There was no way we could celebrate the 200th edition of the Cape York Weekly without asking founding editor Matt Nicholls what his top five stories to report had been during his time at the helm. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
He may have handed over the reins after edition 169, but it would not be right to celebrate the 200th printing of the Cape York Weekly without asking founding editor Matt Nicholls what his top five stories were.
Matt remains an impassioned advocate for remote parts of the state, whether it be Cape York or North West Queensland, so it was no surprise to see his top picks involved critical infrastructure or community members standing up to be counted in their own backyards or beyond.
Weipa needs an upgraded pontoon (Editions 1-4 – 7-28 September 2020)
One of my favourite pieces of journalism, because it showed how valuable a local newspaper is to a region. When Cape York Weekly started, I remember sitting down with then WTA chair Michael Rowland, who highlighted some of the key issues for the community. A new pontoon was at the top of the list. Despite the town fighting for one, it took a series of stories, including two front pages, for the Queensland government to stump up the cash. The result? A piece of legacy infrastructure for the Weipa boating community.
Our local heroes (Edition 165 – 22 December 2023)
This was a historic edition for Cape York Weekly, as it was the first paper to not come out on time. I still remember the phone call at 3am on 18 December from a distressed Wujal Wujal woman who was stuck on the roof of the health clinic, begging me to help. You could hear the fear in her voice. No one was coming to rescue those people and, thankfully, the water didn’t rise any higher. It was a miracle that more people didn’t die from the Cyclone Jasper floods and it was partly due to a number of heroes, including people like Magoo the chopper pilot, Alec Dunn in his tinny, and dozens of others who lent a helping hand when the going got tough. Because of the flooding situation, the print edition was pushed back and we were able to tell the world about the situation in the southern Cape. It was world-class journalism and I was incredibly proud of the around-the-clock coverage we gave on the floods. It was accurate, informative and caring.
Brett “Magoo” Little was one of the local heroes the Cape York Weekly reported on during the chaos and devastation of the December 2023 flood event following Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
Mushroom business takes off (Edition 146 – 8 August 2023)
This story about a Lakeland banana farming family transitioning to mushroom farming was probably the most-read story in my time as editor. Peter Inderbitzin Jnr gave us a media exclusive as we walked the enormous mushroom shed on their property, which would have cost in excess of $20 million to create. The mushrooms grown at Lakeland are now available across the country and will create jobs and shore up the family’s farming business for generations to come.
Telstra and roads … (seemingly almost every single edition)
It’s hard to pinpoint individual stories, but I did love campaigning on infrastructure projects and wrote countless stories on two Cape York issues – telecommunications and roads. I’m proud of the paper’s advocacy for improved roads and bridges, as well as highlighting the countless blunders made by Telstra. In fact, it was this coverage that resulted in recognition from the LGAQ with an award in 2022 for excellence in regional journalism. The judges loved that fact the paper gave the region a voice on those critical issues. I can’t wait to drive over the Archer River bridge one day!
Royston wins Australian Idol (Edition 127 – 28 March, 2023)
Now I’ll admit I’m not an avid watcher of reality TV, but it was hard not to follow the progression of this Cape York kid on the big stage. Watching Royston Sagigi-Baira go all of the way on Australian Idol was an incredible experience and I had the benefit of being in regular communication with him along the way. What people won’t know about the boy from Mapoon is how grateful he was for every bit of coverage. His manners were spot on and he’d always text a thank you note when he got a plug. Seeing him go from a shy- but-talented high schooler to a household name filled me with a sense of pride.
Where it all began: the front page of edition one of the Cape York Weekly from 7 September 2020. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
