Journalist and newspaper editor.
Born in New Zealand around 1864, Joseph Dryer (based on school reports in provincial newspapers) appears to have been raised in Nelson, the oldest city on New Zealand's South Island, where he attended Bridge-street School.
Dreyer was working in Australia from as early as 1892, when he was working in Western Australia as a licensed surveyor ('General News', Daily News, 29 January 1892, p.2). This had also been his occupation in New Zealand (see 'An Interesting Case', New Zealand Herald, 10 March 1890, p.5).
Dreyer's first wife, Mary Throssell, was the second daughter of George Throssell, second premier of Western Australia, who served a short term during a period of instability in Western Australian politics. They married on 9 May 1894, a wedding that caused a great deal of attention, '[c]onsequent upon the great popularity of the bride' ('Northam Notes', Inquirer and Commerical News, 11 May 1894, p.17).
By 1901, Dreyer was no longer licensed to work as a surveyor, and he shortly afterwards undertook work as a journalist, beginning with editing a handbook for the Western Australian government of George Throssell, Dreyer's then father-in-law ('A £350 Diamond', West Australian Sunday Times, 27 October 1901, p.8). For the next few years, he was editor of the Morning Herald.
According to one of Dreyer's obituaries:
During a surveying expedition at the Nor-West, Mr. Dreyer met the ex-Bishop (R.C.) of Perth, Dr. Gibney, for whom he did some useful work in connection with the Catholic Mission. As a token of his gratitude, his lordship, many years afterwards, financed him to purchase Mr. Nanson's interest in the 'Morning Herald,' and gave him the position of managing director, at a salary of £1,500 a year. Mr. Dreyer set about to improve the morals of his paper, and gained notoriety by refusing to publish sporting or betting matter. He also put into operation many ideas which he held in regard to advertising rates, and for extending his circulation. ('Mainly about People', Daily News, 24 July 1916, p.3)
He resigned in August 1905, shortly before an action was brought against the paper for libel ('Action for Alleged Libel', Daily News, 4 September 1905, p.5).
Mary Throssell Dreyer died in 1906, leaving eight children, including a fourteen-day-old infant ('Mrs M. Dreyer', Western Mail, 7 July 1906, p.21). Dreyer moved to Victoria sometime after her death, though at least some of his elder daughters seem to have remained in Western Australia (their marriages are subsequently announced in WA newspapers).
Dreyer married his second wife, Mary Oulton, sometime before 1911, and had two children: author Marien Dreyer and a son, John Joseph Oulton Dreyer, who died aged four in 1919 ('In Memoriam', The Argus, 7 October 1922, p.11). He settled into a farming life in Mornington, where he also worked as the agricultural reporter for the Leader. In 1915, two of his sons from his first marriage, Keith and Throssell, then thirteen and eleven respectively, drowned in the farm's dam ('Sad Drowning Accident', The Argus, 4 January 1915, p.9.).
Joseph Dreyer himself died unexpectedly the following year, of cerebro-spinal meningitis, aged 50 ('Personal', The Argus, 22 July 1916, p.20); there had been a notable outbreak of meningitis in the area at the time ('Meningitis', Argus, 22 July 1916, p.20), and Dreyer had contracted it while travelling for work.
