Victor Courtney

Victor Desmond Courtney (27 May 1894 – 1 December 1970) was a Western Australian journalist and newspaper editor.

Victor Desmond Courtney
Born	27 May 1894 Raymond Terrace, New South Wales
Died	1 December 1970 Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Occupation(s)	Journalist, author, and newspaper proprietor.
Spouse	Thela Pearl Richards ​ ​ (m. 1937)​ (d.1962)
Children	1 (Veecee)
Parent(s)	Henry Courtney Katie Courtney (née O'Connor)

He began writing early in life, gaining a published story in the Lone Hand in 1910.^[1]

He was in a partnership (with Jack Simons) in a weekly sporting newspaper, The Call.^[2]

He was involved with a Saturday-evening paper, The Mirror.^[3] During his time at the Sunday Times, he traveled with his wife before the second world war,^[4] as well as after the war writing about post war developments in the world and Australia,^[5][6] Courtney ultimately was the managing director of The Sunday Times and at the time, also owner of a network of thirty regional newspapers.

Works

• (1941) Random Rhymes, Perth, the author.^[7]
• (1941) The man from Marble Bar [poem].First line: Satan sat by the fires of hell. in Random rhymes, 1941, p. 16 - reprinted in Grono, William (ed) (1988) Margins : a West Coast selection of poetry, 1829-1988 page 200. - ^[8]
• (1946) Parlez vous [poem]. (first line) 'The reelers are at dinner tonight'.
• (1948) Cold is the Marble^[9][10]
• (1956) All I May Tell^[11]
• (1961) The Life Story of J. J. Simons^[12]
• (1962) Perth—and All This!^[13]

Reference

1. "A Westralian Boy's Impressions of the Eastern States. (31 May 1910)", The Lone hand, 7 (38), W. McLeod]: 77, 31 May 1910, retrieved 12 June 2023
2. "The 'Call.'". The Wyalong Advocate and Mining, Agricultural and Pastoral Gazette. New South Wales, Australia. 24 February 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 12 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
3. ""The King of Kings." An Impression by Victor Courtney in the Perth "Mirror." (13 March 1928)", Everyones, 9 (419), Everyones Ltd: 40, 13 March 1928, retrieved 11 June 2023
4. "Impressions Abroad". The West Australian. Vol. 53, no. 16, 005. Western Australia. 14 October 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 12 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Victor Courtney". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 2199. Western Australia. 17 March 1940. p. 4. Retrieved 12 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "By Victor Courtney". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 2802. Western Australia. 22 March 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 12 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
7. a review of his own work - "Reviewer's Corner". North-eastern Courier. Vol. 18, no. 970. Western Australia. 9 January 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Grono, William, 1934- (1988), Margins : a west coast selection of poetry, 1829-1988, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, ISBN 978-0-949206-37-4{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) see the review - "Poetry anthologies from the West". The Canberra Times. Vol. 63, no. 19, 568. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 May 1989. p. 24. Retrieved 12 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "A Time To Think". The Herald. No. 22, 433. Victoria, Australia. 16 April 1949. p. 10. Retrieved 11 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
10. Courtney, Victor (1948), Cold is the marble, Jindyworobak, retrieved 11 June 2023
11. Courtney, Victor (1956), All I may tell : a journalist's story, Shakespeare Head Press, retrieved 11 June 2023
12. Courtney, Victor; Young Australia League (1961), The life story of J.J. Simons : founder of the Young Australia League, Young Australia League Inc, retrieved 11 June 2023
13. Courtney, Victor (1962), Perth -- and all this! : a story about a city, s.n.], retrieved 11 June 2023

Further reading

• Davidson, Ron, (1994) High jinks at the hot pool : Mirror reflects the life of a city Fremantle, W.A. Fremantle Arts Centre Press. ISBN 1-86368-090-X (pbk.) former title was The Mirror.

External links

• Courtney's Australian Dictionary of Biography entry. - print version at — Victor Courtney — biography of journalist. Australian dictionary of biography, Vol. 13, p. 514.