1861
Coonamble officially proclaimed a town
1871
Coonamble recorded as having 170 inhabitants
Castlereagh Street looking south at Great Western Stores and Commercial Hotel circa mid 1880s. Source: C Fisher.
Mid 1870’s
Canham family owned first newsagency
12 Jan 1878
First newspaper ‘Coonamble Independent’ published
3 May 1880
Bushrangers Angel & Thurston shoot Constable John Mitchell
Bushrangers Angel & Thurston shot Constable John Mitchell while breaking out of Coonamble gaol
1 April 1885
First Edition of the Coonamble Times
First edition of the Coonamble Times, started by John Richardson McWilliam.
1898
First telephone installed at Coonamble Post Office
1901
Australian Federation
1902
Railway line to Coonamble completed
1909/10
First car in Coonamble
1916
John R. McWilliam dies.
His wife Jessie became the Coonamble Times proprietor
1923
Coonamble Times under control of William Orr McWilliam
Jessie Mc William transferred her interest in the Coonamble Times to her son William Orr McWilliam
1925
Coonamble Times under control of Campbell and Nelson
William O McWilliam, “due to ill health, the legacy of his war service( in the Australian Light Horse in 1916-17), transferred his interest to Messrs Campbell and Nelson of Gilgandra. McWilliam stays on as editor.
6 Feb 1929
Fire destroys most of Coonamble’s main street
1931
Coonamble Times moves location
Coonamble Times moved from cnr Banks and Naomi St to a dual block next to the police station
Mid 1930s
Coonamble Times merged
Campbell bought the ‘Coonamble Independent’ and merged the two papers as Coonamble Times
3 June 1938
Bill McWilliam dies aged 63
He is survived by his widow Millie, six sons and five daughters.
November 1946
George Gough leases Coonamble Times from H.E.O. Campbell
1947
Austin Gough takes over as Editor
Austin is 21 years old.
April 1947
Times office damaged by fire
Fire ‘in adjoining rubberworks’
1950
Austin Gough buys Walgett Spectator
He is editor of both publications
August 1950
George Gough relinquishes lease on Coonamble Times
The Times is being printed in Gilgandra
January 1954
New Managing Editor dies
John McLeod, who had moved to Coonamble from Queensland, publishes his first edition and dies suddenly.
1955
Coonamble Times sold to Coonabarabran interests
Campbell sells the Times to FJ McKeon & Son, Coonabarabran
1958
Times moves from Aberford Street (between river and Commercial Bank) to Eason Lane
1960
Local company brings the Times back under local control
Coonamble Newspapers Pty Ltd with directors Bill Jier, Bede Waterford, Pat Rodgers and Isabel Skuthorp buy the Coonamble Times from McKeon & Sons.
1967
Times moves to western side of Castlereagh Street
Bigger premises in the former Frank Toohey Garage
1968
Collarenebri Express becomes part of Coonamble Times
Printed within the pages of the Coonamble Times until 1972.
December 1985
Times switches from hot metal intertype to computerised layout
1989/90
Janelle (Nugget) Whitehead takes over as Editor
Janelle joined the Times in 1976 as a trainee in the printery and worked her way to the top, buying shares in the company along the way.
1995/96
John & Julie Proud purchase Coonamble Times
Coonamble Newspapers Pty Ltd directors Janelle Whitehead, Tom Cullen and Russell Smith sell the business. IMAGE: Farm Weekly
2005/06
Michael & Coleen Graham purchase Coonamble Times
IMAGE: Coonamble Jockey Club
December 2016
Lee O’Connor purchases Coonamble Times
Lee takes over as Editor from January 2017. The newspaper is operating from 73 Castlereagh Street.
March 2017
Coonamble Times goes online
First digital flip-book edition is available through the Coonamble Times website.
1998
Times moves to middle unit in Eason Centre
53 Castlereagh Street
2009