Welcome to the 2024 Annual Review  – a yearly publication which highlights the success of Gunnedah shire businesses and the local community.

It has been another big year at the Gunnedah Times – a 12-month period marked by significant change, incredible success but also profound tragedy for the local community.

Each year delivers another round of achievements for this modest publication and 2024 is no exception.

The Gunnedah Times was recognised by three awards at the 2024 Country Press NSW presentation in Dubbo.

The Gunnedah Times was awarded ‘Best Paid Newspaper’ – ‘Best Advertising Feature’ and runner-up ‘Journalist of the Year’.

This following its 2022 and 2023 success which included ‘Best Human Interest Photo’ – ‘Best News Photo’ and multiple runner-up and highly commended honours.

To be named the state’s number one country newspaper for 2024 is a huge coup, especially for a masthead which started operations just four years ago.

The judges commended our “fact-based” and “compassionate” coverage of separate but equally tragic loss of life in the Gunnedah community this year.

Each death has a major impact on those left behind but perhaps more so when the lives lost are so young and taken so suddenly.

Brittany Abraham, a vibrant young businesswoman who was killed in a car crash, and Eli Kelly, a young man who died unexpectedly at a Western Australian mine site, are but two of the Gunnedah lives we paid tribute to in this year.

We owe it to our community to tell these stories – however difficult they are to read and to write.

This year also brought about new ownership at the Gunnedah Times.

In October, proprietors Ian and Wanda Dunnet OAM announced the sale of The Courier, the Gunnedah Times, Wee Waa News and the North West Magazine to north-western business group Collective Media Pty Ltd.

The newspapers are continuing in their current format as successful weekly print publications, complemented by an expanded digital offering.

The principals of Collective Media, Mark and Susie Slack-Smith, are passionate advocates of printed newspapers in country communities and have told of their commitment to maintain the mastheads as truly local, printed newspapers.

The new owners believe in the future of the regions and the important role which local newspapers serve in their communities as more people migrate from metropolitan to regional areas.

To support the expanding media presence, the Gunnedah Times welcomed new staff members Leah James (advertising), Liam Hauser (sports journalist) and Noel Browne (graphic design) to the Conadilly Street team.

They join existing staff in Jen Mitchell, Kylie Devine and myself (Sam Woods) at the Gunnedah Times.

All newcomers have been thoroughly complimentary of their reception since arriving in Gunnedah – a town with a proud history and promising future.

There is much to look forward to next year – not the least, more original, community journalism about stories, people, places and events in the Gunnedah shire.

In an age of endemic misinformation, deep-fakes and the proliferation of false narratives as truth – no time is more important than now to turn to trusted news sources like the Gunnedah Times.

We strive to deliver a great product each week for our advertisers and our readership and hope to have you along for the ride in 2025 and beyond.

VIEW THE 2024 GUNNEDAH TIMES ANNUAL REVIEW HERE

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