With the last edition of Narooma News being printed on Wednesday, March 27, it is timely to retell the story of how the little community paper was born.
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It is closely linked to the Visitor Information Centre which sadly has also disappeared.
Some 40 years ago the businesses in Narooma saw the need for a tourist information centre.
Narooma local Bill Dudley recalls there was a public meeting of all the businesses but six became the backbone of the push.
They were Bobby James who ran the BP garage, Bill Smythe Jr who ran Smythe Store, locally born and bred John Douch who was a butcher, Alan Smith of the Grand Pacific Hotel, John Plonk who built the Whale Motel and Ken Bannister, owner of the Tree Hotel.
They formed the Narooma Area Tourism Association, known as NATA.
"They approached the shire and asked if they could have the toilet block and put up a visitor information centre but they were refused," Mr Dudley said.
Mr James, Mr Douch and the very persuasive Mr Smythe turned to their local MP and requested an appointment with the tourism minister.
"They went up with a big box of Narooma oysters and explained what they wanted to do."
Run and supported by the business community
They got a government grant to do up the toilet block and make it the first information centre.
"It was really popular as all visitor information centres were in those days," Mr Dudley said.
The businessmen had a roster to take turns running the centre.
Such was their success that Batemans Bay started BATA and Moruya followed with MATA.
"Then council got involved, took control of the building and started the Eurobodalla Coast Tourism Association and employed a full-time tourism manager," Mr Dudley said.
Narooma's business community supported the information centre by supplying prizes for a weekly raffle, Narooma Booma, at cost.
At the time Mr Dudley worked at the RSL as a poker machine mechanic supervisor.
He converted a poker machine to draw the raffle.
Narooma News is born
The local newspaper was the Moruya Examiner which covered Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma.
NATA approached the newspaper owner, Mrs Royal, and asked if it was possible for Narooma to have its own page.
Because of the way the printing press was set up it wasn't possible for the Narooma section to go on the front page.
"I would go up to Tinsons newsagent on Wednesday morning when the newspapers were delivered, pull out the Narooma insert and put it on the outside so people thought they were reading the Narooma News.
"I did that for ages.
"That was the start of Narooma News in 1986," Mr Dudley said.
