Dear subscribers,

First impressions are important. I arrived in Australia in December 2016. It was a reconnaissance before the family and I emigrated. I had 10 days to rent a family home, enrol my boys in a new school and meet my new boss before hightailing it back to the United Kingdom to pack up our belongings.

I'd never been to Australia before. I'd watched it on Neighbours of course, and my husband and I had done a pretty thorough job of using Google Earth to pick our new location.

But nothing had prepared me for the breathtaking beauty as I drove down Bulli Pass for the first time. The steep winding road was terrifying in the little Suzuki Swift hire car, especially because I couldn't pull my eyes away from the vistas below.

My husband and I had travelled the world and were seeking our version of paradise. I'm Scottish, he's English and we'd found a compromise by living in the border city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK for 15 years.

It's a city I love and a football team he supports, but we wanted to live somewhere where we could enjoy an active lifestyle, watch our children grow up with a sense of freedom and feel part of the wider community.

When we landed in the Illawarra, we knew we'd found our place in the world.

It's a privilege to represent this community as editor, during a time when access to trusted information is more critical than ever.

The Illawarra Mercury already has an experienced, energetic and passionate team. Over the years they have provided first-class news coverage during bushfires, floods and most recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

My vision for the Mercury is a news publication that knows who it represents and meets our audience where they are.

It's a publication that understands the community's needs and won't back down from the fight. It asks the difficult questions, is fearless in its story-telling and is dedicated to helping people stay informed.

But it also champions the wins, brings the community together through the highs and the lows, and provides humour, joy and entertainment. It celebrates our entrepreneurs, our local sporting clubs, our lifeguards and our young people.

Still, it isn't afraid to dig into the grittier stories like domestic violence, affordable housing, the impact of drugs, crime, mental health and access to health care.

Telling these stories isn't just a case of reporting what happens in the courts or at the council chambers. It's about helping our community to understand the depth of these issues and to provide solution-based reporting.

We ask you, our loyal readers, to support us in our endeavour to speak up for the Illawarra. Tell us what you love about the Mercury, and what we can improve. You can email me directly at gayle.tomlinson@austcommunitymedia.com.au, direct message us on our Facebook page or write us a letter.

I can't wait to hear from you.

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