The Daily Telegraph is part way through the digitization process on Trove – the Daily Telegraph was first published as a daily paper in 1883. The Daily Telegraph started as ‘The Telegraph‘ a small bi weekly paper in July 1881 and the proprietors of the paper were R Barnes, E. H. Mowbray and E. Stephens (Edward ‘Ed’ William Stephens)

The Stephens family transferred from Bangor School where Ed had taught for two years to Cape Barren as head teacher. They arrived at the end of 1889 and left after Ed resigned under difficult circumstances in 1896. Ed continued his association with Cape Barren as the Education department sought his son Charles to take over as teacher. Ed and Maria Jane would visit and stay with Charles and daughter in law Maggie as the couples three children, Edmund Hamilton, Adeline Marion and Emily Maud were all born on Cape Barren. Ed and Maria helped Maggie who had a difficult time after the birth of her third child. By 1904 Ed was the local J.P. for Cape Barren and South Flinders.

Ed lived at Samphire River from 1896 until his death in 1924 aged 84. Ed made frequent contributions to the local papers in Launceston about the activities happening in and around the south of Flinders. Several such newspaper articles signed  such as A. Prospector  or  A. Cadger…………were written by Ed. In particular A. Prospector ribs ‘James Holt not being a man of minerals’. There is another story to go along with this article by A. Prospector – for a later date.

The Island News was first published 60 years ago on 9 July 1954 and it was the 50 year issue where I learned my Grandparents Horace and Maud (Briant) were instrumental in getting the Island News off the ground. Grandmother Maud was born and grew up at Samphire, and granddaughter to Ed and Maria Jane.