The beginnings of the Beaudesert Bulletin newspaper illustrate the passion for community news and grassroots journalism that our small team maintains.
In September 2019, after the devastating Black Summer bushfires, Canungra Times Editor Keer Moriarty moved to Beaudesert. Having worked in hyper local news for over 10 years, she saw the need for a free, community based newspaper in Beaudesert.
She was joined by Rob Brown and Kate Cahill, each of whom have over 30 years experience in newspapers, and established Scenic Rim Media in July 2020.
In the midst of the COVID pandemic which caused widespread lockdowns and the closure of many newspapers around the country, the trio published the first edition of Beaudesert Bulletin on 17 July 2020.
In the first six months they worked tirelessly from the side room of Keer’s home, to produce the fortnightly Beaudesert newspaper and continue production of the monthly Canungra Times.
The support from the local community was exceptional. Local businesses jumped on board, providing regular advertising income and enabling the paper to grow.
The team was buoyed by submissions from enthusiastic community members who saw the value in the newspaper – some were retired journalists, some were journalism students and some just enjoyed being part of this new publication.
In January 2021, journalist Susie Cunningham joined the team and it felt like all the pieces to the puzzle were complete.
Since then, the fortnightly publication has been embraced by our community. The articles reflect the people and unique community we represent.
There is now a Beaudesert Bulletin office at 52 William Street, Beaudesert and Kate and Susie have become partners in the business, joined by other local journalists, a sales rep and a number of deliverers.
We are always delighted to hear from locals who pop into the office to say how much they love the paper – because we love putting it together!
The Beaudesert Bulletin now exists in two forms:
- a free printed publication, delivered to your letterbox by friendly locals
- a news website
The business itself has changed to adapt to meet the needs of the community, with the emergence of SRM Print, the graphic design and printing arm of the company that provides marketing support to small, local businesses.
In 2024, the company acquired Tamborine Mountain News – a masthead with history going back to 1958. This has created some synergy across the three newspapers in terms of advertising and articles, although the majority of articles remain distinctly hyper-local.
We are all about keeping our business as local as possible and responding to the needs of the community.
Because local news doesn’t just inform a community — it belongs to it.
