The Perth Courier

The Perth Courier has a long and proud history. Founded in 1834, it is the second-oldest weekly newspaper in Canada.

The Perth Courier began in 1834 under the banner The Bathurst Courier and Ottawa Gazette and the strong hand of John Cameron, a highly respected local doctor.

Unfortunately, just a couple of months after Mr. Cameron began the paper, he contracted scarlet fever and died. His brother, Malcolm Cameron, took over the newspaper and hired James Thompson as editor. Within a year, Mr. Thompson had purchased the newspaper.

Mr. Thompson called his newspaper The Bathurst Courier and Ottawa General Advertiser in an effort to attract a larger advertising base. He hired several "agents" or reporters to cover the events in the surrounding area. In 1846 the newspaper's name was again changed to simply The Bathurst Courier.

In the late 1840s, Charles Rice was hired by Mr. Thompson. At some point he was made a partner in the business and in 1852 became the sole proprietor. Prior to becoming the owner, Mr. Rice was also the editor. It is said Mr. Rice was a master of editorial work. Editors in those days had to be fighters and his pen had the necessary acid touch.

In 1857, Mr. Rice changed the name of the newspaper once more, this time to The Perth Courier. The familiar horseback rider vignette on the masthead was introduced.

The newspaper continued to thrive and expand.

In 1852, George Walker, at the age of 14, left Napanee to join his uncle, Charles Rice, to learn the printing business. He learned the profession well and after a brief stint travelling the world, purchased The Courier on Jan. 9, 1863. George Walker's health was not good and in 1867 he invited his older brother, James, to join him in the business. James had some experience as proprietor and manager of the Pembroke Observer, and gladly took up the challenge.

In 1874, George died of scarlet fever and James took over sole proprietorship of the 40-year-old newspaper. He brought in a third brother, William Walker, to help him with his new endeavour.

William and James abandoned their partnership in 1882 and, in 1887, John M. Poole joined the business. The move brought changes to the newspaper. It expanded from four to eight pages. The old nine-column format was dropped and the easier-to-read six-column was adopted. This partnership lasted a year. By 1888, James left the newspaper and William Walker bought into it again.

The brothers operated the newspaper until 1901, when William died. James sold The Courier to Walter W. Walker of Brockville. Walter was the son of George Walker and had learned his trade at The Courier.

One hundred years after it had been established, a new private company was formed, The Courier Publishing Company of Perth Limited. New shareholders were Weston Walker, Walter's son, and Thomas Vincent Lally, a long-time employee.

During the 1930s, The Courier was a lively and informative publication, giving equal billing to local, national and international news.

One of the causalities of the Great Depression of the 1930s was Perth's other newspaper, The Perth Expositor, which closed its doors in 1936. The Expositor had been a Conservative newspaper, while The Courier espoused the causes of the Liberal Party. When The Expositor shut down, it was incorporated with The Perth Courier and Perth became a one-newspaper town. The owners of The Courier pledged to remain independent of politics and promised to support what they believed to be in the best interests of the country.

Until March 1982, the banner read "The Perth Courier incorporating The Perth Expositor."

Walter Walker continued at the helm of the newspaper until his death in 1942. Walter is said to have been a dedicated newspaper man who worked at The Courier office every evening. The office became a regular stopping place for locals who dropped by for a visit. Following his death, Russell Ferguson took over as the newspaper's manager until 1947.

In 1947, Norman Turner became general manager, a post he would hold until 1975. In that year, John Clement took over the newspaper as publisher. He is the son of Lena (Walker) Clement, Walter's daughter. Mrs. Clement became the sole owner and president of The Courier in the 1950s, a position she held for more than 35 years until her death in 1997. Throughout the years, The Perth Courier has covered community events for local residents.

Since 1996, we have taken great pride in bringing a part of small-town Ontario to the world via the Internet. In 2002, The Perth Courier became the first Canadian community newspaper to digitize its files, from 1834. They can be accessed through www.paperofrecord.com.

In October of 2006, the Courier was sold to Ottawa Region Media Group, a division of Metroland Media and The Toronto Star.

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