Newspaper pioneer George Mott, after briefly editing a Beechworth newspaper, started the Border Post in October, 1856, with a printer friend, George Robinson.

George Mott was both editor and proprietor initially, but later brought in partners, and started other papers at Chiltern and Beechworth.

Mott was elected mayor in 1868, but left Albury in 1869.

He sold his interest in the Border Post but the family established or bought several Victorian and West Australian newspapers during the next 35 years.

Chief among these was The Border Morning Mail started by the brothers Hamilton and Decimus Mott as an independent partnership in 1903.

Sons and daughters of both brothers began working in the business, but in 1924 the partnership was dissolved.

Decimus bought the Preston Leader and Northcote Leader and became a key figure in Melbourne suburban newspapers as head of the Leader Group.

Hamilton bought and closed the Albury Daily News in December, 1924.

For the next 21 years, Hamilton owned, edited and published his newspaper with the help of his son-in-law, Gordon Davidson, as manager.

After World War II, in which sons Tennyson, Clifton and Melbourne were soldiers, Hamilton transferred more responsibility to them, and to the eldest son, Milton.

Always keen to keep ahead on technology, the Motts made the paper a tabloid in 1948.

Hamilton was 78 when he converted H.C. Mott & Co into a family-owned private company owned in equal shares by Evelyn Mott and the seven children.

Nevertheless, Hamilton was chairman and governing director and none of the staff or family ever doubted “the old man” was in charge until his death in 1963, aged 91.

In 1961, Milton Mott bought the Swift St site, but died a few days later.

Melbourne Mott then became board chairman, Clifton Mott the editor, Tennyson Mott news editor, Gordon Dowling general manager and John Barton advertising manager.

For the next 30 years Melbourne Mott was the driving force of change, while Gordon Dowling, and then Gordon Beavan, managed the company day-to-day.

A succession of editors, Rex Mitchell, Bob Cronin and James Thomson, each took the paper to a new level of modernisation.

The change from hot-metal to computerised typesetting for advertising and news and the widespread use of full colour throughout the paper was a 30-year process that began in 1973.

Among major changes were the dropping of “morning” from the title in 1988 and the launch of a website in 1998.

Robert Mott succeeded his father as chairman in 1993 and Tony Whiting was appointed chief executive in 1996.

Under their leadership, the historic decision was made in 1999 to relocate the business to West Wodonga.

In 2003, the business was restructured as The Border Morning Mail Ltd and a joint venture subsidiary formed.

Two Melbourne publishers, South East Newspaper Group and the Independent News Group, took a 49 per cent stake in Border Mail Printing Pty Ltd.

The print company bought the world’s first Goss Uniliner S printing press, made in France, to enhance the printing of its own titles and the suburban weeklies.

Today, the two companies between them employ 175 full-time equivalent staff.

In October, 2003, the business celebrated its centenary with the help of a host of Mott relations.

It was a double celebrations as Goss’s senior vice-president, global sales, Dick Shultz, declared open the $20 million printing press.

Chairman Robert Mott recalled that not only was the paper celebrating 100 years but it was 150 years since his great-grandfather, George Mott, arrived in Australia and founded a newspaper dynasty.