The name 'Stephen M. Stout' appears in Western Australian newspapers during the mid- to late nineteenth century in connection with educational, photographic and journalistic pursuits. These notices may refer to more than one person.
The Stephen M. Stout who ran educational establishments in Fremantle and Perth in the 1860s and 1870s is likely to be the same person who, by 1878, was the headmaster of the Government Boys' School in Geraldton. It seems probable that this Stephen Stout is also the person who established the Geraldton newspapers, the Victorian Express and the Geraldton Observer.
Stephen M. Stout's name re-appears in Perth newspapers in 1882, suggesting his return south from Geraldton.