It has whistled in over the bay and around the southern end and now it is playfully skipping about, cheekily blowing gusts at unsuspecting folk. They smile as they feel the breeze in their faces, the end of the wind lifting their hair and their hearts.
The wind is here to stay and my sails are being filled with its spirit. A sense of adventure has taken me on a new sail in a new boat on waters that are comfortably familiar, generally calm but sometimes turbulent.
And so I am proud to be a part of the crew of the Redland City News.
The goal is to bring good news to the people of the Redlands. The focus is not to settle on those things that bring us down, but to look at those things that uplift us. At the same time this is the people’s vessel for expression and information and telling their stories.
This is the place where events can be shared, notification can be given, tales can be told.
The paper gives this community back its voice.
Use it.
Send in your stories. Tell us what you think. Give us your feedback. We want to know because no newspaper can be effective without its audience.
The Local News Group has put on its skipper’s hat. It has hired its crew and the crew has made this launch. But without a sea to sail on, the craft is grounded. And the community is the sea upon which this newspaper sails.
I have worked in this community since 1978. I have seen the area grow from a patchwork of flower farms and market gardens. I have driven the winding and rutted road from Carindale to Capalaba, stuck behind tractors taking their produce to market.
I lived here when the closest supermarket was at Cannon Hill. I have watched movies at the drive-in at Capalaba and walked the streets of Cleveland when they bustled with trade and potential.
And now, this is a city – a strong city, proud of its roots and proud of its coastline. It is a place where people try their best, where neighbours help neighbours and support comes from the most unlikely of places.
These are the stories we love the best. Help us recognise and acknowledge the best that the Redlands has to offer.
My email is linda.muller@localnewsgroup.com.au.