Gundagai’s Helen Castles will head up the Gundagai Times.
The Gundagai Times is thrilled to have local journalist and author Helen Castles join our team as we prepare for the production of our third newspaper this year.
The Gundagai Times is part of a large regional paper which focuses on towns and villages around Gundagai, Harden-Murrumburrah, Junee, Cootamundra and Yass, providing us an area rich in history and along some of the old battle lines of the Maher Cup era. The Gundagai Times is a print product which is complemented by social media and a FREE website to keep readers informed.
Owner Matt Stadtmiller is overjoyed with what Helen has brought to the team so far. “She just has an intimate knowledge of the area and its people. She is very skilled at what she does and we have enjoyed her contributions in the first two editions.”
Helen said, “It’s exciting to not only start the next chapter in my career, but also be a part of a new chapter for news in Gundagai,”
“I have known Matt and Nyssa for over a decade and have worked alongside the team at The Twin Town Times and The Cootamundra Times on many occasions when covering various local issues over the years. I know that they put their hearts and souls into their independently owned mastheads and I’m excited to be a part of that, heading up The Gundagai Times.
“Heading into this year, one of the biggest issues for our community continues to be the demerger. With Gundagai and Cootamundra residents set to front their third public inquiry, I’ll be there to keep readers informed on what looks set to be the year that finally decides the council’s future.
“But apart from that, I’ll still be there on Anzac Day that Gundagai does so extremely well to commemorate each year. I’ll be at the Spring Flower Show to showcase our talented local gardeners, and at Snake Gully Cup to capture all the incredible fashions.
“I will continue to promote our wonderful students at our primary schools and high school, our beautiful seniors during Seniors Week and our phenomenal youth during Youth Week, as well as keeping readers informed about police and council news and everything in between.
“Newspapers are so vital to small communities, not only to keep readers informed of the current issues that are affecting them, but because there are so many stories to be told. “I’ve always said that everybody has a story and I have loved telling those stories in the past. I feel very privileged and grateful to be able to continue to do that with The Gundagai Times.”
Matt and Nyssa Stadtmiller are excited to have Helen working alongside them on the new paper. Matt said “I saw an opportunity arise to enter the Gundagai market and provide it with a new newspaper. Until recently, it was owned more locally or regionally, however, it’s now owned interstate. We need to keep things local. I grew up in Harden, as did my wife and we understand country towns pretty well. I’ve known her for over a decade and she has been a joy to work with. She is a lovely person and a great writer. There is no one better than Helen to build our Gundagai paper into a great product for readers.”
With the first edition kicking off last week, the second one out today, Nyssa said she is thoroughly enjoying working with Helen in a permanent capacity. “She is so professional and you can tell how much she loves Gundagai. Being in Gundagai over the past couple of months to promote our new masthead, it became even more clear how much Gundagai loves Helen. We need the people of Gundagai to back this paper and back Helen.”
