Essex Free Press publisher Laurie Brett and her father and former publisher, Wilber Brett, review archival materials related to the publication's history. An enlarged photograph of Wilber working on the letterpress in the 1960s is flanked on the left by an image of the original building following the fire of 1943 and on the right by a photograph of R. R. Brett, the first member of the Brett family to own the newspaper.
Sarah Fisher, January 4, 2006-
The New Year will mark a noteworthy anniversary for the Brett family — the 110th year it has owned and operated The Essex Free Press.
There is a history of newspapers in this town. According to available records, John Milne constructed a two-storey building at around 16 Talbot Street in 1878 where he released the Essex Centre Chronicle to area readers with his business partner Robert Fair. The Talbot Street office would be the location of the town’s newspaper through numerous changes in the editorial leadership and ownership over the years.
The Brett family began its involvement in the newspaper business in 1896 when Ed J. Lovelace sold the business to W.H. Auld and R.R. Brett. The paper had used the name The Essex Free Press since 1889. The partnership between Auld and Brett continued until 1932 when Auld died. When R.R. Brett passed away five years later, his son, Kenneth E. Brett, took over the operation.
In January 1943 a fire destroyed the Talbot Street office. The letterpress survived the blaze and was transferred to the backroom of the town’s bowling alley where the paper was published until the current office on Centre Street was constructed in the mid 1940s.
At the Centre Street location production of the paper progressed from the old-fashioned letterpress ultimately to the digital format used today. Much of that transition occurred under the tenure of Wilber Brett, who also served as the town’s mayor from 1977 to 1980 and as a town council representative from 1970 to 1980 and from 1985 to 2003. Brett and his business partner, Garth Ramsay, bought the paper together from K.E. Brett in 1979.
“Operating a weekly newspaper is a full-time job and as I reached the age of 80 years last August I couldn’t spend the hours required to properly manage the operation,” Kenneth E. Brett wrote in an announcement about the change of ownership in the Feb. 2, 1979 edition. “So, I have sold, as of Feb. 1, the business to my nephew, Wilber R. Brett, associated with a long-time Free Press employee, Garth W. Ramsay. So the Brett name will still be in the ownership of the Essex Free Press.”
Ramsay sold his share in 2000. In 2003, Wilber Brett’s daughter, Laurie Brett, the great-granddaughter of R.R. Brett, took over as publisher.
Her family’s involvement in the paper influenced her decision to enter the business.
“When I was young I was very influenced by the newspaper,” Brett said. “I spent a great deal of time pouring over archive copies of issues and spending time at the office. It was fascinating to me.”
Among the information discovered from past editions was the price of a subscription to the Free Press. A flyer from 1932 urges residents to consider paying 50 cents for a year’s worth of papers.
The Free Press has changed a lot in recent years. Its 7,000 readers have witnessed the use of processed colour on a weekly basis, a redesign of the entire paper and a commitment to providing consistent local news.
“We have invested a lot of time and effort into ensuring that we are providing quality news to the community,” Brett said. “That has included hiring seasoned and professional journalists and putting a lot of resources into improving our news content. We are always evaluating the product we are delivering to the community.”
According to the Ontario Community Newspapers Association, The Essex Free Press is the third oldest family-owned community newspaper in the province and is among 25 community newspapers in Ontario that continue to be family owned and operated.
