A SHIRE with many great stories to tell and the region's longest-serving real estate agency have jumped on board as community partners of the Sunraysia Daily 100-year celebrations.
Wentworth Shire Council and First National Collie & Tierney have thrown their support behind the Daily's Your 100 Years project, which features more than 100 stories that have helped shape Sunraysia since the first edition rolled off the presses on October 16, 1920.
To mark the occasion, the Daily will publish new "old" stories through its website daily, special features in every Saturday paper and will produce a souvenir printed edition on Friday, October 16. A hard-cover book will be produced later in the year.
Collie & Tierney director Gavin Ridley said there was a joint sense of history between the businesses in the local community.
"That was a key reason we wanted to jump on board," he said. "We have been around for 68 years and obviously Sunraysia Daily for 100 years and that relationship with this newspaper has been a big part of Collie & Tierney's history, so it was a good fit.
"The importance of local news to our community was highlighted when Sunraysia Daily stopped production for a week earlier this year.
"When you have a product that you have taken for granted taken away, it really hits home what it means to us. You stop and realise what a great product it is."
Mr Ridley said while businesses everywhere had suffered during the COVID-19 crisis, the local real estate market remained vibrant, demonstrating the strength and resilience of the region.
Wentworth Shire Mayor Melisa Hederics agreed, saying that the council was driving forward with a number of positive projects that would benefit the region for years to come.
"We want to get our message out there about all the great things we are doing and this (community partnership) is a good way to do that," Cr Hederics said.
"We've been given a substantial amount of grant money and we want to promote what is going on."
Wentworth chief executive Ken Ross said it was also important to recognise Sunraysia Daily for its long history of supporting the region through events and sponsorships.
"It's a good fit for us," Mr Ross said of the partnership.
"We have a lot of good stories to tell and we want to show that we are a big part of the coverage in this area.
"We've got a vision of growth and we want to grow our exposure and profile."
Sunraysia Daily advertising manager Greg Herrick thanked Wentworth Shire Council and Collie & Tierney for their support of the 100 years project, which was already receiving great feedback from the community.
"People are loving the stories on our website every day," he said.
"We've had a number of local businesses that have also jumped on board to support the centenary project as gold, silver and bronze partners and we hope many more can join us in this once-in-a-lifetime project."
