Cirrus@Austlit

This series was published in the Free-Lance in 1896. It is clearly satirical in nature and was advertised in the weeks preceding publication with half-page advertisements beginning in the following way: 'The Proprietors of this Widely Circulated Journal will Commence a Series of Thrilling, Throbbing, Thirsty, Weird, Wild, and Woolly Articles, entitled "Deeds That Won the Empire", Specially Written for This Paper, at Enormous Expense, by the Well-known and Somewhat Brainy Litterateur, The Very Rev. Werry Holey Stretchit, B.A.R.' (1.18 (22 August 1896): 13)

The series was a satirical response to the identically-titled columns written by The Rev. William Henry Fitchett. The publishing history of Fitchett's columns is described in the following way by the Australian Dictionary of Biography: 'Sir Cyprian Bridge, commander of the Australian Station in 1896, asked Fitchett to write commemorative sketches on anniversaries of notable events in British history. These became an Argus Saturday feature running for sixteen months under the pen name "Vedette". The articles were pirated in India, republished in a London weekly, published in shilling form in Australia and finally, as Deeds that Won the Empire (1897).'

Sources: Free-Lance (1.18 (22 August 1896): 13) and Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/
Sighted: 01/07/2010

The Melbourne-based Free-Lance was published from April to October 1896 under the motto 'a white paper for white people' - a gesture clearly intended to establish a link with the Sydney Bulletin which published under the banner 'Australia for the White Man'.

The Free-Lance's regular columns included reporting on mining ventures ('Panned Off') and sporting activities. A page titled 'The Play' was devoted to Melbourne's theatrical life. This page provided extensive coverage of theatre productions, the lives and careers of actors and singers, and news of touring theatrical companies. The Free-Lance displayed a certain fascination with the personal lives of stage performers, pre-empting the twentieth century's focus on fame and celebrity-status. In addition to the regular coverage of sporting events, the Free-Lance ran a column on cycling, particularly dealing with female riders. Photographs of women cyclists appeared in most issues and, on one occasion, the image was a reproduction of a partially-naked Indigenous woman above the caption 'Cycling in the Back Blocks: A Malgoa Belle'.

In most issues, the editors responded to correspondents' submissions in an 'Answered' column (later called the 'Editorial Mill'). These responses, as with much else in the Free-Lance, were reminiscent of the style and tone of the Bulletin. From time to time, the Free-Lance would declare proudly that it had the 'largest circulation of any satirical illustrated weekly in Australasia, bar the Bulletin'.

The Free-Lance fostered and promoted Australian literature. It ran a semi-regular column on newspaper publishers and journalists titled 'Popular Pressmen'; subjects included Henry Lawson, Edward Dyson, A. B Paterson, Louis Becke and William Reay (qq.v.). On two occasions, the column title was changed to 'Popular Penwomen' to accommodate Ethel Turner and Louise Mack (qq.v.) as subjects. John Steele Robertson, Victor Daley and Montague Grover (qq.v.) all contributed poetry to the Free-Lance; Randolph Bedford and Hugh McCrae (qq.v.) contributed short stories. These poems and stories were usually illustrated, quite often by Lionel Lindsay or Norman Lindsay (qq.v.). The Free-Lance's pages also included updates on the appearance of Australian writing in British journals. Among those noted were Louis Becke and Guy Boothby (qq.v.) (in the Illustrated London News) and Ada Cambridge and Ethel Turner (qq.v.) (in the Windsor Magazine).

The Free-Lance enjoyed a robust relationship with other Melbourne papers of the time; it was particularly harsh in its commentary on the Argus. From August to October of 1896, the Free-Lance ran a series titled 'Deeds That Won the Empire'. This name is identical to a series written by the Rev. William Henry Fitchett for the Argus. The Free-Lance's heavily satirical series was authored by 'Werry Holey Stretchit'.

Towards the end of its life, the Free-Lance promoted itself through the issue of specially produced posters. These posters were 'designed and drawn by Australian artists' and 'printed in three colours by Australian printers for the use of Australian agents'. In the midst of this promotional campaign, the Free-Lance abruptly ceased publication, without explanation.