The front cover of the newspaper published 23 October, 1885. The paper was once known as “The Crookwell Gazette and Binda, Golspie, Cullen, Laggan, Peelwool, Taralga, Tuena and Wheeo Advertiser”, and then as “The Crookwell Gazette and Settlers’ Advocate”. Source: Trove, National Library of Australia.
Sometimes you don’t know a good thing until it’s gone, but the opposite is true for the Crookwell community who have always known the value of their local paper.
The Crookwell Gazette was first printed on 3 October, 1885 and has been a leading bi-weekly newspaper in the area.
For the past 135 years, it has kept the community connected, entertained and informed about the latest local economic and social trends, sports results and council decisions.
Despite its local significance, the Crookwell Gazette was one of the casualties of the Australian Community Media (ACM) decision to suspend the print edition of an unspecified number of non-daily newspapers in response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital editions of the newspaper have not been published since the print editions were suspended.
This decision has left locals who rely heavily on the Crookwell Gazette devastated, and keen for the paper to return as soon as possible.
Floyd Davies, owner of the local newsagency, says the decision to stop printing the paper is “very concerning” because a reasonable portion of the community is aged and rely on the paper as their main news source.
“It’s been a massive loss to the community, and we are taking the decision to stop printing very much as a temporary hiatus before it comes back again and we hope it will soon,” Mr Davies says.
Small town newsagencies like Mr Davies’ rely on having a local newspaper to sell, and his newsagency was selling 1,100 copies of the Crookwell Gazette per week.
“The paper has an almost 150-year history and it has always been profitable, and it still will be profitable,” Mr Davies says.
And Upper Lachlan Shire Councillor Ron Cummins says he hopes ACM will not forget about small-town communities.
“The basis of all communities are locals who should be kept informed and that happens via the local paper,” Cr Cummins says.
The Crookwell Gazette plays a key role in public interest journalism for the community, publishing articles about local council meetings and decisions, including budget allocations.
Cr Cummins says without a local paper, stories are lost as there is no one else to cover them.
“There is no local news on television because we get the Canberra feed and little places like Crookwell don’t get a mention on the Canberra news,” Cr Cummins says.
Online local news is not an option for rural communities with little or no access to the internet or a poor network connection, which is the reality for many in Crookwell.
An excerpt from the Crookwell Gazette published 22 December 1936. Source: Trove, National Library of Australia.
The shutdown of society as a result of COVID-19 has taught us a lot about ourselves and our communities.
It’s taught us that we can change our social behaviour to protect vulnerable people in the community.
It’s taught us that things we have never thought could happen, have happened, like sports seasons being postponed or states closing their borders.
It’s taught us that making sourdough bread is not as easy as it looks.
But, most importantly, it’s taught us that access to reliable, accurate, up-to-date news is crucial to the health and safety of our communities.
In uncertain times people need local news to stay informed and they want this news from a source they can trust.
The Crookwell Gazette is a much trusted and relied upon paper.
Local resident Lisa Leonard is disappointed by ACM’s decision to stop printing the gazette.
“Without the newspaper, it’s like we have been completely cut off from our community,” Ms Leonard says.
Another local, Susan Reynolds, says that the Crookwell Gazette has “provided very good, well-researched editorials that opened our eyes to a number of local challenges and issues”.
Although the Crookwell office closed two years ago, and the paper is now produced in the Goulburn office, which also publishes the Goulburn Post and the Yass Tribune, reporters are known to work from the Crookwell library regularly, which means locals can still approach them with story leads.
Secretary of the Crookwell Historical Society and CWA evening branch, Jeanette Painter, says the paper is important to these organisations, who use it to keep locals informed of general happenings.
“It links the community too because if someone was having a special birthday or anniversary it would be in the paper and then you could congratulate them,” Ms Painter says.
The obituary section of the paper has also always been a resource for locals to send their condolences to the families of people who have died.
Access to this sort of information is very important to regional communities.
On Saturday, 10 October 1885 the Bowral Free Press published the following advertisement, acknowledging the first issue of the Crookwell Gazette printed by Mr W.H. Oram who was a respected publisher of Goulburn’s Southern Argus.
An excerpt from Bowral Free Press and Berrima District Intelligencer published 10 October, 1885. Source: Trove, National Library of Australia.
“The Crookwell Gazette is in every respect a creditable paper and has laid itself out to strive with all its strength for the welfare of its birth-place.”
“Crookwell has reason to be well satisfied with its new possession, and we wish Mr Oram the success which is journalistic enterprise and energy deserve,” says the advertisement.
Mr Oram could probably never have imagined just how satisfied and loyal the Crookwell community would be to his journalistic enterprise.
135 years later, the Crookwell Gazette remains a creditable paper, much needed by the community who are still reading and now fighting for it to be printed once again.
