newspaper to be brought to life in full colour. As technology emerged an order was placed in 1988 for a new electronic colour scanner which would enhance the newspaper's production and appearance. It was the first newspaper in Australia to use the state-of-the-art Itek 210S scanner. In 2012 Fairfax relocated the editorial production, involving subeditors and page layout, of Illawarra Mercury to New Zealand. Proprietors Thomas Garrett John Curr Archibald Campbell Joseph Hart Margaret Campbell Edward Allen Standish Musgrave Wilfrid Musgrave R Henderson John Fairfax Ltd Ron Steward Corinne Whiteman Readership Despite being marketed towards residents of the Illawarra and surrounding regions, it can be purchased throughout the Sydney metropolitan region where it is popular due to the high quality of its horse-racing and sport coverage. Awards In 2005 The Mercury was named Newspaper of the year 20,000-50,000 circ. by the Pacific Area Newspaper Publisher's association PANPA. In 2004 the Illawarra Mercury won the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism and the Pacific Area Newspapers Publishers’ Association Marketing prize. Its editorial cartoonist, Vince O'Farrell, has won international awards for his work - his cartoon immediately after the 11 September 2001 attacks depicting tears rolling down the Statue of Liberty's cheeks is one example. O'Farrell is a six-time winner of the Rotary cartoons award. The Illawarra Mercury in 1972 won two of the State’s leading newspaper awards – a W. A. Richard award for technical excellence in newspaper production and a "certificate of merit in journalism". Archives The newspaper is available on microfilm at Wollongong City Library and the State Library of New South Wales. It has been digitised by the National Library of Australia under its Newspaper Digitisation Program. Digitisation The issues of this paper from 1856 to 1954 have been digitised as part of the Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program project of the National Library of Australia. See also List of newspapers in Australia References External links Illawarra Mercury homepage Newspapers published in New South Wales Wollongong Newspapers established in 1855 Daily newspapers published in Australia Newspapers on Trove 1855 establishments in Australia