Ali Bohn, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper
Tired of sitting in a mission brown office of cold, exposed brick, an axe-wielding statue that comes to life at night and partially chewed carpet (due to the castors on the swivel chairs, we didn’t have a plague of rats living in the office), The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper’s Lloyd Polkinghorne made the brave decision to do a full renovation of the office a couple of months ago. Disappointed our requests for a coffee machine, rooftop bar and jacuzzi were ignored, we graciously accepted our new automatic desks, new flooring, green velour reception chairs and fresh paint job. In an attempt to butter up his staff so our surroundings weren’t so depressing, it was mission accomplished. We are thrilled to the back teeth with our new office, and our quality of work has improved ten-fold!
How long have you been owner of The Bridge?
“Coming up five years.”
What enticed you initially to take on the business?
“After having my brain injury, I lost everything I thought I was and what defined me as a person. So, when I started to re-evaluate what mattered to me, I still had a passion for the community and advocacy. I thought the paper would be a good challenge to find a way to reinvigorate it as many other small papers close.”
Did you have any specific goals for The Bridge and have those goals been reached?
“My initial goal was to get content back in the paper so people could have value in reading it. We’ve certainly grown the amount of content we had, and we have a fairly broad cross section of information, but also regional content. We’ve increased our readership/circulation and now we’re online with digital subscribers. We also reach 5,000 people on social media.”
What has led you to undertake the major renovations?
“Our office was very tired and renovating it would improve the way we do business and improve our future direction. We also have five staff, plus me, which makes the working environment better for everyone. It adds to the town and streetscape. I took a long-term view with COVID-19 and closures, and yes, it’s been a challenge for business, but I also have faith in what we’re doing at the paper. Sometimes you’ve got to push through the fear and put your money where your mouth is.”
What makes you passionate about this community?
“The quality of the people; and there are so many people who act in a manner of service to the broader community. There are lots of quiet achievers who volunteer and work for the common good of the community for our land and waterways. I often think that we’re very lucky to live where we live and that it should be protected into the future for our kids to enjoy.”
How do you see Barham Koondrook in the next 12 months and beyond?
“We are seeing a shift to more tourism focused and retired or semi-retired residents moving in. I think we still need to think about our industries and strike a balance of employment. There’s a lot of potential and we need good, broader political policies to support that and allow locals to get on with what they do best.”
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 19 August 2021.
