Thanks everyone for sharing eventful year
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND IMPORTANTLY THANK YOU TO THE MANY STAFF AT THE CAIRNS POST AND AT OUR FOUR COMMUNITY TITLES FOR YOUR EFFORTS THIS YEAR.
IT’S such a cliche. “Where did that year go?” we exclaim while slumped over a desk in need of a back rub and a good lie down. It’s true though. I seriously don’t know where the year has gone – but I have a fair guess. This was the year of rejuvenation for the Cairns Post. We revamped our six-day-a-week print product, the real estate guide and introduced digital memberships, offering even more value to loyal readers. Then there is the BAU, as one of our esteemed colleagues calls it. Thankfully for those of us in the newsroom, our Business As Usual is pretty interesting. But it’s probably just as well our readers don’t see what it takes internally to bring you the news 24/7 – journos on their sixth cup of coffee by 11am, frantic photographers racing from one job to another, night editors in their pyjamas hunched over their keyboards, and a gigantic Telstra bill. So to celebrate Christmas and to mark my last column of the year, here are my 12 most memorable front pages.
1. He wasn’t the lead on the front page but he dominated it. Reporter Dominic Geiger kept us informed about the iconic Tarzan all year after tracking him down at a southern nursing home. The stories led to a lovely Cairns Post campaign where readers were invited to send him postcards which Dom delivered personally. Readers made Tarzan one of the most-read stories of the year.
2. On March 12 we revealed our new look and introduced and refreshed more than 20 features of our paper. The old girl scrubbed up well and our readership figures are up almost 4 per cent year on year (a whopping 13 per cent Mon-Fri.) proving you like what we’re doing. It was a mammoth project in print and behind the scenes.
3. For Our Kids was the launch headline in April that pretty much summed up why we did the Fair Go campaign. Partnering with our News Corp regional sister publications this campaign made our federal politicians sit up and take notice. The campaign won the prestigious News Corp Campaign of the Year Award.
4. It was a budget blackhole and the Cairns Post revealed it first with a unique front page. Since then the hospital board has quit and a new administrator and CEO is searching for the budget light switch. We hope they find it quickly.
5. The taking of Cindy Waldron by a giant crocodile at Thornton Beach was shocking. A late-night swim with best friend Leeann Mitchell in the Daintree proved a deadly decision. Crocodile management has dominated headlines all year with many believing the reptiles are getting too close for city comfort.
6. It was a daring but silly mission and police reporter Grace Mason sniffed it out. Five would-be terrorists sitting in a Cairns watch-house accused of travelling from Victoria to the Cape to go on a boat expedition to join Islamic State terrorists. They stuck out like sore thumbs in a Far North roadhouse.
7. The politician who keeps on giving … headlines. Blinky Billy Gordon served up another one when he was caught out drink-driving and unlicensed. So, when is the next State election?
8. It was a dramatic front page which captured the mood of our story about the generations-old tribal tensions between rival Aurukun clans in a Far North prison. The image did the job of a thousand words.
9. She was young, beautiful and much loved. Sadly Dimbulah’s Elyse Miller-Kennedy’s life was cut short after a horrific car crash. There was an outpouring of grief for the Miss World Australia finalist that touched people beyond her small community. The reaction was overwhelming. Life is always precious and often unfair.
10. You can’t handle the tooth … and unfortunately fluoride. The F-word debate raged again but council was ducking and weaving, eventually relinquishing responsibility choosing not to reintroduce it to our water supply. The State offered a token effort of helping councils fund fluoridation. It could well be up to the next generation to get it right.
11. It has been 18 years since Cairns last saw a major hotel development. The GA Group’s $100m CBD towers owned the front page on November 30 until news broke late that ute driver Brian Scutt had been charged over a crash that caused the Ravenshoe cafe gas blast.
12. Today … yep, the news I’m working on each day is always memorable. Sorry, for the cheesy ending but it’s true.
I’m one of the blessed few who loves their job — most of the time — which I think are pretty good odds.
Thank you for your support and importantly thank you to the many staff at the Cairns Post and at our four community titles for your efforts this year.
Wishing you all tomorrow a long, cold drink, a big feed, lots of laughter and hugs and kisses from the ones you love.