Hinchinbrook Life, Keeping Our Community Connected

Since the commencement of the Hinchinbrook Life, I have published weekly updates to keep everyone better informed about State Government and other important local matters from across our region. So much positive feedback has been received, and I am grateful that my contributions are achieving their purpose.

This has only been made possible by the return of a free, local paper and I wanted to take some time this week to give a well-deserved acknowledgement to the Hinchinbrook Life and the hard-working team behind the publication who go above and beyond to not only provide important information and news, but who also create a proud sense of community connection.

The Hinchinbrook Life provides the best of both worlds with an easily accessible online platform for those who prefer to read electronically, as well as a generous supply of printed papers for those who prefer a hard copy. Printed versions can be found at 15 newspaper stands in high-traffic locations and 87 business drop-off points such as cafes, medical clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, takeaway stores, hardware stores, Woolworths and Coles.

As a weekly contributor, I’ve found this paper to be an invaluable platform. As regular readers would have seen, it allows me to engage with the community, provide Parliamentary updates, highlight important local issues, inform policy developments, and celebrate our electorate’s achievements. It’s a direct and personal way to stay in touch with the community.

The proof of Hinchinbrook Life’s success lies in its numbers. Initially, 2,700 weekly copies of the paper were printed, and this has now been increased to 3,000 copies. After being distributed on Tuesday each week, approximately 98% of copies are gone by Thursday.

I would like to specifically acknowledge certain members of the Hinchinbrook Life team. Our local journalist, Victoria Velton, Editor-in-Chief, Rachael Smith, Sales Manager Sherie Hensler-Adams and the brilliant graphic design team, who deserve medals for their patience in creating individual and specific artworks on my behalf and all of the business advertisers. Thank you for all your efforts and the pride you take in the attention to detail.

Equally important are the local businesses whose advertising helps fund the production of this paper. Without their backing, a free community paper like this simply wouldn’t be possible. The combined effort has brought a wonderful benefit to our region.

Contributed with thanks by Nick Dametto MP, Member for Hinchinbrook.