The South Wales Argus newspaper has just published its 500th edition of the weekly supplement Business Argus.

The publication was founded in the early spring of 1995 and the first edition was published on March 7.

The first front page was written by former Argus journalist (and still regular contributor) Martin Mason who predicted the imminent approval of the £70 million Newport barrage scheme.

Mr Mason could not have predicted the subsequent actions of the Wales Office under John Redwood and William Hague to scupper the scheme.

Business Argus has only had three editors in its ten-year history.

The launch editor was David Barnes and he went on to lead the publication for seven years before leaving the company to join a Cardiff-based PR outfit.

Nigel Jarret - a 30-year Argus veteran and former deputy chief-sub - took over and edited the title for a year before his retirement.

For the last two years it has been edited by the current incumbent Ashley Nield, a former magazine editor.

Working with all three editors on the design of the publication has been Argus sub-editor and former chief-sub Peter Dunkley.

Business Argus was the brainchild of Argus editor Gerry Keighley. He said: "Back in the early 1990s the Wales media did not cover Gwent business very well, focusing either on national issues or Cardiff-based stories.

"But Gwent has always had a significant business story to tell, and it's a story which has changed profoundly over the last 10 years. We've seen the decline of traditional industries like steel and the collapse of some modern ones like LG Semiconductors.

"But there has also been a tremendous economic resurgence with more emphasis on self-employment and small companies.

"I'm happy that Business Argus has been able to cover these issues in more depth than any other news outlet.

"We've also been able to cover the formation of the Assembly and its increasing importance to the business community either directly or through its agencies such as the WDA or ELWa.

"Having ministers on the doorstep that we can talk to has been very convenient and has formed an important part of our coverage."

The above-mentioned contributors are to meet up for a glass of champagne and toast the next 500 editions.