September 17th, 2023Just sayin’…

By Donna Kelly
Wow, 10 years. It is a cliché but it really does feel like yesterday that we put together a little Word document and wandered the streets asking if people would like to advertise in it. For some reason many did. And thanks to them the first edition came out on September 2, 2013.
The front cover was Verna Baker’s grandchild watering daffodils, inside we featured artist Keele Breen and a nude, almost, Ian Tinetti. There was even a story on the Bridport Street bus shelter getting a makeover from a group of travellers.

The Local was meant to be a monthly publication but from the get-go we realised there was a real need for local news and a bit of fun. So that was the only monthly edition and after that we went fortnightly.
(You may remember during that first year of Covid we went weekly because we thought everyone needed a good read and real information. We also started Legends of Lockdown to give recognition to those helping others during that scary time. But it nearly killed us, being weekly, and we went back to our regular programming after a year.)
Still mostly it has been a lot of fun and we get great feedback on what we do. Sometimes we hold the council and the pollies to account, but that’s just part of the gig, mostly we focus on bringing you good news – to counter all that terrible stuff we see on TV each morning.
When we started Kyle asked what would happen if we ran out of stories. I told him not to worry – and we have never run out. People are always doing amazing things here and I really believe everyone has a story to tell. Well, almost everyone.
We have also had wonderful support with advertising from our clients, all of whom we know which is a really nice feeling. One of our policies is a “no arsehole rule” and we stick with that. We have told the team never to continue to deal with them and we have even lost a couple of advertising deals because they were not our sort of people. I know not many businesses can do that, but it is a great feeling. Also, we are too old to put up with crap. 🙂
But all the clients we have are lovely people and I hope you support their businesses because they are the reason you have a local community paper to read, for free. And while the world is slowly going digital I know many people still like their printed copy of The Local. So a promise that it will continue in print and online – unlike many other local papers run by much bigger companies than The Local Publishing Group.
With the anniversary I have also been thinking about my “best of” list over the years. Best front cover is easy – the council coming on a missile to get the geese – although the actual day they were taken was awful. Most interesting stories of mine have to be on The Rex. It was just the issue that kept on giving. From choosing a site, buying the building, Bromley paintings done before building works, building works, stopping building works, to council deciding to sell and the sale.
But then it gets hard. We have such a talented team, there are too many stories, great graphics and photos to choose from. So, a big shout out to our team and all those who have worked with us over the years. Many have stayed the course, including Nick and Lindsay, our wonderful sub-editors, who have been with us from the first edition. Now also working with Chester the Cat.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading The Local over the past 10 years and will keep reading for another 10 perhaps. After that it might be time for a new generation to come along. In the meantime, you’re stuck with us. Just sayin’…