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Record-breaking family newspaper dynasty's 150-year milestone
Robin Letts (left) and his son David with a picture of their ancestor Godfrey Morgan, who founded the newspaper. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
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."
Quill McQuilty reads an edition of The Buloke Times. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
"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.
"I no longer can read the numbers on the backs of players, which is pretty hard when you're trying to identify them and write a footy report."
A family legacy in newsprint
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.
Godfrey Morgan first moved to Australia with a letter of support from Charles Dickens. (Supplied)
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.
"He [Godfrey Morgan] was Dad's grandfather, so that would make him my great-grandfather and David's great-great-grandfather,"Robin Letts explained.
Robin's son David Letts is the newspaper's general manager — a somewhat inadequate job description.
Robin Letts's newspaper career began in 1947 when he was 17 years old. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
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.
A young Robin Letts pictured with his father and then editor Goff Letts circa 1985. (Supplied)
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.
Decades at the desk
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.
Goff Letts was editor from 1922 until his death in 1987. (Supplied)
"He spent 66 years as the editor and as a matter of fact history has it he wrote his final editorial just before he died in hospital in Donald,"Robin Letts said.
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."
David Letts checks a newly printed page of the newspaper. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
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.
Brian Bayles, now 81 and retired, spent 59 years at the newspaper. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
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.
Turning the page after 150 years
The newspaper this week celebrated its 150th anniversary with a commemorative edition for its readers and a birthday cake for its staff.
The Buloke Times has been published in several iterations since 1875. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
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.
"I don't think there's any other family members keen to take it on,"he said.
"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.
Goff Letts wrote his last editorial from his deathbed. (Supplied)
"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.
"It wouldn't be without the people I've got now,"he said.
"And ones that we've had through the years. Absolutely wonderful people."
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