The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance
A defunct English-language weekly community newspaper published in Auburn and serving Lidcombe and nearby districts in Sydney, Australia, from approximately 1920 until its wartime closure.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance was an English-language local tabloid newspaper associated with Auburn and Lidcombe in western Sydney, New South Wales. It was established in approximately 1920 as a weekly community publication and positioned itself as an independent journal concerned with the advancement of Auburn, Lidcombe and surrounding districts. The newspaper was published on Thursdays and initially sold for one penny. The publication was printed and issued by Alf Membrey through his local printing works. The business was first located at 32 Auburn Road, Auburn, before moving to 52 Auburn Road by 1933 and later to Queen Street, Auburn, by 1937. These changes reflected the newspaper's continuing connection with local print production rather than a large metropolitan publishing network. The title underwent several changes during the 1930s. In 1934, it appeared as The Auburn News & Lidcombe Advance and was converted into a free community newspaper. At the same time, its volume numbering reverted to volume I, suggesting a renewed publishing phase under the revised title and distribution model. By December 1935, the paper reported or carried a guaranteed circulation of 10,000, a substantial reach for a local publication serving the district. By March 1937, the newspaper had been retitled The Advance. The shortened name retained the central identity of the earlier title while potentially broadening its geographic presentation. By the end of 1939, it had returned to a subscription-based model, again costing readers one penny. Publication ceased during the Second World War, reportedly because Membrey faced difficulty securing sufficient staff and newsprint. The closure made the title part of the history of defunct local newspapers in New South Wales. Surviving material is scarce. Fourteen issues of The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance and The Advance dated between 1925 and 1939 are held in hardcopy by the State Library of New South Wales. Gosford Micrographics filmed the available issues onto a single microfilm reel in April 2000, making the material viewable through the State Library of New South Wales and the Cumberland Library Service. The National Library of Australia's Trove service also provides online access to available issues of the related title The Auburn and Lidcombe Review. The newspaper is therefore significant primarily as a surviving record of interwar community publishing, local civic life and the development of suburban print culture in western Sydney.
History
The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance emerged in approximately 1920 as an English-language weekly tabloid serving Auburn, Lidcombe and surrounding parts of Sydney. Its masthead described it as an independent journal dedicated to the advancement of the local districts, reflecting the role commonly played by suburban newspapers in reporting municipal affairs, community activity, local commerce and neighborhood concerns. The paper appeared on Thursdays and was initially sold for one penny. Alf Membrey printed and published the newspaper through his own printing works in Auburn. The works operated at 32 Auburn Road when the title began and had moved to 52 Auburn Road by 1933. The newspaper's production remained closely tied to these local premises, illustrating its status as a district publication rather than a metropolitan daily owned by a major newspaper group. During the 1930s, the title and its distribution model changed. In 1934, it was published as The Auburn News & Lidcombe Advance and became a free community newspaper. Its volume numbering restarted at volume I, marking a distinct phase in the publication's history. By December 1935, the paper had a guaranteed circulation of 10,000. This figure indicates that, despite its local remit, the publication had developed a broad readership across the communities it served. In March 1937, the title was shortened to The Advance. Around the same period, Membrey's printing works moved from Auburn Road to Queen Street, Auburn. The shortened masthead may have presented the paper as a more general local publication while retaining continuity with the earlier Auburn and Lidcombe identity. By the end of 1939, The Advance had reverted to a subscription publication and once again charged one penny per copy. The newspaper ceased publication during the Second World War. The available historical account attributes the closure to Membrey's difficulty in obtaining both staff and newsprint, two significant pressures on small newspapers during wartime. No later publishing phase is identified, and the title is treated as a defunct New South Wales newspaper. The surviving record is limited. Only fourteen hardcopy issues of The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance and The Advance, dated between 1925 and 1939, are known to be held by the State Library of New South Wales. In April 2000, Gosford Micrographics Pty Ltd transferred the available issues to a single microfilm reel. The reel can be consulted at the State Library of New South Wales and through the Cumberland Library Service. Related material, including available issues of The Auburn and Lidcombe Review, is accessible online through the National Library of Australia's Trove platform. These holdings preserve evidence of the newspaper's changing name, pricing, circulation approach and local publishing environment.
- 2000
Surviving issues transferred to microfilm
[1]Gosford Micrographics filmed the available hardcopy issues of The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance and The Advance onto one reel for library access.
- 1939
Subscription pricing restored
[1]By the end of the year, The Advance had returned to subscription distribution and again cost one penny.
- 1937
Retitled The Advance
[1]By March, the newspaper had adopted the shorter title The Advance, and its printer's works had moved to Queen Street, Auburn.
- 1935
Guaranteed circulation reaches 10,000
[1]By December, the publication had a guaranteed circulation of 10,000.
- 1934
Free community-paper phase begins
[1]The title appeared as The Auburn News & Lidcombe Advance, became free to readers and restarted its volume numbering at volume I.
- 1933
Printing works relocates within Auburn
[1]Alf Membrey's printing works, responsible for producing the newspaper, had moved from 32 Auburn Road to 52 Auburn Road.
Publication begins
[1]The newspaper was first issued in approximately 1920 in Auburn, Sydney, as a weekly Thursday publication priced at one penny.
Publication ends during the Second World War
[1]The newspaper ceased publication after difficulties obtaining staff and newsprint during wartime.
Products and positioning
An independent, locally produced community newspaper focused on the civic, social and commercial life of Auburn, Lidcombe and nearby districts.
Weekly community newspaper
The Auburn and Lidcombe Advance
The original English-language local newspaper serving Auburn, Lidcombe and nearby districts. It was issued weekly on Thursdays and initially sold for one penny. Its editorial identity emphasized independent local coverage and the advancement of the communities named in its masthead.
Free community newspaper · 1934
The Auburn News & Lidcombe Advance
A 1934 title form used during a free-distribution phase. The change was accompanied by a reset of the volume numbering, indicating a renewed publishing period under a revised name and circulation model.
Retitled local newspaper · 1937
The Advance
The shortened title adopted by March 1937. It continued the newspaper's local role after the move of Membrey's printing works to Queen Street, Auburn. By late 1939 it had returned to subscription distribution and one-penny pricing.
Brand decisions
1939
Return to subscription pricingStrategyBackground
After operating as a free community newspaper, The Advance changed its distribution model again before the end of 1939.
Action taken
The newspaper returned to subscription-based distribution and restored its one-penny price.
Aftermath
Publication later ended during the Second World War because of staffing and newsprint shortages.
1937
Retitle as The AdvanceStrategyBackground
The publisher revised the newspaper's masthead after the earlier Auburn News & Lidcombe Advance phase.
Action taken
By March 1937, the newspaper adopted the shorter name The Advance.
Aftermath
The paper continued publishing from Membrey's relocated printing works in Queen Street, Auburn.
1934
Switch to free community distributionStrategyBackground
The newspaper was published under the title The Auburn News & Lidcombe Advance during a period when its distribution approach changed.
Action taken
The publication became free to readers and restarted its volume numbering at volume I.
Aftermath
By December 1935, the newspaper had a guaranteed circulation of 10,000.
Sources2 sources
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