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The Cue-Big Bell Chronicle and Reedy Recorder was the only newspaper printed in the goldmining town of Cue in the late 1930s, and the only publication catering for the nearby towns of Big Bell and Reedy in Western Australia's midwest.

In January 1938, Mr James Allan Prescott, miner, of Austin Street in Cue applied to the Postmaster-General's Department to register the Cue-Big Bell Chronicle and Reedy Recorder for distribution by post. Published weekly with a print run of 300 copies, the newspaper was sold to subscribers at the Millar's newsagencies in Cue and Big Bell, and Lehman’s newsagency in Reedy.

Inside the Cue-Big Bell Chronicle

What did readers get for their hard-earned threepence?

Cue Pictures and Big Bell Palais Theatre and Gardens advertised their Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday screenings. Big Bell Bakery, Cue Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Reedy Café and Cue Frock Shop tempted locals with their offerings. Readers looking for accommodation were well advised to consult the Chronicle, with advertisements for local hotels and boarding houses. There were also ads for Perth hotels such as the Savoy for those making the long trip south to the capital.

Local news also featured. Mr Millar was on holiday in Geraldton with his son, Mr Jim Peken had celebrated his birthday, and Mr Millington had left the hospital a month after an accident on the Big Bell road. There were 'hints' and 'help' for housewives, real estate listings, agricultural and pastoral news, mail time-tables, and international news. A 12-month subscription form to the Cue-Big Bell Chronicle was also included.

Recording no more

It seems that the Cue-Big Bell Chronicle and Reedy Recorder ceased production in early 1942. The reasons are unknown, but perhaps the enlistment of James Allan Prescott in August 1940 was a factor. His occupation was listed as journalist.

The glory days of Cue and the surrounding mining towns had long passed by the era of the Cue-Big Bell Chronicle. The demise of the only newspaper in Cue was the end of another chapter in its short but eventful history.