THANK YOU! Local Businesses Bring Back Community Newspaper

As of today, the Hinchinbrook Region has a new free weekly community newspaper, and it is largely thanks to all the people on the front page of this first edition.

Free weekly newspapers are supported by the local business community and each business you read about in this publication is a local champion, they are the reason this newspaper has been made possible.

The Founding Advertising Partners, a group of local business owners who have all contributed to starting this newspaper. Photo credit: Rachael Smith.

Guided By Council, Brought To You By The Business Community

A positive and proactive Council is at the heart of every dynamic community and that has certainly been true for the Hinchinbrook Shire Regional Council which has been the driving force behind re-instating a dedicated local newspaper for the region.

Earlier this year, Mayor Ramon Jayo was visiting his friend and former Burdekin Mayor, Lyn McLaughlin, when he picked up a copy of Burdekin Life Newspaper.

“I grabbed a copy and brought it up here,” Mayor Jayo recalls, commenting that he loved the look of the paper and wished his community had something similar.

“A few days later, I was at the Volunteers Recognition Ceremony,” he added.

“Mrs Elena Mason came up to me and explained she’d just been on holiday to the Whitsundays and brought back a copy of the Mackay and Whitsunday Life Newspaper – I noticed it was the same – that’s when I decided to get in touch.”

Burdekin Life Newspaper and Mackay and Whitsunday Life Newspaper are part of a small, independent and family-owned business called Life Publishing Group which was established in the Whitsundays almost 15 years ago.

During this time, they have been producing two glossy magazines – a lifestyle publication named Core Life and a travel magazine entitled Tripping - both still exist today.

Four years ago, however, when the company heard that the printed version of 14 regional newspapers were being closed overnight and moved online, they decided to take action.

“We were determined to bring the community back their free voice in print,” said co-owner Rebecca Douthwaite.

“Every community deserves to have access to free local news – whether it’s the sporting results, real estate information, events and entertainment, and of course things like the funeral notices.

“Living in a regional area means many people are not online as much as they are in the cities, this makes the regional newspapers more important than they have ever been.”

In May this year, Mayor Jayo called Life Publishing Group’s Editor in Chief, Rachael Smith, and asked if the company would be interested in starting a newspaper in the region.

“When I received the call, I was very excited,” said Ms Smith.

“He called while Bec and I were at the Queensland Country Press Awards conference and later that night we won Best Free Newspaper in Queensland for Mackay and Whitsunday Life Newspaper.

“I think this was a good omen!”

By August this year, Rebecca and Rachael attended a Council meeting at the local Council Chambers and they were excited to see the warmth and welcoming response to the newspaper, both at the meeting and when they spoke to local business owners.

“When we launched Burdekin Life Newspaper the year before it was because we were also invited by the local community,” shared Rachael.

“It is a wonderful feeling to be invited and gives a bigger meaning to what we are trying to achieve.

“Right from the beginning we wanted to give regional communities back their free voice in print – we want to help people feel connected, we want to help preserve history as it’s happening and every single person in our team deeply cares about the community.

“We would like to thank all of our Founding Advertising Partners for being part of the group of local businesses which have enabled a dedicated local newspaper to return, without them, this would not have been possible.”

“I would also like to thank Mayor Jayo and Deputy Mayor Mary Brown who have both been instrumental in bringing this publication to life.”

Hinchinbrook Life Newspaper comes out every Tuesday and is free for the community with 3000 copies published every week.

The newspaper is available at 15 dedicated distribution stands and over 50 other pick-up points from Ingham and surrounding townships through to Cardwell and Rollingstone.

The entire publication is also available for free online every week.

Councillors Andrew Carr and Pat Lynch, Deputy Mayor Mary Brown, Mayor Ramon Jayo, Councillors Donna Marbelli, Kate Milton and Mark Spina. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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