902)
Five issues and one part issue donated to
the State Library of South Australia (SLSA)
SA
The Laura standard: and
Beetaloo, Wirrabara, Melrose,
Booleroo Centre and Yarowie
advertiser Vol. 1, no.1; 11
April 1889; first issue, printed
on silk as a gift to the
newspaper's sponsors
Although this issue was already in the
SLSA’s collection, this edition is a
significant find as no other South
Australian newspaper is known to have
been produced in this manner. Donated by
Rocky River Historic & Art Society to the
SLSA
www.nla.gov.au
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