Opinion & Perspectives
27 September, 2025
Heart of communities: my passion for local papers with local stories
I’m looking forward to getting to know you all, telling your stories, and being part of these wonderful communities once more.
WHEN people at my last job would ask me where I was going next in my career, my answer was simple.
“I’m going home.”
And to me, that had a literal and metaphorical meaning to it.
Because while I’m new to this role as editor of the NCN Herald, I’m not new to the area.
For a lot of you, my last name may sound very familiar - some of you have already told me just that. Because I’m a Wycheproof Gretgrix.
I spent the first 18 years of my life in the Mallee and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
While there I was a student of Wycheproof P-12 College and a netballer for the what was then the Wycheproof-Narraport Demons.
While my sporting career didn’t quite take off - my career in writing certainly did - and I thank my home-town foundations for that.
When I was at school, I was the one my peers and teachers would come to to do a newsletter write-up on the excursion we’d just been on or the school event we’d just had.
There were a few memorable moments, but there’s one that sticks in my mind the most.
When I was in primary school, we were asked to submit an answer to a simple question: “What does Anzac Day mean to you?”
And while the most respectful answer I as adult Alex would give now is of course: “Commemorating those who served and sacrificed their lives for what we have today”. But that’s not what young Alex wrote.
“It’s the day that Collingwood and Essendon play every year.”
My mother often says this was one of the moments she knew I would be a writer some day.
And she was right (don’t tell her I said that).
I’ve been a journalist on and off now for about seven years - with a few jobs spanning the areas around Echuca and Bendigo.
But after a brief side-step into communications at in the health sector, which taught me a lot about that part of the industry and myself, I knew where my passion was.
I’ve always had a love for local stories and the way small-town papers capture the heart of a community. What excites me most about this job is getting to meet people, hear their stories, and share them with others.
I always knew regional journalism was where my loyalties lay.
And while I loved supporting the people of Echuca/Rochester and Bendigo and surrounds, being able to do that in the places I grew up in is the highest honour.
To me, local journalism isn’t just about reporting — it’s about being part of the conversation and helping to shine a light on the everyday moments that make a place special.
Whether it’s a school achievement, a local fundraiser, or just a good yarn from someone with a story to tell, I want this paper to reflect your voices and spirit of our community.
I was always told to hold a mirror up to a town and what was in that reflection is what your paper should be and that’s my aim as editor of your NCN Herald.
Of course, there’ll still be plenty of the important stuff too—news, council updates, and issues that matter to us all. Maybe even a community campaign or two.
I can’t wait to get out and about, whether it’s at the markets, on the sidelines of a sports game, or grabbing a coffee at a local café.
If you see me out and about with my notepad or camera, please don’t be shy—come say hi!
If you’ve got a story idea, an event coming up, or even just a thought about what you’d like to see more of, I’d love to hear from you.
You can pick up the phone, drop me a line over email, or call into the St Arnaud office. The best stories often come from a simple chat, so my door is always open.
At the end of the day, I’m here to make sure the NCN Herald is something the community can be proud of—a paper that keeps you informed, connected, and maybe even makes you smile along the way, and a great part of the newspaper group that our owner and managing editor Chris Earl has forged since establishing the Loddon Herald five years ago.
Thank you for welcoming me into this role - even in just my first week here.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you all, telling your stories, and being part of these wonderful communities once more.
It’s good to be back in the part of Victoria I have always called home.
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