As the Bathurst Diocese of the Anglican Church struggles financially, the 2014 budget adopted by the Synod makes no provision for the production of a diocesan newspaper.

After a decade, the newspaper’s part-time editor Lewis Hitchick has become one of five people in the Bishop’s registry who will lose their jobs as a result of the crisis. 

Mr Hitchick said the December issue of the newspaper was the final one. 

While he understands the budget realities, he feels it is a great pity because the Anglican News is the main means of communication within the diocese. 

He said articles published in the Anglican News have ranged from hard hitting stories to the regular parish news which was the lifeblood of the publication.

“We have always tackled the hard issues and did our best to keep the diocese informed,” Mr Hitchick said.

He said he has worked hard to make the Anglican News a vehicle for linking together scattered communities throughout a vast diocese that stretches from Bathurst to Bourke.

“Through the Anglican News all the parishes have had a common link,” he said.

 “I’ve tried to cover the changing church over the years and engage with people who have not grown up in the church.”

Mr Hitchick said he has also produced a newspaper for the Canberra Goulburn Diocese over the past few years and he understands that this will continue, giving him part-time work.

He thinks he will also probably maintain the diocese website, although it seems likely this will be done on a voluntary basis. 

Mr Hitchick grew up in Parkes and trained as a journalist at Mitchell College in the 1970s.

He did some television work in the Riverina and worked as a stringer for The Land.

Mr Hitchick moved to Bathurst in the late 1980s and started producing the Anglican News in 2002. 

Ian Crooks launched Anglican News as the diocesan newspaper. It was initially in A4-sized booklet format, published quarterly. 

By 1983 Don Palmer had succeeded him, and while his main emphasis was on a fortnightly television program called Time to Live, he also continued to produce Anglican News, now in its present tabloid format.

“Four years later former Prime TV journalist Allan Reeder was appointed diocesan media officer, and due to changes in television programming, Time to Live was by then being broadcast at a very late-night time, which meant it was no longer a suitable means of communication for the diocese,” Mr Hitchick said.

Mr Reeder changed the newspaper to a monthly production schedule, and continued in the role for the next 15 years. 

Bishop of Bathurst Ian Palmer praised Mr Hitchick and Mr Reeder, saying they did a tremendous job keeping the diocese and national church informed.

“Lew has had a very significant role to play and we are going to miss his ministry,” he said.

“There are so many things I am sad about at this time. We have had to say goodbye to other staff as well – it’s just awful.”