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The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. Its origins are traceable to Saturday 3 January 1857.〔National Archives of Australia〕 This is the date of the first issue of the publication ''Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle'' (probably best known for Tom Wills's famous 1858 Australian rules football letter). The weekly publication was based on the format of ''Bell's Life in London'' and produced by Charles Frederic Somerton in Melbourne. A Sydney version had been published since 1845.〔(''Bell’s Life in Sydney'' and ''Sporting Reviewer'' (NSW : 1845 - 1860) ) at Trove〕 In 1864, the weekly newspaper ''The Australasian'' was launched to an Australian and New Zealand audience in a similar format to ''Bell's Life'' papers but with much less sport content. As a result, the local papers ''Bell's Life in Victoria'' and ''Bell's Life in Sydney'' were gradually phased out of publication. On Saturday 4 January 1868 the last Melbourne issue appeared (no. 504); while the last Sydney issue (No. 731) came out on Saturday, 31 December 1870 (no. 731).〔(Bell’s Life in Sydney, final issue ) ''Publication'', 31 December 1870, at Trove〕 ''The Australasian'' adopted locally based editions during the transition. Editors included: *Frederick William Haddon 1865 to 1866〔 〕 *James Smith 1871 to 1872〔 〕 *Harry Gullett 1872 to 1885〔 〕 * David Watterston 1885 to 1903〔 〕 ''The Australasian Post'' was read by millions at the height of its popularity in the 1960s and 70s, and features a uniquely Australian mix of scandal, sensationalism, human interest stories, fashion, politics, culture and entertainment. It was the staple of barber shops across the country.〔Murphy, Wayne Lawrence & Murdoch University. School of Humanities. Master of Arts in Literature and Communication Programme (1990). In ''Reading Post a study of the general interest magazine, Australasian Post''. Murdoch University, Murdoch, W.A〕 One of its best features is its focus on Australiana, with pages of jokes and cartoons, including the Ettamogah Pub series by cartoonist Ken Maynard.〔Maynard, Ken (1978). In ''Ken Maynard cartoons: A nostalgic look back on Ken's cartoons as appearing in Australasian Post''. K. Maynard, Palm Beach, Qld〕〔Maynard, Ken & Northover, Robin (1990). In ''Tales from the Ettamogah Pub: Australasian Post''. Southdown Press, Melbourne〕 On the coat tails of the sexual revolution in the late 1960s and 1970s, the magazine became more daring with their covers and content, often running stories focused on adultery, hedonism and nudity.〔http://www.paperworld.com.au/magazineinfo.php?Mag=Australasian%20Post〕 In 1982 then ''Sun News-Pictorial'' features editor Feyne Weaver was appointed ''Australasian Post'' editor. He immediately doubled the number of articles in the magazine and, while keeping the bikini-clad cover girl, got rid of all the "tit 'n bum" inside. The circulation rose to an all-time high, overtaking the then market leader ''People''. Weaver resigned in mid-1984 to move to the United States. Post's trademark bikini-clad cover girl became its downfall in the politically correct late 1980s and 90s and it suffered a rapid decline in popularity. The execution was stayed momentarily when knockabout ''Herald Sun'' columnist Graeme "Jacko" Johnstone took the helm, took the bikini girl off the cover, and focused on its knack for telling uniquely Australian stories. The magazine was renamed ''Aussie Post'' in 1997. It wasn't enough and it closed its doors on 2 February 2002. At the time of its last edition, it was the longest-running continuously published magazine in Australia. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Australasian Post」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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