The Courier changes hands after 104 years of family’s ownership

The Courier, Narrabri Shire’s community newspaper, for 104 years in family ownership, will enter a new era with new owners next week.

Proprietors Ian and Wanda Dunnet OAM have announced the sale of The Courier, the Gunnedah Times, Wee Waa News and the North West Magazine to north-western business group Collective Media Pty Ltd.

The newspapers will continue in their current format and staffing as successful weekly print publications complemented in the future by an expanded digital offering.

The principals of Collective Media, Mark and Susie Slack-Smith, are passionate advocates of printed newspapers in country communities.

“We are committed to maintaining the important role of the mastheads as truly local, printed newspapers,” said Mr Slack-Smith.

“We are proud to continue the local newspaper tradition and build on the 104 year foundation of the previous owners, the Dunnet family.”

The change in ownership takes effect on October 1.

“We are delighted that the papers will have a strong future under the ownership of Mark and Susie Slack-Smith,” said Mrs Dunnet.

“Ian and I are stepping down after decades of operation of the newspapers, but as long term, and permanent residents, of Narrabri, we certainly have no plans to live anywhere else.

“We are completely confident the newspapers have an exciting future of growth and innovation under the leadership of the new owners with the support of the fantastic and experienced team members who produce the papers so professionally each week.”

Mark and Susie Slack-Smith see a promising future for North West NSW and its dynamic urban business centres, agriculture and energy industries.

The couple have consistently backed their confidence with significant and ongoing business investment in the NSW north and north west over the years.

“We firmly believe that a great future is in the regions,” said Mr Slack-Smith, who grew up in Moree and nowadays is based in Tamworth.

“Migration from metropolitan to country areas is growing as people increasingly recognise the lifestyle and business opportunities.

“And local newspapers have such an important role to play as part of the fabric of their local communities.”

The new owners plan to engage new technologies in administration and production and look to employing additional staff to further build capacity.

Already new staff have been employed to join the current team in journalism and graphic design.

A family business with a successful 104 year history is a rarity.

The Courier, which was started on January 7, 1913, has been in the Dunnet family ownership since 1920 when John Shearer Dunnet bought the paper from W.E Madgwick.

J.S. Dunnet’s sons John Rhodes ‘Chap’ Dunnet (1899-1984) and his young brother Bruce (1910-1996) continued the paper on the death of J S Dunnet in 1927 along with their mother Mary Ann Dunnet, passing the business on to JR’s sons John and Ian Dunnet in 1987.

In 2007 John retired and he and Megan Dunnet moved to the Lake Macquarie suburb of Toronto to be closer to family members living in the area.

Ian and Wanda Dunnet (nee Druce) bought John Dunnet’s shares in North Western Courier Pty Ltd in 2007.

That historic family tenure of the newspapers will conclude on October 1.

“We recognised that it was time for us to step down,” said Mrs Dunnet.

“It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to serve this community. It is a huge responsibility and not one to be taken lightly. A good paper is the best advertisement a town can have, it is the beating heart of its community and we are absolutely delighted that the new owners so strongly share our beliefs and commitment to the communities the papers serve.”

Mr and Mrs Dunnet’s adult children have chosen different paths to the family business, even though they still call Narrabri home.

“Our four children have busy careers of their own, Margot (Kopsen) in Perth, Western Australia, John in London, Jane (Edmonds) in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Sally, engaged to Josh Moinet, in Northamptonshire, UK” said Mrs Dunnet. “We now have two grandchildren and although we intend travelling to visit our family, Ian and I plan to continue living here in Narrabri, our home town.”