Lauded one week; despised the next.
It can be a lonely life in the editor’s chair of the Queensland Country Life.
The pressure comes from various angles; journalists pushing to have their copy used up the front; sales reps clawing to get late advertisements in; the public feedback suggesting what topics deserve more coverage and what ones have been neglected.
But for those who have taken up the brave task of piloting Qld’s leading agricultural journal over the years, the rewards are immeasurable.
It’s more than simply providing a “good read” every Thursday.
It’s about being a voice for the bush; a chronicler of the farmer’s struggles and elation; a stirrer of thoughts; a platform of ideas; and a vessel to ask the tough questions and keep the largely city-centric politicians accountable.
Harry Blakeney was the inaugural editor in 1935.
“It comes before the grazing industry of Queensland with a definite offer of service,” he wrote.
“It aspires to be the industry’s newspaper; its champion, expert informant, and friend.
“It will fight the just causes of the industry before the state and the nation; it will give the comprehensive and detailed coverage of pastoral news which is possible only to a specialised organ; its reports will be written by experts who know… the industry’s wants.”
Wallace Skelsey then took up the mantle in 1938, beginning an impressive 38-year stint as the paper’s captain.
He started on a salary of $22 a week.
Known for his extensive contacts at all levels of the industry, particularly international ones, Mr Skelsey made a point of getting on agriculture news first.
He gathered a staff of keen, dedicated people around him and was regarded as hard taskmaster, but one that always took on the biggest load himself.
In 1975 the editorial reins were then handed to another giant of rural journalism, Malcolm McCosker OAM, the first appointment from within the company, Rural Press.
Mr McCosker was the ultimate jack-of-all-trades when it came to covering topics.
As with his predecessor, he held extensive contacts and was able to home in on topics dear to readers’ hearts.
Always ready with a humorous quip or story from the road, Mr McCosker notched up 50 years as a rural journalist.
As the paper continued to diversify and expand, Peter Owen was appointed editor-in-chief in 1981, leaving Mr McCosker free to further develop his close association with rural Queenslanders, with Blair Chadwick appointed deputy.
Mr Owen’s time as editor coincided with Joh Bjelke-Petersen as Qld premier as the Libs and the Nationals decided to go their separate ways, if only briefly.
“We were deciding on the most appropriate way of celebrating QCL’s 50th anniversary,” Mr Owen said.
“The paper, true to its conservative background, was a broadsheet at the time and not particularly fussed about covering the political news of the day; more comfortable producing on-farm features and providing advice on farming and grazing.
Mr Owen said at one time, along with a colleague, he organised a string of focus groups and visited Toowoomba, Roma, Charleville, Blackall and Longreach, discussing the content of QCL, seeking their views on the paper and asking readers whether it should change to a tabloid format.
“We’d printed some mock-ups of what it might look like,” he said.
“We spoke to 109 men and women on that trip, and 107 of them preferred a more compact QCL.
“Gosh, one farmer said; I’d be able to read it while I was driving my tractor.”
In the first week a tabloid QCL appeared, circulation rose by 3000 copies – about a 10 per cent jump.
“And it stayed there. Queensland primary producers are a practical lot, and they always know what’s best for them,” Mr Owen said.
Kenrick Riley was the next editor in line and boasted strong rural connections (he is the son of a wool classer).
Mr Riley continued on the now well-embedded tradition of sticking up for the rural producer and presenting it from his or her angle.
Now based at his property, Wiccawood, Georgica, NSW, Mr Riley spent nine years editing the paper (1980-89) which he said set him on a path to be the farmer he now is.
In early 1980, QCL needed a new office in Roma and, as he was already living there and on the paper’s “waiting list”, the company took him to Brisbane for three months training, then sent him back as a C-grade journalist to cover western Queensland’s sheep, cattle and wheat industries from Goondiwindi to Winton.
“In addition to writing stories, I also sold advertising and took my own photos, rushing a packet with pinned sheets of editorial copy and a few rolls of film out to the Roma airport to get to Brisbane in time for that week’s edition,” Mr Riley said.
In 1987, Mr Riley replaced Peter Owen as editor of the newly-tabloid QCL.
This coincided with the office’s move from 432 Queen Street out to the then freshly-built complex at Ormiston.
During the next two years, QCL hit a purple patch with a record number of pages coupled with a record circulation.
“We also appointed some wonderful cadet journalists including Judy Kennedy who later became presenter of the ABC’s Country Hour, Mark Phelps, a subsequent editor of QCL, and Sue Kehl who joined the DPI’s media unit,” he said.
Chris Griffith became editor in 1995, embracing a time of change including technology improvements.
“It was just great. We led the way nationally,” Mr Griffiths said.
“I was very grateful for the few years I was there and I really enjoyed it.
“It was a time when people inside agriculture and outside agriculture began to realise agriculture was changing and then becoming science-oriented and an industry.”
“We had a good team. Qld Country Life was always highly regarded by the other states.
“It was a challenge but not a hassle.”
With a slight twinge of an English accent, Graham Fuller then stepped into the QCL editor’s shoes.
Mr Fuller said Dorothea Mackellar’s iconic poem My Country, and its references to “sunburnt landscapes and flooding rains” overshadowed much of his tenure with QCL.
“The challenge was to impart a positive outlook as we stumbled from one weather crisis to another,” Mr Fuller said.
“Our loyal readers struggled to remain viable during one of the harshest of decades – the nineties.
“Drought relief convoys and aerial fodder drops long dominated news briefings before some normality returned.
“In betwixt the demands of publishing the ‘Bible of the Bush’ continued.”
Mr Fuller said one of the greatest satisfactions was to hear the presses begin to rumble as a week’s work was realised in the shape of a sparkling new edition.
“But next week’s deadlines ever loomed,” he said.
The pace of technology began to accelerate during this era.
“Soon the transmission of pictures from field events directly to QCL’s head office on print day became routine, lending immediacy to the publication,” Mr Fuller said.
“Meanwhile, mobile phone advancements allowed our reporters to provide stories and photographs on fire fronts, rising flood waters and road closures as they happened.
Nevertheless, I can’t but underscore the hospitality and support I received from those I met when crisscrossing this vast state. It was a privilege to earn my keep amongst such a stoic community.
“We also were in the forefront of introducing stories linked to video clips, thereby enhancing our coverage. They were heady days.”
Political issues of those times saw the QCL campaign (only partially successful, according to Mr Fuller) to persuade the state government not to close many rural rail lines.
“And we opposed moves to adopt daylight saving which remains as divisive today as it is was then,” he said.
“Overarching all this were the imposition of harsh new vegetation clearance laws and the suspension of the Wool Reserve Price Scheme. They were testing times.
“Nevertheless, I can’t but underscore the hospitality and support I received from those I met when crisscrossing this vast state. It was a privilege to earn my keep amongst such a stoic community.”
Experienced agriculture journalist Grant Cochrane followed Mr Fuller.
“As a relatively young editor during the late 1990s, my strongest memory about my role is feeling extremely fortunate to be surrounded by a top team of experienced, passionate and competent section editors, specialist writers, sub-editors, regionally-based journalists and photographers who collectively all pulled together to cover the news of the moment,” Mr Cochrane said.
“There’s too many names to mention but some remain living legends of journalism and others who have passed away will never be forgotten.
“Our focus was widespread and predominantly on the beef, horticulture, grains and cropping, cotton, sheep and wool, dairy and sugar industries along with key updates in rural commodity markets, agripolitics and last but certainly not least, rural property.”
Constant connection with the readership soon revealed favourite parts of the paper.
“Many would say, the back markets page with Stan Wallace was really the front page for them,” Mr Cochrane said.
“Others would religiously follow the Ringer column first up for a belly laugh and then there would be those who would turn straight to the property section to see what was for sale and what had sold.
“More often than not, there would be letters to the editor from readers asking for more coverage on one industry at the expense of another.
“I often wondered if a section editor had a hand in ensuring these letters arrived.”
Internally, Monday morning news meetings provoked strong and often heated opinions and debate about the issues of the day.
While the sales department for advertising was located on the other side of the building, Mr Cochrane said some of the best sales people were in the editorial department when it came to selling the merits of their stories and ensuring their work was published on a right-hand page as up front as possible.
In many senses, Qld Country Life was the only significant and trusted media voice of the time with respect to life on the land.
“This weekly process of gathering initial thoughts which progressed to firm ideas, then planning pages and finally having a product ready to hit the press felt rewarding every time,” he said.
“It often followed a late night Tuesday and early morning Wednesday prior to printing that afternoon.”
The distribution of Qld Country Life via road and air freight across the state, into the Northern Territory and throughout a big part of northern NSW was happening at a time when social media and digital platforms really hadn’t gained any significant traction.
Internet access speed was also incredibly slow for many readers still dealing with the dial-up system.
“Consequently, at the time, the responsibility for Qld Country Life to deliver accurate and relevant news was arguably more important than ever,” Mr Cochrane said.
“In many senses, Qld Country Life was the only significant and trusted media voice of the time with respect to life on the land.”
Mr Cochrane said the market is more cluttered these days with some excellent digital products being available to rural readers including QCL’s digital footprint.
“It is undeniably a different world for print media today. However, despite the changing market, I do believe there will always be a role for Qld Country Life to serve rural readers as long as its excellence in journalism prevails,” he said.
Into the chair came the boy from Glen Innes, John Warlters in 1998.
Regarded as a genuine gentleman by those who worked under him, Mr Warlters pushed to ensure the paper was the “go-to” publication for anything that happened in rural areas.
With a change in company management, Mr Warlters became general manager, opening the way for then chief-of-staff Mark Phelps to take up the position in 2003.
Mr Phelps ensured a reader-driven focus while ensuring the paper was a vocal advocate for primary producers’ rights, particularly in regard to government policies that would have major impacts.
He also helped to pioneer the growth of digital technologies.
Continuing the strong advocacy role, Brad Cooper moved up from his role as national beef writer in 2013 to become editor, a position he held until 2015.
Mr Cooper pushed for the continued increase in online content, particularly through videos embedded within stories and reaching readers by embracing social media networks.
Penelope Arthur became the paper’s first female editor in 2015, in what would be the start of a string of female editors with Melody Labinsky following on in 2018, and then current editor Lucy Kinbacher in 2021.
Mrs Arthur also broke another tradition in becoming the first QCL editor to live outside of Brisbane.
“Given our head office and printing press was still based in Brisbane, this was a monumental shift,” Mrs Arthur said.
“Initially, I left my young family at home and travelled from our farm outside of Roma to Brisbane each week to ‘put out the paper’.
“The introduction of a new production system, NewsNow, some months later negated the need to be in Brisbane for the print production.
“For the first time in history, you could edit the papers from anywhere in the world, provided you had an internet connection.”
At the time most of the reporters were already located remotely throughout Queensland.
“Given we are a newsroom that serves the interests of farmers, having an editor based in the bush made perfect sense to me,” Mrs Arthur said.
“We were working remotely long before it became a thing.”
Mrs Arthur said her team saw some immense changes in the rural media landscape during her years at the helm of QCL and the North Qld Register.
“While we never lost sight of the relevance of our weekly printed papers, we embraced a digital-first strategy that challenged many of our traditional ways of working but ultimately stood the QCL and NQR newsrooms in good stead,” she said.
“There were many stories that made me immensely proud during my time as editor.
“I recall campaigns around domestic violence, mental health, drought assistance and innovation across agriculture.
“Above all, I sought to ensure that our publications and websites were an accurate reflection of what was happening across farms and rural towns in Qld and to provide our primary producers with a voice.”
For current QCL editor Lucy Kinbacher, the future remains bright for both agriculture and the publication that records it.
“This masthead is more than just ink and paper; it’s the first draft of history, the stories of your farming family,” Ms Kinbacher said.
“Nobody knows what the next 90 years will look like but one thing is for sure; we plan to be there every step of the way.”
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