Series 02: Alan Gibson Stewart papers, 1987-1989 - Page 531
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was to be "Alan Stewart -- For Manly First", Meers followed with "(1) Nelson Meers Number One For Manly".
And so we traded blow for blow, battling tenaciously through the pages of our publications, matching each other's claims, and covering every move and countermove.
After two editions of Manly Matters, Meers finally produced his magnum opus, the "Manly Elector", a four-page tabloid replica of the Manly Daily. This look-alike was printed by the Daily, despite threats of industrial action by some of the staff.
Manly Elector contained only "news" which was supportive of the "Tooth Fairy". It was delivered in the same manner as its parent, on a Monday morning when the Daily was not published. Many people could have confused one newspaper for the other.
The Daily itself was not neglected. All through 1981 Meers inserted expensive advertisements, and paid a weekly column, "Meers on Manly", which gave readers the benefit of his thoughts on the local scene. Any event which involved Meers was given prominent news coverage.
The Meers image was projected in a variety of commercial outlets. A short film, starring Meers running on the beach at Manly, cost him almost $900 per week to show in six local cinemas. Huge "Meers for Manly" posters, featuring the toothy smile, were placed