Editor's Note

Hi Everyone,

Three years ago, when News Corp announced they were shutting 14 regional newspapers overnight, three of which were located in the Whitsundays, our region instantly lost all its printed weekly news.

Friends could no longer gather to complete the newspaper’s weekly crossword, die-hard TV guide fans could no longer circle their favourite shows in ink, but more than that – the local community had lost its connection.

Whose kid had competed in what sport? What’s going on in the local property market? Whose playing at The Pub on the weekend? What local causes do we all need to get behind?

Overnight, all this was gone.

And while the internet is great at giving us national news and celebrity gossip, there is still nothing that can replace a printed weekly newspaper as the only source of local news gathered by local journalists.

This was evident in January this year when I received a call from a guy called Neil who was part of the Economic Development Group in the Burdekin.

He told me he loved what we do and implored us to start a similar publication in his region, assuring me we would have strong support from the local community.

I passed him over to our publisher Bec Douthwaite, and after months of discussion, it was decided that we would launch a new publication called Burdekin Life.

The new newspaper will have a very similar format to this one, but of course it will be entirely local to the Burdekin, with a full-time journalist living in the region.

For the past few months our team has been contributing to its launch and we are all heading there on September 28 to personally deliver and present the first edition.

For many of the team, the launch has involved considerable effort and planning – a whole new newspaper has been designed, advertising spots have been filled and one member of our team has moved up to the region to be Burdekin Life’s new journo.

As we celebrate this newspaper’s third birthday this week, it is exciting to now be embarking on a fresh challenge, one that will take commitment and dedication from everyone involved.

Thanks to all the team, and especially our publisher Bec who continues to back her dreams and bring us all along for the ride!

Rach

Quote of the Week: “Do one thing every day that scares you” (anonymous)

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