I bought The Yea Chronicle business from long-time publisher Thomas Michael Dignam on April 2, 1984.

Raised on farmland that now incorporates the Yea Golf Course, Thomas Michael Dignam was Yea’s most enduring newspaper editor.

Tom was son of William and Mary Dignam. His older brother was Willie; younger brother was Eddie; and he had a sister, Margaret.

Tom was a student at Yea State School, then attended the ‘Convent’ School (Sacred Heart) from its beginnings, as a first-day pupil.

His first connection with The Yea Chronicle was under its proprietorship of the family of Major Frederick George Purcell.

Tom was employed as a printer’s devil, and he continued his employ-ment under the proprietorshop of William Henry Tomkins, Elizabeth Jane Goodwin Thorley, George Philip Armstrong and James Vincent Gannon. The Dignam brothers took over on July 1, 1936.

Type was first set by hand, then linotype machinery was introduced. The weekly newspaper was pro-duced in Yea on the giant Wharfedale W. Dawson & Sons flat bed press.

They were tough post-Depression years.

On October 5, 1940, the Dignam brothers announced that they had also taken over the leasehold of the Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian newspaper from Norman W. Gill, with Eddie becoming the local manager at offices in Nicholson St, Healesville. He became one of the valued players in the Healesville football side.

Importantly, he portrayed himself as a Healesville ‘local’. On January 4, 1941, The Guardian noted: “Mr E.L. Dignam returned this week from a vacation in Yea. He was one of Healesville’s representatives at the Yea sports.”

The paper also noted that Tom Dignam had holidayed in Healesville.

They were busy times. The Yea paper noted on April 23, 1941, that Tom had married Dorothy Mary Johnson of Homewood, quietly celebrated with Nuptial Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, Broadford.

“The bride wore a softly-falling gown of white lace made with a train of panels of satin bows on the bodice and sleeves.

“Her full tuille veil was held in place with a top knot of orange blossomm and she carried a bouquet of mixed flowers.

“A small reception was held at the Commercial Hotel, Broadford, with Rev. Fr. McHugh presiding.

“The happy couple left by train for the honeymoon in the Ballarat and Western districts.”

Two weeks later, the Yea paper published a contributed article on a
‘welcome home social’ to Mr and Mrs T. Dignam.

“The large number of people present at the ‘Welcome Home’ social in the Parish Hall on Monday night bore testimony to the esteem felt for the recently married editor of The Yea Chronicle and his bride,” said the report.

“The Rev. Father Sowersby presided, and was the first speaker. He spoke mainly of the work Mr Dignam had done in connection with the Church, and said he was possessed with a thirst for hard work in connection with the Church, and much organising ability; he was a young man who had not wasted his talents.

“During the last few years his wife had been in Yea and had endeared herself to all.

“Dr Costigan spoke for the Cricket Association of which he was Secretary.

“Mr Coonan added thoughts for the Boundary Creek Cricket Club, team, and mention was made for the long and happy association with that

“Another speaker was Mr C. Tratford on behalf of the Catholic Social Club. He traced the couple’s involvement in plays, tennis club, social functions and as far back as Tom’s part in the debating team in 1935.”

The brothers carried on business at Yea and Healesville throughout 1941, with the October 4 Guardian announcing that they had relinquished the leasehold after 12 months,as Ed had enlisted in the Australian Army and was “in camp”.

Private Edward Leo Dignam, VX62391, had enlisted at Royal Park on August 25, 1941. He was discharged on November 9, 1945, when he was a member of the 2/46 Transport Platoon.

In later years, it was reflected that from the time Eddie served in the Army “that the period of hard work started which it would be fair to say that Tom has not be relieved to this time”.

In 1984, I wrote: “Since then the paper has been carried on under a certain amount of difficulty.”

Ed Dignam had passed away at age 51, on July 29, 1968, following an illness which extended over some 21 months.

“Apart from a short spell in a Healesville office and 4½-years in the Army as a member of the 2/108 Australian General Transport Co., Ed. spent of all his life in Yea,” said an obituary.

“He served in the Northern Territory, then the Dutch Indies, and he was at Balik Papan when the war ended.

“As a Yea citizen, he held many important posts, being President of the Yea Football Club in 1960 and 1961, and a life member.

“He was President of the Yea RSL sub-branch for a two-year term, a member of both Yea and St Patrick’s Racing Clubs, and for many years an officer of the Hibernian Benefit Society, assisting in Church and institutional activities.

The Chronicle had an issue published on an d dated August 1, 1968, as a mark of respect to the late Edward L. Dignam, co-proprietor.

It recorded that Ed. had a good sporting record having played with Boundary Creek Cricket Club, and captaining the first premiership team in 1936.

“He was one of the top footballers to don the black and yellow,” the paper noted. He had also tried his hand at golf and tennis.

He held life membership of the Yea Rifle Club and the Royal Children’s Hospital. He was a stalwart of the old Yea Athletic Club, and for many years announcer with the Yea A.P. & H. Association.

“Since members of the Dignam family took over The Yea Chronicle (in 1936), it has not been our wont to conduct a competition to see who had the longest funeral in Yea, or flirt serious happenings in a light-hearted manner,” the editor reflected.

“However, we beg to be excused for quoting a number of reliable local residents who aver that they had not seen a bigger congregation of people at a funeral that that attended the one in Yea on Tuesday afternoon.

“As a man, let it be said that Ed. Dignam knocked about as most men do.
“He was scrupulously honest and couldn’t be bothered with anything sordid, obscene or calumnious.

“His elder brother lives at Sunbury, and the other will continue to conduct this paper, not wishing to bask in someone else’s popularity, but content that one who put something into the community was paid a splendid tribute.”

Tom Dignam carried on the business for a further 16 years, with the final edition with his imprint appearing in March 1984.

He continued his association, penning Yea Football Club weekly reports, and occasional history features, until his passing at age 85 on October 23, 1999.

Following his birth on January 15, 1914, Tom had a 72-year association with Yea’s press.

Reflecting with new editor Ash Long in 1984, Tom Dignam looked
back at running the newspaper from 1936, at age 22.

“In retrospect, it was not a good time to start.

“The Second World War, logistic problems associated with the post-war boom, and a calling in which a third of the time went in non-productive, community-assisting duties, made the task of any small country newspaper a difficult one.

“My brother died in 1968 and time seemed to drag by until retirement status was too close to launch out on the new technological aids which would have provided the modern type of production common today.

“Another problem was the ‘two job’ aspect of country printing offices – producing a paper every week and doing commercial printing,” Tom said.

Tom certainly kept to the Sacred Heart School motto: “In all things, faithfulness.”

He said, in 1984: “Dorothy Mary, my good wife, and members of our family could confirm that keeping going a paper in Yea was no easy matter.

“Our partnership was blessed with a mixture of employees – some very good and some not so good.

“Heading the list would be the service given by Neil Garlick and at two different periods, by the late Andy Jameson.

“We had some fine office staff, Cathy Morris (Cunningham) and Joan Byrne being employed for many years.

“Among others Beryl Ryan (Wentworth) and Wendy Gates (Forster) were prominent.”

Tom Dignam was an active parishioner at Sacred Heart, often assisting the parish priest of the day with onerous chores. He was Secretary of St Patrick’s Gymkhana for 17 years, and assisted Yea Racing Club and St Patrick’s Racing Club.

He was made a Life Member of the Yea Football Netball Club, and authored its history in the mid-1990s.

Other authoriships included history books for the Yea District Cricket Association, Boundary Creek Cricket Club, Sacred Heart Parish … and his own Seventy-Five Years In Yea.

Tom Dignam was made a Life Member of the Yea A.P. & H. Association (Show Society) in 1984.

He was made a Life Governor of the Yea and Royal Children’s Hospitals.
He was made Yea Shire Citizen of the Year in 1984, and named in the 1989 Queen’s Birthday Honours as a recipient of the Order of Australia Medal.
Upon Tom’s retriement in 1984, leading Yea businessman Gary Pollard said: “Tom is a journalist of the old school. He was obviously taught as a young man that if you can’t say something nice about someone don’t say anything at all.”

Then-Shire President, Peter Beales, said at the time of Tom’s death in 1999: “Tom Dignam was a real gentleman. He was held in such a position of trust, that when confidential business was discussed at the Yea Council meeting, that he simply put his pen down, and the Shire meeting continued.”

It was a long journey from Tom’s start as a 12-year-old in 1927, and taking over the business in 1936, with the announcement that “T.M. and E.L. Dignam become proprietors of this well-known journal.

“The former will act as manager, has been connected with The Yea Chronicle for 10 years, and during that time has learnt the requirements of readers, advertisers and the public, and it will be he and his partner’s intention to meet these requirements in every way possible.

“The township and districts of Yea have been well looked after by nature, and local residents have maintained this excellence by the formation of various clubs and societies which are a credit to those associated with them. To be of assistance to these organisations, the proprietors must have their co-operation.”