As our more keen readers may have observed, Round-about has been dormant since our January edition. John Ellis has edited Roundabout for several years while also serving as President of CNAV. In January it was decided to hand over the reins of our newslet-ter to assist John to focus his attention on the role of President.

Tim Croucher and I (Jens-Kristian Toft Hansen) are the new joint editors of Roundabout. Thankfully, Tim has been responsible for Roundabout’s layout for the last three years and is therefore well embedded in its

Five times ‘round the roundaboutproduction process, while I’m new to editing Rounda-bout.

All change has its challenges, and to find our feet we have gone ‘round the roundabout a few times before reaching – and taking – the July exit.

This July issue spans the gap from January to now, allowing us to catch up and again publish more regu-larly – and at somewhat higher frequency.

To John, thank you for editing Roundabout for these past years.

J-K

We are pleased to announce that Century Inn Traral-gon will be host to the 2017 Conference on Saturday, 14 October. Century Inn Traralgon offers excellent, recently refurbished conference facilities, an award winning onsite restaurant specialising in regional food, as well as lots of accommodation. It should be a great venue.

Gippsland has played an integral part in CNAV’s

The 2017 CNAV Conferencehistory. The idea for CNAV was developed following a Victorian Small Rural Communities Health Confe-rence at Omeo in late 2003 and CNAV was created at a conference held at Churchill in 2005. It’s exciting to be heading back to our birthplace for another con-ference.

Once again we have informative and topical presen-ters planned and in the planning, both for workshops

cont. on p. 2

Community Newspaper Association of VictoriaRepresenting Community-owned Newspapers

Roundabout July2017

and plenary sessions. We are still working on reach-ing final agreements with these people, and finding judges for this year’s awards. Announcements will be made as soon as we have everything finally settled.

Dinner for early arrivals will be held on Friday, 13 October at The Terrace Café.

Keep your eye on future issues of Roundabout for more pre-Conference news.

Century Inn Traralgon5 Airfield Rd,Traralgon Vic 3844

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Changes aplenty at DentsuMitchell. CNAV has worked with and negotiated with Ron Phillips over many years during the time of trying to get CNAV member publications recognised as worthy vehicles for paid state government advertising. Ron has been a senior figure within the Mitchell and Partners and the later DentsuMitchell organisations. John Thomp-son is the managing director of Victorian government services at DentsuMitchell, and Sylvia Pickering has taken on the role of group client service director to lead the Victorian government team.A thank you, congratulatory message to Ron elicited this response…

“Thanks very much for your email and genuinely appreciate the best wishes from yourself and CNAV. I think that we have worked well together to find a way around the various hurdles and protocols to ensure that CNAV has played a key role in Victorian Govern-ment communications. I am particularly proud of the work that we jointly achieved for the Summer Fire campaign over many years following the Black Sat-

Retirement of Ron Phillipsurday tragedy. Very best personal wishes to yourself and all CNAV member publishers.”

Many CNAV members will recall Ron coming to the 2013 Frankston conference.

Roundabout — July, 2017

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We are attempting to ensure all papers are paid in a reasonable time and when we receive invoices with the word “Invoice” as the only word in the subject line (or other words that give no information) they can and do get lost. We receive over 100 emails a day and we only read those we see as relevant.To assist in prompt payments we ask that each paper ensures:1. The word CNAV appears in the subject line of all

emails along with your paper name2. All invoices refer to the specific order number is-

sued3. Tearsheets are referenced either to the order

number or the invoice number.

Payments for State Government ads4. Further preferences to help in processing pay-

ments:5. Ensure each invoice covers only one order or part

order (multiple invoices to cover more than one publication of an order is fine)

6. Invoices and tearsheets by are sent by email, not paper mail. Reference to an online publication is also fine for the tearsheet.

7. Do not send receipts.8. Do not send full papers as unfortunately we have

no time to read them and they are just recycled.Bill Penrose, CNAV Broker.

The recent plea to CNAV members for a hardcopy of a recent publication has brought pleasing results – from a quality perspective as well as the quantity. These papers have been transferred to DentsuMitchell. The “roundup” had been requested by them to see pub-lications they have been placing advertising in, and ones they are possibly considering using for future

Papers, papers and more papers…State Government advertising. A quick flip through the papers submitted show the large number of pre-dominantly half page advertisements that CNAV pa-pers have published recently.

The CNAV committee receives monthly reports on advertising placements through the CNAV Broker and the latest report details the growth experienced.

Roundabout — July, 2017

Recruiting can be a hit or miss process. CNAV mem-bers have a variety of processes in place to ensure there are sufficient volunteers to contribute, publish and distribute their newspapers. As an organization, CNAV faces similar issues and in 2016 adopted a re-cruitment policy. This has just been reviewed and in parts it reads:Introduction: The nomination and selection of com-mittee of management members is the prerogative of the members of Community Newspaper of Victoria Association (CNAV) through the election process. However, given the responsibilities of the committee, there is a need for the committee to have an appropri-ate mix of expertise and experience. Policies and procedures must facilitate the election of those people who best meet the needs of the committee.Purpose: Committee members should provide an appropriate mix of skills to provide the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge and experience to meet the committee’s responsibilities and objectives. The committee also aims for a composition which will appropriately represent the interests of the vari-ous groups contained within the CNAV’s common bond.

PolicyThe committee should attempt, using its network of contacts within and without the organisation’s mem-bership, to identify appropriate individuals with needed skills and interests as potential committee members. When vacancies arise among the elected committee positions, such individuals should be en-couraged to nominate for election. Such individuals may also be appointed by the committee, where the constitution provides, to vacant committee positions. 1. The committee shall regularly assess its composi-

tion by reference to: a. necessary areas of expertise;b. the ideal balance between experience and fresh-ness; c. desirable diversity in relevant areas; d. contributions from relevant stakeholders.

2. The committee shall identify areas where existing committee composition falls short of the ideal.

3. Committee members shall attempt to recruit from their networks committee candidates who would fill those gaps.

4. The committee shall collect suggestions from

members and shall draw up a list of suitable can-didates for the committee, and for sub-commit-tees and working parties that may be established from time to time.

5. Where vacancies occur on the committee or its committees and working parties other than at the expiration of elected terms, appointments shall be made from this list.

6. Before each annual election the committee shall attempt to recruit nominations for the committee from this list.

Responsibilities1. It shall be the responsibility of each member of

the committee to explore among their networks the possibility of nominating for a position on CNAV’s committee.

2. It shall be the responsibility of the secretary to draw up and maintain a list of prospective can-didates for the committee. All entries on this list shall be reported to the committee.

3. It shall be the responsibility of the committee to ensure that any nominees, candidates, or new members are acquainted with the organisation’s purposes, policies, and procedures.

4. As a CNAV member, does your community news-paper have someone who would like to explore and/or discuss a potential contribution to the or-ganization and functioning of CNAV? Any of the CNAV Committee members would love to have an obligation-free conversation with you. Con-tact info@cnav.org.au to begin the conversation.

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Recruiting for CNAVRoundabout — July, 2017

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Every conference feedback sees a suggestion made that the current fee is too low and/or there should be a hierarchical structure so “larger” papers pay more. And every year the committee discusses this concept. The recent committee meeting was the same. The current fees are a low $40 for full membership, and $15 for associate membership.Discussion about this reinforced the view that CNAV’s strength is its membership, and we need as many members as we can encourage to join. It was felt that a reasonably affordable joining fee is most likely to achieve this.Secondly, a staged membership raises other issues. Firstly, what would be the criteria used for cut-of points? Circulation? Profitability? Socio-econom-ic status of the community? And secondly, what could be the expectations of the members paying the scaled-up membership rates? Our CNAV constitution doesn’t allow different expectations or treatment.So CNAV membership fees will remain low, being adjusted to cover CPI rises when necessary. But – any member feeling generous is more than welcome to make a donation over and above the $40 member-

ship when renewing (or at any time). Apart from a direct donation another option would be one that came into play after the Black Saturday fire disaster of 2009. Many communities were deva-stated, and their community papers affected. We did have members generously offering to pay member-ship fees for affected papers – and offering to sponsor their delegates attendance at the CNAV conference! An absolute feel-good story if ever there was one.Our budget is a modest one, CNAV being a not-for-profit and all volunteer organisation. Memberships bring in app. one third of our income, the conference is by far our biggest cost and we are slowly moving to charging conference fees that will see that reach a break-even situation. Brokerage commission and bank interest add to our income, whilst meeting room hire, website maintenance, audit and occasional legal fees add to our expenditure. Many of our member pa-pers would undoubtedly have bigger budgetary situa-tions than CNAV.

CNAV membership feesRoundabout — July, 2017

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CNAV’s Facebook page is open to all member pa-pers of CNAV, and can be found simply by searching ‘CNAV’ in the Facebook search field. If you go to the page, you will see a button asking you to join. To join, you must have a Facebook account. When applying for membership of the group, you will be prompted to specify with which member paper you are associated. This has to be filled in as the group is only open to CNAV member papers. The group is however, open to multiple users from each paper.

Facebook Why join the CNAV Facebook group? To see what other members are doing, to converse with them and basically look at developments and issues in the big-ger media world. 2017 posts have included:Access to papers like The Welcome Record, Water-line News, Village Bell,As well, there are personnel changes that affect CNAV, marketing ideas, defamation thoughts, crowd-funding experiences, grants available, ideas to harness social media initiatives, advertising and media trends – all posted as they become relevant and current. Why be alone – share access with your committee...

I remember going to the 2012 CNAV conference in Nagambie when Twitter was discussed as a tool for communication. At that stage I just did not “get it”. However in the years since I have become a fan. I don’t have many followers or post anything much, but I use it to keep track of what is going on in my local area and to keep up to date with things I am interested in.I have about 70 Twitter accounts that I follow. These range from Vic Emergency, CFA, SES and Vic Police etc. This is important as I live in one of the most high fire risk areas in Victoria. I also follow Twitter accounts of various organisa-tions, commentators whose opinions I value as well as current affairs shows. I also follow local commer-cial newspapers and journalists and often see posts from them about what has happened in the local area I might have otherwise missed. This article is one I found that was re-tweeted by one of the local journalists. It was simply a recommenda-tion that this was a good article to read and the link was provided. A quick Google search finds that Poyn-ter is a non-profit school for journalism dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists. It is located in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Keeping up with the news via TwitterThe article shows how Twitter:• Provides instant feedback from readers• Helps in newsgathering as it happens in real time• Gives print journalists a chance to beat TV news

cameras to breaking news• Expands readership to an entire globe that was

once limited to geographic circulation boundariesRead in full at http://www.poynter.org/2017/i-stud-ied-how-journalists-used-twitter-for-two-years-heres-what-i-learned/453162/There is a lot of dross on Twitter (like there is on Fa-cebook). But you learn to sift through what is repu-table and what is not. Sometimes it can be hilarious. People play games on Twitter using hashtags, post funny cartoons or pictures of their cat or dog (making otherwise serious commentators seem more human). And I like AFL footy, so I like reading about my fa-vourite team.Even though Twitter is limited to a 140-character message, a lot of information can be provided via a brief comment and a link. Photos are tweeted, includ-ing parts of articles from print media columns. People sometimes run a series of numbered tweets to expand the detail of their comments. Twitter can also be used as a search engine. Just type in your local town (or whatever) and see what comes up!

Roundabout — July, 2017

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All are welcome? Really? What is meant by that throw-away line? Reading Rushworth’s community newspaper (Waranga News) this explanation by Brian Spencer (Waranga Uniting Churches) was provided…

“Our church folk are very fond of saying ‘All Wel-come’ at the end of each announcement publicizing some event that is happening in the life of the church.

From the inside, the church seems a patently open organisation. We like to think that anyone can attend our church services and activities. But I was remind-ed recently that this is not necessarily how it looks from the outside.

I was arranging a baptism for a child. The young couple had not been to church since childhood and asked, ‘Are we able to attend a couple of services

A broad church?before the baptism?’ They clearly thought it was a ‘Members Only’ sort of place.

With this in mind, and inspired by a welcome sign that first appeared in Coventry Cathedral, we went through a little exercise in church the other week, un-packing what we mean when we say, ‘All are wel-come’. This is what we came up with.

We extend a special welcome to those who are sin-gle, married, divorced, gay, or confused. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, skinny as a rake, or could afford to lose a few kilos.

We welcome you if you can sing solos in the choir or can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’ re just browsing, just woke up, or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’re more Catholic than

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the Pope, or haven’t been in church since little Elsie’s baptism or Uncle Bob’s funeral. We don’t care about your past. We would like to be part of your future.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast, and ten-year olds who are cranky at being dragged here by their parents.

We welcome netball mums, beer-bellied dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetar-ians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like ‘organised religion’. We’ve been there too.

We welcome you if you just blew into town in the last five minutes, have a weekender in the bush or if you are fifth generation original settler stock. If you are a seasonal worker, a backpacker or a grey nomad, you are welcome. You are welcome whether you are from the Toorak part of our town, the caravan park, slept in your car at the wayside stop or are homeless. We are all looking for our true home.

If you’re filthy rich, dirt poor, or if you blew all your offering money on the pokies, you’re welcome here.

We offer a special welcome to those who think the

earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or came because Grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome you if you are wearing gum boots ‘cos you just finished milking the cows. We welcome you if your hands are grimy from fixing the ute, plunging the wine, or weeding the vegie garden. If you’d rath-er be out on the tractor spraying, sowing or harvest-ing, but have come out of loyalty, under sufferance or because you know that in the long run it won’t make much difference, you are welcome (and you are wel-come to rush off after the service!)

A special welcome if you are a welded-on member of another Christian denomination and/ or a Muslim, a Jew, a Buddhist or an Atheist -we are all seekers for truth.

We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids, had a fight with one of the previous ministers or got lost and wound up here by mistake.

We welcome believers, seekers and doubters ... and you! All are welcome!

Roundabout is circulated to all CNAV members, but its distribution is wider than that. It is routinely emailed to all local governments in Victoria, so your council should be aware of it and the current contents. Many councils pass them on to community building personnel, and many of those officers have contacted CNAV requesting they receive each edition by direct

Is working with Children an issue for your not-for-profit organization? Are you up to date with the lat-est changes? General advice is provided by Lewis Holdway Lawyers in their current (Autumn 2017) Di-rections News. These Direction News are forwarded to CNAV as a client of Lewis Holdway. There have been some legal changes around working with chil-

Roundabout gets about

Working with children

email. Additionally, every upper house and lower house member in the Parliament of Victoria receives an emailed copy.As a CNAV member, if you are dealing with someone from your local council or with a state parliamentar-ian, do refer to Roundabout to put your publication into perspective for them.

dren and the new child safety standards and aware-ness of these is something all organizations should be familiar with. Decision-making is the prerogative of each group according to individual circumstances.http://www.lewisholdway.com.au/new-child-safe-standards-victoria/

Roundabout — July, 2017

The end of an era but with a circulation of 3,900 the news clearly comes as a relief! From Tatura Area Community Bulletin:

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Roundabout — July, 2017

Folding day has been an important part in the monthly process of producing the Tatura Area Bulletin. The early Bulletins were folded twice after they were col-lated so they would fit into letter boxes, hence the name. As The Bulletin will now be collated and sta-pled at Rodney Printers, the need for volunteers to meet each month and collate The Bulletin is no longer necessary.

There was some discussion by The Bulletin com-mittee about implementing this new process as Fold-ing Day was a great community day for many of the older, retired folk around town who were happy to get a bit of exercise while they caught up on the la-test gossip. However, as the number of volunteers has been steadily declining, the decision to implement the new process became an easy one.

Marg Corrigan, who has been in charge of Folding Day and the many volunteers for more years than she cares to remember, has written the following thank you letter.

“I would like to thank all my volunteer men and women that gave up their time every fourth monday each month to ensure another successful edition of The Bulletin by coming to fold. They have worked tirelessly on this, behind the scenes, for many years and have always done an excellent job without com-plaint.

When we started The Bulletin, the post office said they had to be folded in three with a rubber band around each so they fitted in mail boxes. To do this was hard work and I remember one lady had to leave as doing this made her hands and wrists very sore.

I had been folding for several years when one day, the lady that did the counting, asked me to help her with it. The next month, I received a note asking me to pick up the bin from the post office, get some milk for afternoon tea and do the counting. She didn’t show up after that so I have been doing it ever since.

The Bulletin goes to many places, including Tat-ura and the local district, Rodney Park Village in Mooroopna, Toolamba, Murchison, Ardmona, Byr-neside and Merrigum as well as various caravan parks.

I would also like to thank the people who deliver them. As volunteers are getting fewer and fewer, we are going with the times. The Bulletin will be put to-gether by machine which should be better for all the

Folding ends in Taturapeople who love to read it. As it will be stapled, it will no longer fall apart. I will miss all my lovely volun-teers and I wish them all the best for the future.”

Marg Corrigan

Contribute toRoundaboutDo you have content you would like featured in Roundabout? • an article, feature, photo etc. from your paper

about which you are particularly pleased?• a topic you would like treated in Rounda-

bout?• ideas, comments etc. Please share with us by sending an email to:

roundabout@cnav.org.auWhile we aim at including as much of what we receive as possible we cannot, of course,guarantee that everything will be used.