For more than 160 years The Courier-Mail has written the first rough draft of history in Queensland.
The daily Queensland newspaper - which went from a four-page weekly to exposing corruption that brought down a Premier - continues to chronicle the news across the state and has been inducted into the 2015 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
Now in its seventh year, the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame is a joint initiative between QUT Business School, State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Library Foundation. It celebrates those organisations and individuals who have enhanced the state's reputation and economy.
The Courier-Mail and five other Queensland business leaders from past and present were inducted into the Hall of Fame by The Honourable Quentin Bryce AD CVO during a black-tie gala event at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre last night (THURSDAY JULY 30).
In 1846 the Moreton Bay Courier hit newsstands - it was only four pages long and came out once a week, but it signalled the beginning of a media institution.
The paper became The Courier and then The Brisbane Courier before a merger with The Daily Mail formed The Courier-Mail in 1933.
The 19 years under former Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen were a major test for The Courier-Mail with the Premier reacting to critical articles by banning journalists and moving the government's classified advertising account to a rival paper.
Despite the challenges, The Courier-Mail cemented its position as a watchdog of the state's most powerful after one of its reporters, Phil Dickie, uncovered information that led to the Fitzgerald Inquiry and, ultimately, Bjelke-Petersen's resignation.
Christopher Dore, the current editor, said The Courier-Mail was now a "24 hour a day business".
"It's a constant evolution of the news throughout the day and there are four versions of the newspaper with the mobile site, app and website. Younger audiences are consuming our content in that way. So the future of the newspaper I think is still very strong," he said.
"There's no question The Courier-Mail is the iconic newspaper in Queensland, with its history and the role it's played over the years. This paper is part of the Queensland DNA."
QUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Little said The Courier-Mail had been a consistent chronicler of Queensland through good times and bad.
"It has informed Queenslanders what is going on in their state for more than 160 years, bringing them the daily news, investigating the issues that matter to them and championing the state's interests," he said.
State Librarian Janette Wright said the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame ensured the businesses and individuals who had played vital roles in the state's business landscape would be recognised and remembered.
The Hall of Fame space resides within State Library of Queensland, while the digital story collection is available online at www.halloffame.slq.qld.gov.au
The inductees into the 2015 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame are:
•Benjamin Wickham Macdonald
•Blue Care
•Ellen O'Brien and Defiance Flour
•Hyne Timber
•Sir Lawrence Wackett
•The Courier-Mail
TWITTER: Follow #qldhof
Media contact:
Rob Kidd, QUT Media, 07 3138 1841, rj.kidd@qut.edu.au
After hours, Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901
