Former Coonamble Times editor Lisa Wheeler holds an edition, published on 14 September 2005, celebrating Coonamble’s 150th birthday, an event that was recorded during her stint.
Lisa Wheeler was set on becoming a country journalist when she graduated from Coonamble High School in 1976.
She applied to several regional newspapers in her late teens and was even shortlisted as a candidate for the Sydney Morning Herald’s competitive cadetship program but was unable to snare a role.
Instead she began a Bachelor of Arts with a Communications major at Mitchell College in Bathurst, graduating in 1979 and worked as a journalist for Sydney-based Advertising News.
Lisa eventually switched to public relations, but over twenty-five years later the opportunity to work in news came up again.
She was teaching at TAFE campuses in the Coonamble and Walgett shires when The Coonamble Times owner John Proud tapped her on the shoulder to sit in the editor’s seat.
She began in October 2004.
“I was older, I had a lot more confidence. I just wanted to test myself,” she said.
It was a labour of love shared between Lisa, administration officer Elizabeth Goldsmith and long-time printer Doug Sunderland.
Back then, the paper was typically eight to 12 pages.
Lisa says veteran local photographer Neville Owen, who died in 2020, was documenting events as he had for decades and contributed photos “all the time.”
They covered the beginning of Coonamble Feedlot in 2006 and Bears rugby league grand final wins in 2005 and 2006, with the picture of the winning team being some of their most popular sells.
According to Lisa it was “very hard work,” especially in 2005, when they were faced with a wholly different type of story.
A house fire about 50 kilometres south-east of Coonamble killed a couple and one of their children, and orphaned three others- all under 14-years-old.
“From my perspective, it became a bit of a feeding frenzy for national media,” Lisa said.
“There was nothing I was going to put in the paper about the actual event that people weren’t watching in the morning over breakfast, so I focused on our community’s response.
“We focused on the work that the service clubs did, the major fundraising events (for the surviving children).
“I wanted to talk about and highlight the strengths of our community.”
Lisa also made the call not to interview family members at the time.
She said national media outlets stayed in Coonamble for about two weeks.
To her amusement, a staff member from Channel 10 asked to speak to the photo desk.
“It did enjoy a bit of a resurgence,” she said about her time at the Coonamble Times.
“I think a lot of people could see what the paper could be.
“I absolutely loved doing it while I was there.”
Lisa left the Times in 2007.
She currently owns and manages a large cropping property around 60 kilometres north of Coonamble and recently rejoined the Times as a casual news reporter and editor.
“I’m really enjoying it. I love being part of a vibrant working environment,” she said.
“Lee has grown the business and I think our paper is in really great hands.
“I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do.”
By RIVER McCROSSEN