MARK Bransdon has been appointed editor of the Southern Highland News and Highlands Post.
Mr Bransdon was most recently managing editor of three weekly newspapers in the Illawarra.
He has lived in the Southern Highlands for about two years, and was born in Wollongong, so is familiar with the area.
After more than a quarter of a century working as a journalist in community newspapers, Mr Bransdon is looking forward to the future with the Southern Highland News.
“There’s a lot of talk about newspapers going the way of the dodo, but I think that applies more to metropolitan newspapers,” Mr Bransdon said. “I think community newspapers such as the Southern Highland News have a solid future.
“I’m passionate about community news and of reflecting it through the pages of the newspaper.
“But it needs to be a joint effort; I want to encourage the community to think of this as their newspaper – it’s not owned by the journalists who work here.
“Community members should feel comfortable in approaching us to report their views, opinion, loves, heartaches and events of all kinds.
“So don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and let us know what’s happening. Or if for some reason we can’t make it to your event, then feel free to email us a few details and a photo or two.”
Mr Bransdon hopes to inject some interesting reads into the newspaper, such as the recently started My First Job column.
“A community newspaper should not only be about news, but also should be about the people who make up that community,” he said.
“That’s my goal for the Southern Highland News.
“We will be championing causes, seeking reader contributions, printing more human interest stories, recognising people who are making a difference and more.
“That’s what we’ll be doing in future with the help of the great team of journalists at the News and the community.”
Mr Bransdon comes from a newspaper family – his grandfather, father and uncle were journalists, his great-uncle was a Linotype operator and his grandmother was a proof-reader.
“My grandfather and his brother owned the Grenfell Observer in the mid-1940s,” Mr Bransdon said.
“When World War II broke out they enlisted in the armed forces and the Observer was merged with another paper in town, the Grenfell Record, which is now owned by Fairfax Media.
“So that ended any chance I had of being another Lachlan Murdoch or James Packer!”
Mr Bransdon has been a keen sailor (“My father owned a yacht and we’d be on it almost every weekend.”), but these days spends most of his spare time researching his family history and spending time with his new family.
“I just recently married a gorgeous woman (Karen) I met in the Highlands and she has two teenage daughters who keep us busy,” he said.
“Plus I have a daughter and son from my previous marriage, so there’s never a dull moment in our house when we’re all together.”
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