Editor's Note 15 August

Hi Everyone,

It’s great to be back and feeling refreshed after a quick—but absolutely wonderful—two-week holiday in Italy.

My family and I stayed in a small villa in a town three hours north of Rome called Radicondoli. With only 950 residents, it felt like by the end of the trip, we’d made friends with most of them!

This was the first holiday in recent memory where I truly stopped and did nothing. Usually, our trips are active—skiing, bodyboarding, bushwalking—but this time (after 35 hours of door-to-door travel), we fully embraced relaxation.

We lounged by the pool, ambled into the village for fresh bread, and returned later for a glass (or two!) of wine at the local pub. It took me a few days to switch off from the never-ending mental to-do list, but once I did, I sank softly into the slow pace of life—and loved every second of it.

While I was away, this wonderful newspaper you're holding celebrated its fifth year in production—what an incredible milestone for our entire team!

I remember when we first started, with nothing but our magazine publishing experience and a dream to give the community back their free voice in print after the closure of 14 regional newspapers across Queensland.

Many people thought we couldn’t do it—but we love proving people wrong! And here we are, five years later, with a multi-award-winning publication (including Best Free Newspaper in QLD in 2024) and two more newspapers launched under our umbrella.

At a time when printed newspapers were folding, we bucked the trend—and we’re still growing strong.

A big thank you to our amazing team, who work tirelessly each week to bring our papers to life. And a special shout-out to our visionary publisher, Bec Douthwaite, whose idea to launch into free weekly newspapers has truly transformed community connection in our regions.

Rach

Quote of the Week: “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules and build a life you’re proud to live” (Anne Sweeney)

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