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THINK INDEPENDENT

My name is Bev Jordan and I have been a journalist for over 30 years, 17 of those were with the Hills Shire Times.

When I left NewsLocal at the end of 2018 I wanted to keep my community connected which is why I started working alongside publisher Diana Paton.

She has been running hyper-local publications for years, as well as the fortnightly Hills and Hawkesbury Community News she also publishes the Galston, Glenorie and Hills Rural News and Dooral Roundup.

The Hills to Hawkesbury Community News is not about profit but about community, as its name suggests.

Thanks to our loyal advertisers we have been able to return both in print and online after the COVID-19 lockdown stopped us printing for two issues.

The decision made by major newspaper companies to keep their titles online and behind a paywall is something that has been on the cards for a while.

And while it may be good for profits it is not good for community connection.

Keeping our community connected is something our staff all feel passionate about.

We have always printed papers that are free to you. There is no pay wall either on our Facebook or our website.

Having a print platform to show what is happening in our community is vital for both advertisers, organisations and individuals.

To keep costs down and to keep printing through this difficult time we have had to streamline our operation so we have had to halve the size of our magazine from 32 pages to 16 pages and we have had to drop the 7-page television guide.

We are now in the process of building up to 32 pages again. To provide more space for news and your content we have decided not to bring back the TV guide but dedicate more pages to community news, your views and columns.

So, if you want to make a comment, send us a story, poem or a tip off, we are here to listen and take note.

We are boosting our puzzle section and bringing you more content including a Pet’s section, a regular Personality Profile, Your Say page and a new Community For A Cause section featuring the photos you send in.

To send in items email [email protected]. We have great rates for advertisers and can tailor campaigns to suit your target market and your budget. Please email [email protected] for a media kit.

Our advertisers are the heroes in enabling us to provide a free community newspaper to you so please support them.

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