IN June 2020, amid rapidly developing pandemic conditions, I sat at the coffee table in my Brisbane unit and spoke to Michael ‘Mick’ Wright via Zoom for the first time.

It was a tough time for newspapers, with hundreds of regional publications disappearing or becoming digital-only in the few months prior due to rising costs and dwindling profits.

The owner of two weekly newspapers in the Hunter region, Mick had a dream to go bigger, and quickly, too.
“Launching newspapers in this economic climate?” I thought.

“Crazy!

“How long?

“A month?!”

Clearly easily convinced, several weeks later I was at the Wright family’s Medowie property filling my four-wheel-drive with news stands, on route to Coffs Harbour to set up a newspaper, the Coffs Coast News Of The Area.

Having been out of the news game for several years, it was a fairly bizarre re-entry into the world of newspapers; door knocking at businesses around the region for three days to find stockists for a paper which did not yet exist.

Thankfully, the community welcomed us with open arms, and just a few days later, the first edition was published.

A year later, based on the success of the Coffs Coast venture, the Nambucca Valley NOTA was born.

While a small company in numbers, there is a large appetite for practicality and getting things done.

Today, News Of The Area publishes four community newspapers per week, covering Port Stephens, the Myall Coast, the Nambucca Valley and the Coffs Coast.

However, the story of the NOTA doesn’t start in 2020.

The roots of the paper can be traced to the twin towns of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest, where, in April 1970 the members of the local Progress Association “recognised the need for some type of local, informative newsletter to bring to the notice of the people of the Tea Gardens – Hawks Nest area the events and activities of the district”.

Mick and his wife Rochelle have run the Myall Coast paper since 2014, launching a Port Stephens edition of the NOTA in 2016.

While the reach, and team, has grown since those early days, the dream remains the same: high quality local news products that benefit the communities in which they operate.

In 2024 we will continue striving towards that lofty goal.

However, these newspapers simply would not exist without the immense support of the community.

To the advertisers who support the paper, thank you.

To businesses who are yet to try NOTA as an advertising avenue, reach out to our hardworking ads team, they would love to hear from you.

To the readers of our newspapers, digitally and in print, thank you for trusting us with the delivery of your local news hit.

The work of NOTA would also be impossible without our intrepid reporters, columnists, designers and admin staff, so a big thank you to all for keeping the dream alive.

Looking forward, I am excited at the prospect of another big year of news in 2024.

Regional journalism is my passion, hailing from Newcastle and having studied in Bathurst before starting my career on the Markets desk at The Land newspaper in Orange.

From Port Stephens to the Coffs Coast, home to some of the most beautiful locations on the planet, it has been an absolute privilege to bring you the news in 2023.

Happy holidays!

By Doug CONNOR, Group Editor