A local newspaper will return to the stands in the Gulf of Carpentaria, when The Gulf Chronicle is revitalised under a new owner and editor.
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With a publication date of March 26, The Gulf Chronicle will return to the region as a fortnightly, free newspaper run by editor Matt Nicholls.
Mr Nicholls has accumulated 14 years journalism experience and has had a byline for The North West Star and a Cairns newspaper. When the newspaper he was working for in Cape York collapsed, he sought after a new project and landed on The Gulf Chronicle.
"I wanted to stay in North Queensland and work for myself and I heard about the newsletter that was once in the Gulf," Mr Nicholls said.
"It was a community newsletter run by volunteers and was published fortnightly from 2006 to 2016. So I contacted the people who use to run it before hand and had their blessing to restart it, so I am in Karumba right now and talking to locals and starting to organise advertising to get it off the ground."
Being a free newspaper, Mr Nicholls said it will rely on advertising from Gulf businesses and outlying communities.
"We have local advertisers on board but also businesses in the Tablelands and Cairns who service the Gulf," he said.
"We don't want to rely on every Gulf business to sustain the paper but diversify out."
Mr Nicholls said he was excited to start work and start providing community news to the Gulf.
"The newspaper will showcase a lot of community news in relation to profiles on people, events that are coming up or have happened," he said.
"There could be a profile on the new nurse, the owner of the pub, or the backpacker working at the store, I am pretty much working on keeping it focused on positive news and people."
With no plans for an office, Mr Nicholls said doesn't want to be restricted and will work on the road.
"I will be a nomad and won't have an officer per se. I feel like when it is a one man show it is a bit counterproductive when you need to be out and about and talking to people," he said.
"We are lucky today that we can set up with a laptop and a phone and work remotely. I will spend most of my time in Normanton and Karumba, but I plan on being in Georgetown, Burketown and Mornington Island when things are happening there as well."
The Gulf Chronicle will publish every second Thursday, and freighted to communities.
"The newspaper will be printed in Townsville just like the Cairns Post, Townsville Bulletin and The North West Star, and then it will be flown to Mornington Island, Doomadgee and Burketown and road freight for Georgetown, Croydon, Karumba, Normanton and Tablelands," Mr Nicholls said.
"People have asked me if it will be going to Mount Isa or Cloncurry but we wont be. I feel like those places are well represented by The North West Star and ABC Radio. I don't really want to compete with those organisations and I feel like they do a good job for their community so we want to stick to our niche in the Gulf.
"I was a little bit nervous about it, but I am really excited about the potential."
Mr Nicholls said remote readers could access a copy of The Gulf Chronicle online.
"I am not going to have a huge online presence," he said.
"However a copy of the newspaper will go online each edition. I people take an advertisement in the paper, people will still see it when the read the online edition also.
"I will not be posting individual articles and breaking news."
Mr Nicholls said the response from community to get the paper operating again had been overwhelming.
"The community has been amazing, so supportive and overwhelming. All of them were sad to see it close in 2016, and the reason it closed was because the committee and editor just burnt out as it was run as a non-for-profit. But the paper itself was really popular and sold 500-600 copies a fortnight used old technology and printing.
"I am trying to bring a more professional front to the paper to the way its run. This time they are going to have a journalist on the ground who has a nose for a story and happy to chase up responses from politicians and have locals back.
"The first edition of the paper will come out on March 26 just in time for election."
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Samantha Campbell
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
