7 days ago
Record-breaking family newspaper dynasty's 150-year milestone
For 150 years, The Buloke Times has rolled off the press in Donald, a small town of 1,500 in regional Victoria.
And for that entire time, it's been run by one devoted family.
Now aged 95, editor Robin Letts has been at the helm of the newspaper for more than half that history.
"Robin has been here 76 years," said Quill McQuilty, a journalist with The Buloke Times.
"That's half, over half [the newspaper's history] that he's been involved in this paper.
"That's just amazing."
"Running a bi-weekly newspaper, it's seven days a week," Robin Letts said.
His busy week involves deciding on each edition's content, proofreading pages prior to publication and writing the odd editorial.
Though he admits his age is catching up.
The Buloke Times masthead arose when council amalgamations in the mid-1990s formed the Buloke Shire, which the paper mostly serves.
The paper began as The Donald Times in 1875, founded by the entrepreneurial Godfrey Morgan.
In 1852, aged 18, Mr Morgan arrived in Australia from England with a letter of introduction from literary great Charles Dickens to report on the gold rush.
Robin's son David Letts is the newspaper's general manager — a somewhat inadequate job description.
He's also the principal printer, typesetter, sometime photographer and journalist.
On its twice-weekly publication day he's also the principal paper boy, delivering the freshly printed newspaper to the Wimmera region's towns of Donald, St Arnaud, Wycheproof, Watchem, Birchip and Charlton.
For The Buloke Times staff, like in all small newspapers, versatility is essential.
"Anyone could be called to grab a camera and go out and take a photo or do a couple of paragraphs or hunt someone down to identify a photograph," David Letts said.
Family involvement has been pivotal to the newspaper's survival and newsprint runs deep in the family's DNA.
In 1922 the Morgan family appointed G.W.L. "Goff" Letts, Robin's father, as editor.
David Letts said working alongside both his father and grandfather was special.
"It was a lot of fun to have the three of us here and then grandpa or Goff, when he passed away, then of course Robin took over the editorship," he said.
"It chalked up a lot of years as editor between the two of them."
Robin Letts's newspaper career began in 1947 at age 17.
Initially focused on sports reporting, he soon covered all the essential topics of a good local newspaper, namely news, sport and opinion pieces.
"With a pen in his hand he was a giant," said former employee Brian Bayles.
"Mind you I don't think he has ever lifted the bonnet of a car and wouldn't have the faintest idea of how to change a tyre, but put a pen in his hand and he was very much above average," Mr Bayles said.
Robin Letts's unwavering passion, energy and commitment to the newspaper continues to astound everybody.
"He runs circles around us. It's just amazing at his age to still be so driven and dedicated to his job," colleague Ms McQuilty said.
The newspaper this week celebrated its 150th anniversary with a commemorative edition for its readers and a birthday cake for its staff.
The Letts family's 150 years of continuous family ownership now eclipses that of the famous Fairfax family who bought into the then Sydney Herald, now The Sydney Morning Herald, in 1841, but lost ownership in 1990.
However, in its milestone year the Letts family's unbroken century and a half proprietorship of the newspaper will also end.
David Letts, who started at the paper after trade school in 1980 and has spent his entire working life at The Buloke Times, plans to retire.
"They've all got their own careers and everything else."
Robin Letts will continue as editor, and there are discussions about who will take over The Buloke Times.
"His father kept going until the end and I think Robin will just keep going," David Letts said.
"It's great for him because it keeps his mind active."
The ever modest Robin Letts protests that his role in the paper's ongoing success is overstated.
"And ones that we've had through the years. Absolutely wonderful people."
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