TVO celebrates 25 years

In August 1993, The Village Observer (TVO) was launched to “provide the residents of the municipality of Lane Cove with all the local news and information that is missing from big city newspapers.”

The brainchild of Ian Longbottom, the idea for a publication came about after Ian attended a dinner party and spoke with someone who had been unsuccessful in getting exposure to promote a local school.

“I wanted to develop a forum for community groups with limited funds to be able to distribute information and came up with the idea for a newspaper. It was all about the Lane Cove community and encouraging people to support local business.”

For the next 17 years, Ian almost singlehandedly produced the black and white publication, circulating it to letterboxes throughout the area. “I didn’t know how long it would last. We kept our overheads as low as possible. I would write and typeset it using Word, which was a bit limiting compared to desktop publishing programs available today, and my young sons would help me distribute the 15,000 copies. “There were plenty of 2am mornings leading up to deadline. This was the era before email, so I would drive around town picking up photos and disks containing copy from contributors. Other contributors would fax handwritten articles to me, which I would then retype for publication.” Ian was never afraid to tackle controversial issues, whether it be perennial hot topics such as parking, rubbish, and traffic, or matters discussed during Council meetings in his ‘Minutes that take hours at Lane Cove’ column.

On the anniversary of its 50th issue in 1998, Ian wrote that when he started TVO, he had “no idea how long it might last. Suburban newspapers have come and gone over the years. Maybe that fate will one day happen to TVO, but we have survived well into our fifth year. “Our survival is due to our loyal advertisers, our multitude of ‘correspondents’ and our intrepid readers.”

Ian Longbottom, Founder and former publisher of The Village Observer, circa 2000. (Courtesy Lane Cove Library). Lane Cove Plaza, October 1993. (Courtesy Lane Cove Library).

Profits from The Village Observer are passed back to the community through the aged and disability services provided by Sydney Community Services.

A change of ownership

After 180 issues, Ian made the decision to sell TVO. In April 2010, he advertised the publication for sale, saying that “it needs someone new, with a fresh and vibrant approach, to take this ‘sixteen plus teenager’ through the rest of its teens and into adulthood.” Several months later, TVO was purchased by Lane Cove Community Aid Foundation which operates Sydney Community Services (formerly Lane Cove & North Side Community Services). The Board of the Foundation recognised this as a good opportunity as it would help provide an additional source of funding, as well as provide a mechanism to keep the community updated on the important work of Sydney Community Services.

A new direction

Over the past five years, TVO has been produced each month by a small team comprising Editor Jocelyn Biddle, Graphic Designer Sharon Curby and Advertising Manager Mariano Massa, overseen by Sydney Community Services’ CEO Gill Batt.

Book sale outside Lane Cove Library, October 1993. (Courtesy Lane Cove Library).

Lane Cove Plaza, October 1993. (Courtesy Lane Cove Library). Citizenship Awards ceremony in the Lane Cove Civic Centre, March 1993. (Courtesy Lane Cove Library).

Parade along Little Street for Rotary Fair, October 1993. (Courtesy Lane Cove Library).

plays in engendering the sense of community that is quite special to Lane Cove, together with the important contribution that it makes to financially assisting vulnerable sectors of our community. As a team, they have worked hard to modernise the magazine to increase its readership and to ensure that it is a relevant, interesting community publication. This included launching TVO’s first major redesign in 2014. A new masthead was created. Full colour was introduced throughout. Features and new sections commenced including health, lifestyle, community and the Business Directory. The size and paper stock were changed. An online version was developed. The community responded positively and further improvements and changes have been ongoing. Through a combination of more interesting articles and more attractive design, TVO’s relevance and appeal in an increasingly digital society has continued.

The importance of our advertisers

As Lane Cove continues to grow, it is forums such as TVO that become even more important in fostering a sense of community. The support of readers and advertisers has been essential to achieving this. By advertising in TVO, local businesses not only directly reach their target market, but they are helping the most vulnerable sectors of our community. Several advertisers have been with TVO from the outset, including Trendsetter Travel, Burns Bay Physiotherapy, Dr Tim David, Scott Chartered Accountants and Mortgage Choice. New loyal advertisers have since joined including WHAT Hearing, Belle Property, Harbourline and Ray White. Lane Cove Council continues to be another very important supporter. The team at TVO would like to thank all advertisers for their valued support and the role that they play in assisting the work of Sydney Community Services. 

VillageObserver THE Why Community Matters KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTED I FEBRUARY 2017 I ISSUE 259 Finding your tribe PAGE 4

Do you enjoy writing?

NEW COMPETITION ON PAGE 7

A FLASHBACK TO 1993:

• Kerry Chikarovski was the State Member for

Lane Cove. • Lane Cove Council dropped the word municipal from its name and became known as

‘Lane Cove Council’. • Traffic on Epping Road and surrounding streets increased with the changes made by the opening of the Sydney

Harbour Tunnel in

August 1992, along with the Gore Hill

Freeway which opened to traffic in

August 1992. • The Village Observer announced a great masthead competition asking for designs for their paper. • In 1993 Council took over the management of the Lane Cove Youth

Centre (now Synergy).

SINCE 1993:

• Lane Cove’s population has increased by over 7000 people*. • Medium and highdensity housing in

Lane Cove has increased by 65%*. • The number of children aged 0-19 years living in Lane Cove has increased 23%*. • The proportion of couples with kids living in Lane Cove has increased by 42%*.

*Source: Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils.

Financially, the funding that is received from The Village Observer pays for the everyday care of 25 local people in the community each day for a year. It has helped meet the salary cost of a Community Registered Nurse and a Personal Care Assistant.