He was the last of his kind - one of Australia's true newspapermen.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Former editor and general manager of The Maitland Mercury, Daniel William Austin OAM, was a respected leader and quintessential gentleman - a pillar of the Maitland community, where his wisdom and wit shaped headlines and lives for decades.
Mr Austin passed on November 6, aged 87, leaving an indelible mark, not just on The Mercury but on the people he met, offering a rare blend of sharp insight and genuine kindness throughout his long career.
Born in Singleton on April 19, 1938, Mr Austin was the youngest of six children to Adeline and Harold Austin, a local blacksmith and farrier.
His early years were shaped by resilience; his father's near six-year service in WWII meant young Daniel's first Holy Communion on August 15, 1945, coincided with the announcement of the war's end.
A gifted and determined student, Mr Austin attended Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School and Singleton High School.
His formal education was cut short at age 14, despite winning a scholarship to Marist Brothers Maitland.
Unable to afford the necessary uniform, which his mother lovingly but incorrectly fashioned, he endured a month of ridicule before leaving to find work, starting with a fruit and vegetable store, before moving to a service station and eventually, the railway.
At 18, Mr Austin completed six months of compulsory National Service in the Navy, which he adored and intended to make his career.
However, fate intervened when his mother suffered a stroke on the day he was due to join permanently.
True to his family's commitment, he returned home and resumed his railway career as a clerk, having famously achieved the top ranking in the state on the railway exam.
From railway clerk to managing editor-in-chief
At 20, Mr Austin made a bold career switch that would define his life, leaving the secure railway job to become a journalist for the pay and the challenge.
Without a formal cadetship, he was immediately hired as a B-grade journalist at the Singleton Argus.
His dedication was legendary: to master his craft, he learnt shorthand, and famously read a dictionary from A-Z, devoured a Roget's Thesaurus, and systematically worked his way through a 20-volume encyclopedia, all to build his vocabulary and general knowledge.
This groundwork fuelled a meteoric rise through the country press:
- Singleton Argus (1958-1959)
- Founding the Cessnock Advertiser (1959-1962)
- The Mercury (1962-1965)
- Managing Editor of the Manning River Times at the remarkable age of 26 (1965-1967)
His career culminated back in the Hunter region, where he was Editor of The Maitland Mercury from 1967 to the late 1970s.
He later transitioned to management, becoming manager of The Mercury, and ultimately serving as the managing editor-in-chief for Rural Press, overseeing approximately 180 country newspapers across Australia.
Mr Austin, who married his first wife, June Bates, in 1958, retired in 1996 and eventually received the Order of Australia Medal for his services to country newspapers in Australia.
An Eye-Witness to History
In 1969, Australian Consolidated Press assigned Mr Austin to cover the Vietnam War.
It was during this assignment that he witnessed the sheer disparities of global wealth, a lesson he often shared: first, in Indonesia, where he and fellow journalists purchased a new pair of leather shoes for a kind, underpaid local newspaper manager; and second, when an Indonesian soldier stopped him from giving a $10 US (six months' wages for the boy's father) to a young shoe-shiner.
In Vietnam, Mr Austin experienced the war firsthand, including a harrowing ride in an American helicopter under enemy fire, carrying a blindfolded North Vietnamese prisoner of war.
A Man of Unforgettable Memory and Faith
Even in his later years, Mr Austin's mind remained exceptionally sharp.
When he lost his sight completely around 2017, he shifted his focus, becoming a voracious listener of audiobooks, keeping his intellect active until the end.
His memory of Singleton was astonishing; even sightless, he could navigate the streets and recall who lived in which house and the histories of their families.
A Catholic, Mr Austin was an altar boy until age 17.
The famous story of him receiving his driver's licence at 17 is a testament to the trust he inspired: having spent three years driving his priest, Father Ned Troy, to station churches like Jerry's Plains so the Father could recite his daily prayers.
The local police sergeant granted him his licence on Father Troy's word alone.
His final years, after the passing of his second wife, Val in 2013, were spent in the loving care of the team from Calvary and staff at Opal Rutherford, whose love and care and compassion and understanding were first class, his son Danny said.
Mr Austin is survived by his children, Danny Austin and Joanne Boole, stepchildren Karen, Lee, and James, 13 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Tim Austin.
Mr Austin was farewelled at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in East Maitland on Wednesday, November 12.
At the end of his funeral service, the recessional song was "Danny Boy," a tribute to his mother Adeline, who loved the tune when he was born and insisted on calling him Danny.
He was officially Daniel, known as Danny to his family, and always referred to as Dan to the thousands who knew and respected him in the world of journalism.
