Judged by Kym Tilbrook

This is Kym’s 26th straight year of judging the annual Country Press Awards. He is a former senior manager at The Advertiser for 37 years. Kym is the author of six books including Through Our Eyes, the history of the Country Press Association of South Australia.

This award gives journalists the chance to showcase their skills in investigative reporting and day-to-day reporting of issues affecting their local community. It was good to see entries on the rise, with 18 entries – up from 15 the previous year.

Criteria for the award states: “A local news or human-interest story – must be breaking news, delving into an issue in the entrant newspaper’s community.”

Issues tackled and put under the spotlight included domestic violence, inappropriate material for high school students, the Patient Transport Assistance System, Mount Barker’s controversial Summit Sport and Recreation Centre, graffiti and vandalism of historic sites in the Flinders Ranges, the future of Fleurieu Health and the Strathalbyn Abattoir.

I awarded first place to Alexandra Bull of The Murray Pioneer for her excellent work to tell the story of students at Renmark High School being exposed to inappropriate material.

Alexandra wrote that even in regional communities, in today’s society it’s difficult to keep young people, even children, from being exposed to inappropriate material.

“While many would rightfully expect online platforms to pose the main risk, few would expect high school female students would be exposed to topics including bestiality and incest inside the classroom,” she wrote in her entry.

In this case the issue arose when a group of Year 9 girl students at Renmark High School attended a “respectful relationships” session conducted by a social organisation, Headspace Berri.

As a result of the presentation, families contacted The Murray Pioneer to express their disgust and dismay, with one parent stating the presentation had created fear and anxiety.

Another parent said the students had had their “innocence stolen.”

Alexandra revealed that the presentation allegedly had not had a teacher present or any prior parental consent.

As a result of her expose:

*The Education Department organised a counsellor for students affected by the presentation

*The high school was forced to apologise to families affected

*The provider of the presentation was suspended from providing the group presentation to Education Department schools in the future

Alexandra’s well-written story was followed up by the ABC and The Advertiser and was raised in Parliament by Federal and local MPs Tony Pasin and Tim Whetstone.

She is to be congratulated on breaking the story which met all the criteria for the award – “a local news or human-interest story – must be breaking news, delving into an issue in the entrant newspaper’s community.”

Second place goes to Rachel Hagan of the Yorke Peninsula Country Times for her series of “informal truth-telling” articles which shone a spotlight on the Narungga people and their history.

Rachel, who has a first degree in archaeology, reported on several aspects of Narungga culture, including the addition of eight new indigenous rangers who play a vital role in conserving both the land and the sea. Interviewees shared stories of how the Narunnga people’s language was taken away and highlighted how language and other cultural practices were being restored through the ranger program.

Rachel also wrote a well-crafted feature for Yorkes Magazine, highlighting the search for the lost ketch, Narungga, one of the very few recorded vessels constructed and used by Aboriginal people in Australia.

The article featured an interview with Doug Milera who shared his story of growing up in Point Pearce where he “faced brutal conditions.” Doug spoke of the lost ketch which has become a powerful symbol for the entire Narungga community.

In information accompanying her entry, Rachel wrote of the Narungga: “It represents the ongoing fight against racist stereotypes, highlighting the enduring ‘worth’ of First Nations peoples in the eyes of Western culture.”

Rachel described her interview with Doug as offering raw and emotional reflections about his life on the mission. “His personal experiences are a poignant part of Australia’s truth-telling process, contributing to a broader understanding of the country’s history,” she wrote.

In her series of articles, Rachel also reported on the first use of radiocarbon chronology on Yorke Peninsula. This resulted in the discovery of an 8000-year-old meal found on Guuranda (Yorke Peninsula), giving researchers a taste of what life was like before Waraldi (Wardang Island) broke away from the mainland.

Third place goes to Charlotte Martin of the Port Lincoln Times for her coverage of the controversial Whalers Way Orbital Complex proposed by Southern Launch near Port Lincoln.

The proposal split the local community with some wanting the project to go-ahead because of the economic value to Port Lincoln, while others remained concerned about environmental impacts.

Charlotte covered the topic for a year, with the first front page on January 11. Her coverage continued until November when Southern Launch was given provisional approval for the project.

She reported both sides of the story through a series of interviews with Southern Launch, local residents and environmental groups.

Charlotte’s reporting was first-rate and kept her local community fully informed throughout the year.