Until the Glen Innes Guardian newspaper was published in 1871 local news could virtually only be found in The Maitland Mercury from 1843, The Armidale Express from 1856 and, snippets in Sydney publicans - and now most are Trove searchable.
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Unfortunately, very few copies of other local papers have survived - including the Deepwater Despatch, Emmaville Argus, Stannum Miner, New England Times. etc.,
From the second issue on 10 October 1874, our archives hold the vast majority of the Glen Innes Examiner, either in hard copy or on microfilm.
Early communication and spreading of news before the advent of mail coaches was often reliant on the remarkably active and accurate Bush Telegraph, passing horsemen and the slowly moving wagon entourages sometimes carrying mail.
However, there were bushrangers lurking beside the mail coach routes, meaning many letters never arrived- as described in this report in the Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser 20 June 1849 of the robbery of the Singleton to Maitland Mail Coach.
Two miles from Lochinvar two men sprang from behind a fallen tree and ordered the driver to stop, each at the same time presenting a double-barrelled carbine cocked.
The driver pulled up and the larger of the two men ordered him to throw out the [13] mail bags...
The bushranger then cut open the mailbags, and selected therefrom a great quantity of letters, many apparently registered which he opened and took the contents from.
Having finished a cool inspection of the bags, he ransacked all the letters that he desired, he gathered the letters into a heap, lit a match and set fire to them....and [two] passengers were also forced by the bushrangers to give up what silver they had about them, fortunately in each case only a few shillings.
As well as the many yearned for personal letters and newspapers, the bags contained cheques made out to up to £140, money orders, publican's letters containing their £30 licence fees etc., and it was estimated the value of the bushranger's haul to be between £1500 and £3,000 -
So much valuable history was lost that day!
Larry Madden was for many years a coach driver for Cobb & Co, and in 1881 the citizens of Glen Innes presented him with a silver watch for services rendered to Glen Innes, so well deserved in this clearly dangerous occupation.
