Flesherton Advance

History of the Flesherton Advance Newspaper

The first issue of the Flesherton Advance was published on June 1, 1881 by A.R. Fawcett, originally of Kimberley. The newspaper office was located at 26 Sydenham St. in Flesherton. On July 1, 1888, the newspaper was purchased by Willard Hadley Thurston (also originally from Kimberley) who published from the same location until approximately 1900 when he moved it to the corner of Collingwood and Peter Street. Thurston passed on the editorship of the paper to his youngest son, Frank, on August 1, 1938.
On September 1, 1961 the Advance was purchased by Royden Johnston, who published it for four years until selling the paper to Godfrey Clark in 1965. Clark re-enlisted Frank Thurston as editor of the paper for two years. In 1968 Walter Walls, owner and editor of the Dundalk Herald purchased the paper. Walls continued to publish the Flesherton Advance in conjunction with the Dundalk Herald from his offices in Dundalk, an arrangement maintained by Matt Walls, the present editor of the two papers.
                                     Adapted from Split Rail Country: A History of Artemesia Township

The copies of the Flesherton Advance that still exist are severely damaged and were in this state before being microfilmed. The digital copies are a reflection of the artefact and show the results of fire and water damage, mishandling and half a century's wear and tear. By making the papers available online, the deterioration process is slowed somewhat. The GHPL Project team has endeavoured to provide the most complete and legible collection possible from the original material, and will continue to upgrade and fill gaps in the collection over time.