‘Race For Local Football Pools’ announced the first front-page of the Observer, as it hit the streets on Sunday, September 14, 1969.
The newspaper, in its first edition, speculated that British football pools organisation, Littlewoods, could mount a challenge to operate football lotteries based on the big English pools.
Tattersalls held the monopoly for gambling in Victoria in 1969. There was no Crown Casino, not even Tattslotto (which started as a midweek draw in 1972).
The first Observer front-page featured a big picture of Janine Forbes, 19, of Cheltenham, an entrant in the Miss International Beauty Contest in Tokyo, anxiously awaiting the results of the beauty pageant.
In sport, the Observer noted that Carlton screamed to a six-goal victory over Collingwood in the Second Semi-Final held at the MCG in front of more than 100,000 people.
The 1969 Grand Final coverage was headlined ‘It’s Tiger Town’.
Richmond 12.13 (85) defeated Carlton 8.12 (60), with player Royce Hart saying the win was “for (coach) Tom Hafey alone”.
The road toll for 1969 was a staggering 1034 people. Other news to end the year was 25-year-old fashion designer Prue Acton’s company going into receivership for more than $1 million, and Dr Jim Cairns’ assertion that the State Government was sweeping the abortion issue “under the carpet”.
The first Observer was at a time when Sir Henry Bolte was Premier of Victoria, and Clyde Holding was Leader of the State Opposition.
State Health Minister Vance Dickie was reported to be ordering a special report on the Spellbound television program on HSV-7 where hypnotism was used for entertainment purposes by therapist Martin St James.
A still picture from the program shows host Garry Meadows lighting a cigarette, on air, whilst a ‘victim’ engages in a stunt in the show.
“The show (was) described by critics as ‘the sickest to ever appear on television,” the Observer reported.
In coming weeks, the Observer revealed ‘New Evidence of Army Sadism’, reporting on ‘bastardisation’ at the Duntroon and Scheyville army bases.
Prominent abortionist, Dr Bertram Wainer, hit the Observer headlines with his offer to expose details of high level police corruption to the Premier Bolte.
One of the senior policemen later charged, Jack Matthews, was jailed – and later became an Observer columnist with the ‘Hotline’ service, solving consumer problems with suppliers.
As 1969 came to a close, Rupert Murdoch had agreed to take over the London Sun daily newspaper, with the sale price between $600,000 and $2.04 million.

An advertisement in the first Observer classifieds ($1.25 for two lines, $5 per column inch) offered $7500 annual salary for the Production Manager’s job at the newspaper.
The job involved supervising a ‘web-offset newspaper plant which includes IBM magnetic tape typesetting, paste-up, camera and plate departments.
“A Goss Urbanite press will be installed in December this year,’ proclaimed the 1969 ad.
An ad for a Senior Advertising Sales Representative for an unidentified ‘metropolitan newspaper’ offered remuneration expressed thus:
“This is a $10,000 per year position. Naturally the person selected to handle the job will have to prove himself.
“In fact both the man and the company will know his worth because he will be paid in direct relation with results.
“This is why an initial salary of only $5200 will be paid. The Man we have in mind will not be prepared to work for this and through his
initiative and efforts will quickly double this figure.”
Other ads for Sales Representatives cautioned that the appointees would “have to be dignified men who can
represent us efficiently.”
As times became harder, and ads tougher to sell, a 1970 ad offer representatives that “the income will be more than that paid to any other newspaper advertising representatives in Victoria”.
Early advertisements reveal less complicated times of 1969 and the early 1970s:
• Waltons city department store was one of the strong early advertisers in the Observer – with prices for children’s clothing starting at
just 50 cents for T-shirts.
Perhaps there was ‘contra’ involved in the early Waltons ads, as many of the incentives provided for the network of 2000 news boys and girls were vouchers to shop at Waltons.
• Gordon Barton included a number of large ads for his IPEC and Rex transport organisations,
• and Rupert Murdoch’s Truth newspaper took to taking out a notice to promote its colour Sunday edition prior to the Melbourne Cup race meeting.
Customers were invited to ‘discover the gay way to shop’ at the new Doncaster Shoppingtown to be opened at White’s Corner.
• New Footscray Motors boss Don Lougheed offered vehicles on $25 deposit; 1962 EK sedans were on sale from $590, station wagons from $790. A 1968 Holden Torana ‘SL’ sedan was on offer for $1490.
• Murdoch Electrical offered a 70 Series Victa lawn mower for just $99, and a 23-inch Phillips TV set was available for just $1.85 per week.

The Observer led the way in full-colour editorial presentation.
The first full-colour front-page was on April 26, 1970, with a moving ANZAC Day portrait of a single-leg veteran watching the military parade.
The photo was taken by Ray Drew.
‘Next-day colour’ was something of a press novelty in that era, with Herald Gravure preprints reserved for Monday afternoon Herald broadsheet for occasions such as the Grand Final.
The Observer followed its colour front-page effort in May 1970 with Footscray’s ‘Mr Football’ Ted Whitten running onto the ‘Footscray Oval’ for his 321st retirement game. The newspaper promoted itself as ‘cheaper than a pint of milk’ (10 cents a bottle).
Owner Gordon Barton had insisted on colour comics being a regular feature of the Observer.
One of the comic features, in addition to usual fare of syndicated Sunday comics was Iron Outlaw.
Creator Fysh Rutherford recalls: “Iron Outlaw was created by myself and illustrated by Greg McAlpine. “We had both just finished at Swinburne and were looking for things to do.
“The year was 1970. Australia was going to Vietnam and China was emerging as a world power.
“The Australian identity was under threat from American TV and Japanese products.
“This resulted in a sudden surge in Australian Nationalism.
“Iron Outlaw set out to lampoon all that was going on.
“It appeared in the Sunday Observer and Nation Review. It lasted for a single year. Political correctness was not the force that it is today,” Rutherford remembers.
A snapshot of the culture of 1969-70-71 can be seen in the advertisements of Gordon Barton’s Observer.
LP records – both mono and stereo – went on sale at Sutton’s Elizabeth St store for just 99 cents.
New releases, for $2.50, were available for Anne and Johnny Hawker, Zorba’s Dance, Mario Lanza in The Student Prince and Mantovani.
Barry Crocker, later to become for his exploits as ‘Barry McKenzie’, was winner of the 1969 Logie.
Prince Charles was invested by the Queen as Prince of Wales.
Television news highlighted the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne’s collision with the American destroyer Frank E Evans.
Judy Banks launched Fredd Bear’s Breakfast A Go-Go from ATV-0’s Nunawading studio in 1969, as the Observer commenced publication.

Early issues of the Sunday Observer – edited by Michael Cannon – were scarce with ‘by-lines’ to identify authors of the various news and magazines articles.
This was common newspaper practice of the era. It also disguised the identity of journalists, employed at the dailies, moonlighting at the Observer.
John McLaren authored the ‘This Week’ summary of news events, Don Whitting-ton provided a federal analysis with Canberra Carousel, plus there was a TV column Private Eye by Paul Jacks, a book column by Freda Irving; Des Tuddenham, David Lee, Tom Lahiff and Fred Villiers were amongst those in the 11-pages of sports news.
Soon to join the team were cartoonist ‘Sutch’ (followed by Feiffer), writer David Martin, Niall Brennan, Alan Fitzgerald, Helen Homewood, John Steed, Cyril Pearl, plus re-prints of Malcolm Muggeridge’s London Diary column from The New Statesman.
Although the first edition of the Observer was totally black-and- white, a feature of Barton’s newspaper was an eight-page comics section, printed entirely in full-colour.
In coming editions, Gary Mac, of 3AK fame, introduced a Music World column, and Denbeigh Salter provided film reviews with his first critique being of The Italian Job starring Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill.
Anthony Berry and Hazel Berry were signed to conduct the Sunday Observer Travel Service.
Noel Turnbull contributed his share of front-pages, and other by-lines included those for Michael Stewart, Women’s Editor Kerry Walsh, motoring writer Don Gibb, and Lloyd Marshall in Perth.
Ray Drew and Mike O’Connor were photographers in those early days. Shopping columnist was Nora Payne.
Peter Wharton was soon to join on board with his trotting tips, as was Peter Pearson covering greyhounds.
An early sign-on was ‘Peeping Pete’ (Vic Beitzel) with his racing observations, including the 1969 Melbourne Cup question: ‘Was Big Philou Nobbled?’
The heavily backed second Cup favourite had been scratched just 39 minutes before the start of the big race.
Five months later, the horse’s strapper, Leslie Lewis, was charged with allegedly doping the horse.

Michael Costigan had joined the Observer stable in 1969, and journalist Wilfred Burchett – who was battling with the Australian Government for the restoration of his passport – filed his controversial views as a war correspondent covering the ‘Japanese invasion of China’.
In 1970, the paper trumpeted that it had chartered a Piper Navajo aircraft to bring the left-wing journalist into Australia from Nou-mea, with approval finally given by Director-General of Civil Aviation, Sir Donald Anderson.
The flight also carried Observer News Editor Bill Green and Observer photographer Bill Veitch.
That week’s edition carried the headline: ‘He’s Home’, complete with photo of Burchett flanked by Melbourne lawyer Frank Galbally.

The January 18, 1970 (issue number 19) edition noted that first Observer editor Michael Cannon “resigned to devote his time to compiling a new book”.

Denis Warner says that Cannon had extracted a promise from Barton that he would not interfere editorially but on the night the first issue was to run from the presses he found Barton changingt the words ‘Communist troops’ to ‘liberation forces’ in a Vietnam story. “He resigned on the sput byt subsequently agreed to stay on. However, after three months he could no longer stand the stress of working with Barton and resigned again, this time permanently.”

David Robie, an experienced journalist in New Zealand and Australia, took over the top job.
One of the big recruitments was cartoonist Michael Leunig who started with the paper in May 1970, with his view of the Vietnam Moratorium.
Leunig expanded his name as a cartooning favourite with readers of Nation Review, and then The Age.

By early 1971, Gordon Barton had tired of the Observer experiment. So too had his business partner Greg Farrell.
Barton’s focus was on the more cerebral Sunday Review.
It was also much cheaper for him to publish. He had lost at least $1½ million on the Observer.
The Sunday Review was pitched at a much more academic market, and allowed Barton to share his views with a more accommodating audience.
The Review had achieved an average net circulation of 32,616 in its first year.

“Unencumbered by substantial advertising, it is lean enough to follow stories through to their bitter end,” said a Sunday Review ad, published in the Sunday Observer.
“The foreign news is supported by a team of Asian correspondents, the sources of UPI and the authority of commentators like Rohan Rivett, Robert Cooksey and Max Teichmann.
“The literary and features sections are enlivened by the wit of Bill Peach, Barry Humphries, Ray Taylor and Owen Webster.
“Tom Roper provides a column of importance to anyone interested in Australian education.”
Soon, The Review merged with Nation, a fortnightly owned by Tom Fitzgerald and edited by George Munster.
The final days of the Observer – Mark I – were not without editorial glory.
Bruce Hanford was one of the writers to participate in a feature series entitled ‘The Human Experiment’ which examined changing morals and standards.
Lindy Hobbs, soon to make her name in the international reporting arena, filed articulate and imaginative feature series for the Sunday Observer Magazine, albeit now in a reduced mono format.
Germaine Greer’s comments were prominent.
Talented young journalist Sean Hanrahan, who was later to edit Melbourne suburban newspapers including Southern Cross and Valley Voice, added his skills to the newspaper.
Footballer Alex Jesau-lenko was signed to write for the Observer, just weeks before its closure.
So was 3UZ racing man John Russell. Nancy Cato produced a bright Horizons kids page. It wasn’t enough.
Barton had lost his nerve … and the newspaper’s political coverage became self-indulgent.
‘Another Dienbienphu?’ was the Observer headline for February 28, 1971, in the second last edition under Barton’s proprietorship.
It was a reference to a 1954 massacre when French troops were circled by Vietnamese troops, explained Barton’s favourite foreign affairs man, Wilfred Burchett.
Maybe so … but it certainly did not tap the pulse of Victoria.

The March 7, 1971 edition of the Sunday Observer again front-paged with a Vietnam story, an item about a plan for free hospital bed plans, and a teaser about Jezza’s article about sex and footy.
More revealing – in hindsight – was the double-page ad for The Sunday Australian, the 10-cent broadsheet being advanced by Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited.
The closure of the first Observer was reported in The Age on Friday, March 12, 1971:
“The Melbourne newspaper, the Sunday Observer, is almost certain to cease publication, and not be published this weekend.
“Its editor, Mr Kevin Childs, said last night he had been told this by the managing director of the Sunday Observer, Mr John Crew.
“He was also told that Mr Gordon Barton, the chairman of Ipec Australia, the company which launched the newspaper, would be talking to the staff of the Observer this morning.
“It was understood that distribution problems would be the cause of the closure.
“Circulation has fallen to 80,000 from an ‘all time high’ of 120,000.
“The company had been unable to distribute the newspaper through normal outlets.
“It is believed the newspaper has lost its publisher $1.5 million in the 14 months of publication.
“Ipec will continue to publish the weekly Sunday Review at its Melbourne plant.”
The end of Gordon Barton’s stint as publisher of Melbourne’s Sunday Observer newspaper was predicted in Jobsons Investment Digest (Jan. 20, 1971).
Stuart Golding wrote the front-page story ‘Gordon Barton’s Press crumbles’. Interestingly, Jobsons was published by Maxwell Newton Pty Ltd, who had his own Melbourne Observer on the streets just two weeks after Barton closed his publication.
Newton – operating Job-sons from 82 Newcastle St, Fyshwick, ACT – seemed to report the story with some glee.
“The hatchet-men are in at Gordon Barton’s Press establishment in Melbourne, where his two adventures in newspaper publishing – the Sunday Observer and Sunday Review – are reeling under a heavy financial loss and circulation slide,” reported Golding.
To his staff the promoted liberal image of Mr Gordon Barton is in dire contrast to the way he runs the Ipec newspaper group.
“Or is he running it?
“The man he placed in control is John Crew, who is billed in the Sunday Review as managing director – and the only company mentioned is Ipec Australia Ltd.
“This is rather a build-up, for the only company on which Mr Crew has a directorship is Barndana Ltd, a commercial printing company.
“And as the circulations of the Sunday Observer and Sunday Review continue to dwindle, the Ipec hatchet-men have been let in the back door so to speak.
“This has occurred while Mr Crew has been taking his annual holidays, and the control has rested in the hands of the former general manager (now Mr Crew’s personal assistant), Mr David Manuel.
“However, Mr Manuel is already boasting of a new title – following the recent entry into the troubled Press group’s administration of two Ipec accountants from the head office in Adelaide and the chief of Ipec security, ex-police detective Mc-Namara,” said the Jobsons report.