Community newspapermen, from left: Ash Long (Leader Newspapers Manager at Northcote), Don Brown (Managing Director) and John Monks (Editor-in-Chief). Circa 1983.

From Editor Ash Long

In the coming year, 2019, I will celebrate 50 years in newspapers. As the 2018 publishing year draws to a close, I want to say a sincere thanks to the thousands of people who have helped along the way.

Last week, as an example, I photographed 110 people for our Local Paper weekly newspaper. Multiply that over half-a-century, and you will get an indication of the number of people that one meets as a hands-on photo-journalist. Every one from Prime Ministers, Premiers, Mayors, billionaires, to local everyday people in the bush.

I enjoyed the best training ground ever. As a teenager, I was employed part-time by the Editorial Department of Leader Associated Newspapers. My job, at 4½-cents per published line, was to write notes from local organisations such as churches, scouts and schools. It’s where I learned about the importance of local names and places. My first boss was Jackie Taylor, who was in charge of all the correspondents. I am still in contact with Jackie.

This job led to part-time work as journalist in the Leader newsroom, whilst I studied at the University of Melbourne. Editor Kevin Pearman was a leading mentor. For a while, I was a member of the Australian Journalists’ Association, and was graded as an A-Grade journalist.

In 1975, I received my first Victoria Police Press Pass. Every week, over 10 years, I was a reporter for the Magistrates’ Court, and sometimes the County Court and Supreme Court. Of course, it wasn’t the Press Pass that gave me entrée to legal reporting, as many young journalists mistakenly think. It was the on-the-job training over decades, wisely guided by officials including Magistrates, Judges and senior Police. One of my prized possessions is a plaque of appreciation from Victoria Police for my community editorial work.

In the meantime, I also came under the wing of the legendary Maxwell Newton, founding editor of The Australian Financial Review, and founding editor of The Australian. As a Farrago journalist in 1975, I interviewed him. See: http://economics.org.au/2013/05/1975-max-newton-ash-long-interview-on-the-workers-party/

The Leader experience widened my work as a ‘newspaperman’. At age 21, I became Editor-Manager of the Bayswater News. Then the Knox and Mountain District Free Press, based at Belgrave. Then the Knox-Sherbrooke News. I was Acting Editor for a short while for the Knox papers, the Lillydale and Yarra Valley Express, Ringwood-Croydon Mail, Box Hill Gazette, Nunwading Gazette, Waverley Gazette, Chadstone Progress and Progress Press.

In 1982, I became Editor of the Bacchus Marsh-Melton Express, first an independent publication, later in the Fairafx stable. In 1983, I left Leader to chance my hand as a proprietor. I also worked at State Parliament House for a stint.

Our newspapers – some successful, some not – included the Avoca Mail, News-Pix Weekender, Croydon City News, Ringwood City News, Sunday News, The Clarion and The Yea Chronicle. The Yea paper was a four-page broadsheet, which grew on our watch up to 80-pages within a year. That was a 10-year stint, that saw our company expand into Kinglake, Whittlesea, Yarra Glen, Seymour, Broadford, Kilmore and Nagambie. Newsman Patrick Tennison, who lectured at RMIT and mentored student journalists, named me as Best Local Reporter in Victoria.

All this was a hands-on journalist and editor. Showbiz has its ‘triple threats’: artists who can sing, dance and entertain. The traditional ‘newspaperman’ incorporated the skills of editor, journalist, advertising salesman, accountant, photographer, typesetter and myraid other positions. Many local press pioneers paved the way of the newspaperman all-rounder: Tom Dignam (Yea), John and Bert Page (Alexandra), Les Amor (Mansfield) and Cliff Halsall (Euroa).

Other media experience was as Publisher for The Canberra Weekly (112,000 circulation), as a TV producer, as founder of the Media Flash e-paper – Australia’s first online media/journalism daily publication, and founding the new incarnation of the Melbourne Observer newspaper in 2002. I created The Local Paper in 2016.

Making newspapers work – in print and online – in the 21st Century, is no easy task. Overseeing a sustainable commercial business model, especially for a free weekly community newspaper in a competitive fast-moving sector, has its fair share of challenges. For our online presence, which attracts more than 2.1 million hits annually for the Melbourne Observer alone, we use a WordPress application, with the Giornalismo theme created by web developer Jacob Martella of Texas.

50 years on, eh? I have learned journalism from the very best. To them, and to the readers, and many business associates, along the way, I express my sincere thanks.