What a Milestone!

There is something special about the number 100. Whether it’s reaching that venerable age and getting the royal telegram, or batting a century in cricket, there is reason to celebrate. Eumundi Voice, your local fortnightly magazine is celebrating its own milestone with its 100th issue on 22 August.

Launched on 23 July 2020 in the School of Arts Hall at a town meeting, members of the Rotary Club of Eumundi committed to stepping up their support for the Eumundi community in the social context of early days of Covid tribulations and the simultaneous demise of several valued local print publications.

To fill this gap, the club proposed a fortnightly, pocket-sized, full-colour magazine, supported with advertising from local businesses and featuring stories about local personalities. Articles would have a local twist on entertainment, youth, health, travel and community events. Its objective was to assist the Eumundi community reconnect and help maintain a stronger, vibrant community.

Print copies would meet the need for local businesses for a high profile to engage both residents and the thousands of visitors who flock to town for the markets and drawn by the lifestyle of the Sunshine Coast. Keeping up with the times, the magazine would also be available online, shared through social media and have its own website.

With strong support from those at the meeting, it was an enormous effort by mainly volunteers to get everything ready for the first issue. The list of things to do was very long: we needed advertisers, a great graphic designer, people to get out there and find articles to write, editors and proofreaders, and people to take photos! The legal logistics of forming a not-for-profit entity – the registered charity Eumundi Rotary Initiatives Ltd (ERIL) trading as Eumundi Voice –to manage the expenditure, getting a website up and running, and sourcing a high-quality printer were all a challenge.

Doing all this in an atmosphere when other magazines and newspapers were closing, and Covid was negatively affecting everyone’s view of the world…well, it was a leap of faith for a community-based project.

One of the unique aspects of the enterprise was for volunteers to physically drop thousands of copies into mailboxes in Eumundi, Verrierdale, North Arm, Doonan, and to freshly made, green magazine pick-up stands outside businesses in Eumundi, Cooroy, Yandina, Pomona, Cooroy and Noosa.

As well as providing a means for improved connection with groups in these communities, the Eumundi Rotary Club determined that local charities and not-for-profit groups could apply for surplus funds. Donations go to small and large groups: SC Riding for the Disabled, Katie Rose Cottage Hospice, Eumundi Magpies, Eumundi Swim Club, Eumundi State School, Eumundi Community Garden and over 20 others.

Thank you for the amazing support from a loyal group of local advertisers from Issue 1 who have enabled the success of this venture by promoting their products, services and trades… and to new businesses who see Eumundi Voice as way to boost their business.

Thank you to all the hundreds of volunteer writers, editors, proofers, deliverers and contributors from all our groups who create this wonderful Eumundi community.

And thank you to our readers and their continued support and encouragement towards the next milestone. Ruth Hickey