David Watterston
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David Watterston (2 January 1845 – 23 July 1931) was a Scottish born Australian journalist and newspaper editor; he was editor of ''
The Australasian The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. History and profile Its origins are traceable to Saturday, 3 January 1857, when the first issue of ''Bell's Life in Victori ...
'' from 1885 to 1903 and of '' The Argus'' 1903 to 1906.


Early life

Watterston was born on 2 January 1845 in Balgone Barns,
Haddingtonshire East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the historic county was incorporated for loca ...
, Scotland, youngest son of James Watterston and his wife Catherine ''née'' Broadwood. The family, after spending a year in
Gottland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
, in the Baltic Sea, went to Australia, arriving in April 1853.


Legal and Journalistic Career

After acting as clerk in an attorney's office in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Watterston moved to
Ipswich, Queensland Ipswich () is an urban centre within the City of Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River (Queensland), Bremer River, it is approximately 40 km (25 mi) west of the Brisbane central business district. Ipswich is ...
in May 1860. In October 1860 Watterston commenced his connection with the press. He learned reporting on the ''Ipswich Herald'' (afterwards the ''
Queensland Times ''The Queensland Times'' is an online newspaper serving Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich and surrounds in Queensland, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia. The circulation of ''The Queensland Times'' is 10,804 Monday to Friday a ...
'') and then moved to Brisbane in 1865, to undertake parliamentary reporting. Watterston spent several years in the gallery for ''
The Brisbane Courier ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...
'' and next on the ''Guardian'', from which paper, in June 1869, he obtained promotion to the parliamentary staff of '' The Argus'', Melbourne, returning to Victoria after nine years' absence. Watterston executed various special commissions for ''The Argus'', being sent to the United States in 1876, for six months, in connection with the Philadelphia Exhibition. He went to England in 1879, to report on the movements of the Berry-Pearson embassy. Watterston was appointed chief of ''The Argus'' reporting staff in 1881, and four years later, on the editorship of the ''Australasian'' becoming vacant, he had that position given to him, the ''Australasian'' being a weekly literary, sporting and agricultural journal, started by the proprietors of ''The Argus'' in 1864. Watterston was editor of the ''Argus'' from 1903 to 1906. His successor was Edward S. Cunningham.


Cricket and Australian rules football

Watterston was a member of Queensland cricket associations, he was a member of the Victorians Cricket Club and committee that called for cricket to make way for football in the off-season. Watterston is believed to have begun playing Australian rules at school in Melbourne and he founded the Brisbane Football Club (Queensland's first) in Brisbane in 1866.


Death and legacy

Watterston died in
Armadale, Victoria Armadale is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington Local government areas of Victoria, ...
, Australia on 23 July 1931; he was unmarried. Gazetted with incorrect spelling, Watterson Place, in the Canberra suburb of
Gilmore Gilmore or Gillmore may refer to: *Gilmore (surname) Places Australia *Gilmore, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Tuggeranong * Gilmore Avenue, a road in southern Perth, Western Australia *Division of Gilmore, a ...
, is, however, named in his honour.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watterston, David 1845 births 1931 deaths Australian journalists Australian newspaper editors Scottish emigrants to Australia The Argus (Melbourne) people