For miners and the community alike, this silver lining encapsulated a belief Mount Isa would rise, like a phoenix from ashes, to rebirth as a vibrant, productive and family oriented town.

One such person who had faith in this epiphany was Sydney businessman and entrepreneur, Asher Joel who chose Mount Isa to establish a newspaper; The North West Star.

Over the past fifty years the paper has been instrumental in communicating to its readers the daily waves of good, sad and not-so- good that is life in The Isa.

It has reported on more than one intensive campaign by Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce for more effective management in the town’s business world, kept readers abreast of the housing scarcity, highlighted local sport, and debated community disenchantment with local council while lauding individual achievements and progress.

And it was at the front line to report on the changing ownership and mining evolutions within the region’s largest single employer, Mount Isa Mines Limited.

The North West Star or as it is fondly referred to, ‘The Star’, has always been topical and thought provoking in reporting the social fabric of the community.

When a petrol price war erupted in Isa, The Star that first alerted readers to the hourly drop in fuel prices from 59.4c to 54.5c.

And before digital cameras and the internet, it was to the photographs printed in the North West Star, many by award winning staff photographer, Dusko Maric, that readers were informed of the activities of friends, family and ‘those in the news’.

The North West Star has nurtured numerous cadet journalists who have honed their writing skills reporting on the many nuances of life in the region, covering from the Gulf to the north, east to Richmond, south to Boulia and Birdsville and west into the Territory.

Such was the learning curve that many of The Star journalists have gone to bigger media and commercial opportunities; Jacqui Donegan later became a Research Fellow at Harvard University while Bruce Wills returned to a senior position at The Age in Melbourne.

But there was one young journalist who chose to stay in Mount Isa and work her way through the ranks of journalism to become Chief of Staff and then editor of the paper: Liz Corbert.

Under her editorship, The North West Star received numerous awards including for Best Australian Regional Newspaper from PANPA (Print and News Paper Publishing Association) and Editor of the Year.

The North West Star’s advertising and promotional campaigns have been an integral part of the community’s social and economic fabric for fifty years.

And for local businesses, there was no better way of advertising their services and products than through the paper which can be attested by first day publication advertisers, Bell & Moir and Playtime.

On Thursday May 12, 1966, Bell & Moir, The Valiant People, advertised a selection of top quality used cars; 1965 Valiant Safari, manual transmission Pound 1150 and a 1962 Chrysler Wayfarer Utility for 350 pounds but the bargain of the day on payment of cash only, a 1955 Vanguard Sedan for only one pound 50.

On the same day, Playtime informed readers that they were expanding into West Street, from their original store in Miles Street, and seeking to employ the services of trained fashion saleswomen.

And as recently as this month, fifty years on, both businesses have continued to regularly advertise in The North West Star.

Community milestones were compiled into souvenir issues including The Changing Face of Mount Isa, 75 Years in Mount Isa, Newspapers of Yesteryear, Mining Expo and Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo programs, Mount Isa Mines Limited 50 years Production Jubilee and the Cloncurry Rodeo and the Camooweal Centenary lift outs.

The North West Star has been instrumental in promoting the affluent lifestyle attractions to visitors and residents of Mount Isa and the North West Region, through its connection to tourism.

It was there to lead the enthusiasm and confidence of residents in supporting the construction of Riversleigh Fossils Centre in the mid-nineties and it was there to promote the tourism benefits of the larger tourist outlet, Outback @ Isa and Hard Times Mine which opened on August 1, 2003.

But without doubt the most popular pages of the paper has always been those devoted to sport.

Such has been the community’s love affair with sport that during the decades of the seventies, eighties and nineties, and before the introduction of the twelve hour working day, forty odd sporting codes were played each weekend.

Staff sport journalists welcomed contributing writers like John Moran (horse racing), Fred Frost (cricket), Tony Nixon (rugby league), Jimmy Gemmel (judo) and Bill King (grey hound racing) to bring their results and slant on play to readers.

Through the sporting pages, many an aspiring sportsperson has had their journey to wider representation faithfully reported in the Star, including Greg Norman (golf), Scott Prince (rugby league), and Bill Sweetenham (swimming coach).

And just as these athletes gained momentum with their sporting records, so too did The North West Star as it changed ownership, after 48 years under the guidance of Carpentaria Newspapers Limited, when it was purchased by national media conglomerate, Fairfax Media.

For 50 years, The Star has ridden the economic tidal waves associated with the international mineral markets and has diligently informed its readers of the attractiveness and pitfalls of working and living in the region.

Like any family, Mount Isa’s family has regularly handed out bouquets and brickbats, and will continue to do so, as this newspaper is their newspaper – The North West Star.

Researched and written by Kim-Maree Burton