Catholic news celebrates 146 years in Perth

30 Jul 2020

By Jamie O'Brien

Co-founder of The Record, Fr Matthew Gibney, who was later the third Bishop of Perth. Photo: Archdiocesan Archives.

Edited by Jamie O’Brien

The Record has this month celebrated its 146th anniversary, reporting on the work of the Catholic Church in Perth since 6 July 1874.

The first edition of The West Australian Catholic Record was published on Monday 6 July 1874 for the price of six pence.

It was a time when there was great animosity towards Catholics in the West Australian colony, despite Catholics making up more than a quarter of the state’s population.

The paper was of poor quality, the layout was anything but exciting for the front page and instead of being packed with the most important news, it was filled with advertisements and public notices.

However, its popularity was compared favorably compared to the secular newspaper of the day, and it was regarded across the colony with considerable interest.

It was designed by co-founder Father Matthew Gibney, later the third Bishop of Perth, to be “the official organ of the Catholic Church” in WA to reach out to scattered Catholics across the State.

Father Gibney expressed in his first editorial the importance of the paper’s role to provide Catholics with information affecting their religious interests, which he perceived to be allotted little space in the columns of the colony newspapers.

JT Reilly was the second man behind the launch of The Record. Photo: Sourced.

The second man behind The Record’s launch was journalist Joseph Thomas Reilly, a Catholic who had previously worked at the Inquirer and the Perth Gazette.

In his memoir, Reilly wrote that the paper was established to challenge the prejudices of the colony against the Catholic population, in particular “the annoying and particular manner in which the newspapers of the colony were conducted”.

While the paper was a financial gamble for the Church at the time, Reilly observed the aid of the press was necessary if progress was to be made and the political and religious rights and freedom of Catholics were to be maintained.

There were about 7,000 Catholics living in Western Australia in the early 1870s, but the hostility towards them was a consistent campaigning point in the newspaper’s early years.

The first issue’s editorial discussed how the little Catholic news which was reported, was not fairly presented.

However eager the desire may be to be impartial and to do us full justice, their opinions on many points concerning us must be one-sided and unfair.

The writers are of religious convictions opposed to ours; the majority of the readers stand in the same relation towards us; and the matters under discussion are, oftentimes, the very questions which divide us.

It is proverbially destructive of even-handed justice that one and the same party should be litigant and judge.

Set-up

A printing press and plant was bought by Reilly for £120.

The paper was printed at St Joseph’s Orphanage for Boys in Subiaco, which Father Gibney managed at the time, to reduce production costs and give the boys the opportunity to learn the printing trade.

The orphanage played a larger part in Father Gibney’s life, as it was on a journey to the eastern states to raise money for the orphanage in 1880 that he heard the news of the siege at Glenrowan where police had surrounded Ned Kelly and his gang.

An outspoken article written by Reilly in the first issue, criticising the inadequate aid granted by the government to the orphanage almost brought the paper’s downfall, having annoyed the then-Governor.

The comments were soon placated and resulted in increased funding.

The paper’s masthead until 1940 quoted Pope Pius IX: “Be indefinable in your purpose and with undaunted spirit resist iniquity and try to conquer evil with good and having your eyes the reward purchased for those who combat for Christ”.

Another editorial in the first issue, written presumably by Father Gibney, put clearly the aims of the new publication.

In it he stated that The West Australian Catholic Record was intended for the scattered Catholics of West Australia and that its object was to supply them with information on subjects affecting their religion and of current interest.

Reilly contributed to The Record for several years, until he left the colony in 1879. In the same year Father Gibney left The Record as Managing Editor, although he continued occasionally to send in contributions.

As previously mentioned, The Record started off as a monthly paper. In 1875 however, its publication was increased to a fortnightly scale. This increase in production was because of the demands of its readers.

It was during this year also that JF O’Callaghan was appointed business manager of the paper.

Next to occupy the editorial chair was Father J O’Reilly who had been a frequent contributor since its foundation.

Father O’Reily was probably succeeded as editor by Father William Bernard Kelly, a native of Newcastle (Toodyay WA) who was elected first Bishop of Geraldton in 1898.

The subject most often dealt with in The Record pages in its early years were, the Catholic orphanages, the education question, the indigenous community and Ireland.

The frequency of appearance of the last of these topics – Ireland – can be quite easily explained by the fact that most of the priests in the diocese at the time were Irish.

The Sisters of Mercy in Perth were often mentioned and praised. The explorations of John Forrest (later Lord Forrest) were also reported from time to time. Freemasonry came in for fairly frequent comment, and even Ned Kelly got his share of publicity.

In 1887, The Record office and printing works were transferred from the Subiaco orphanage to the carriage shed of the Bishop’s Palace.

This transpired when the Sisters of Mercy took charge of the Orphanage.

The carriage shed was no better than a double garage. It had a cold cement floor and bare rafters. For the occasion new equipment was bought and the first edition to come from this press was printed on silk. This edition, was yellow in colour with blue edges and red printing.

Originally compiled and published by GD Wiley in approximately 1962 as part of a thesis on the history of The Record. For the full version of Mr Wiley’s thesis, see the above image. Image: The Record.