The warm welcome I have received from the community in my first few weeks as a journalist at Stawell Times-News has been truly humbling.
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My first two weeks in Stawell were spent witnessing the town’s biggest event of the year, the Stawell Gift.
I saw the community work hard to prepare for the influx of tourists, while also setting up Central Park for the big event. The amount of people involved in the event, from volunteers to businesses to emergency service workers, was truly impressive.
It became clear to me the pride the community has not only in the biggest event of the year, and what it does for the economy, but also the pride the community has in the town itself.
Despite the pressure businesses and the community were under with the welcomed tourists, people still went out of their way to welcome me to the town.
I have seen first hand how much the community cares about the town and how welcoming they are of newcomers.
The community’s pride in Stawell is something I have had the pleasure of seeing in my short time here and look forward to continue seeing it.
I am also looking forward to continuing to see the community’s interest in Stawell Times-News.
I come from Melbourne, where I finished my journalism degree at RMIT University last year.
During my university years I had the pleasure of being a production assistant for Channel 31 and the executive producer of Represent, a political radio show that aired on the digital radio channel SYN Nation.
I was fortunate enough to live in Jakarta, Indonesia for two months while completing a work placement at Forbes Indonesia. I also did work placements at the ABC, SBS World News, Crikey and The Canberra Times.
Outside of work I enjoy hiking and I look forward to exploring more of the Grampians, and its hiking trails, on weekends.
I also enjoy yoga, cooking (cooking for fun, not the practical kind), reading a good book and I love coffee.
At work you’ll see me chasing stories around Stawell and across the Wimmera region to deliver to readers.
But mostly though, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the region and calling Stawell home.
Alice Rennison is a journalist for Stawell-Times News.