From July 1, your local newspaper will come under new ownership following the sale earlier this year from Nine to a private consortium led by Antony Catalano.

We do not expect our readers to notice a change and the Western Advocate staff will arrive at work as usual on Monday preparing to go looking for the stories that matter to you - just as we've always done.

But the rapid change in the newspaper's ownership over the past year - from Fairfax, to Nine to our new owners - reflects the rapid change we have seen across the media industry in the past few years.

The rise of the internet and a growing appetite to read news online has resulted in a seismic shift in the way we present our stories, providing traditional print journalists with opportunities - and challenges - we could not have imagined when I entered the industry.

Our reporting can now have the immediacy that was once the sole domain of radio and the moving images that used to be only available on TV.

All our journalists are constantly learning new skills and expanding the way we tell stories, all to improve the experience for our readers.

But it costs money to do what we do, and as newspaper sales continued to fall as our online readership grew, there inevitably came a time when we had to ask our online readers to pay.

Many in Bathurst and beyond, including you, have done just that, and I am very grateful.

I thank you for supporting the Western Advocate and I thank you for supporting local journalism.

Bathurst stories matter to Bathurst people and it's a privilege to bring them to you.

With your support, the Western Advocate will be around for a long, long time yet.

Our owners might change, but our commitment to Bathurst remains the same.

I'M off for a couple of weeks so you won't be hearing from me with a Sunday morning wrap-up.

Please enjoy the Western Advocate in my absence, and thank you again for your support.