Locals don’t seem to notice the carcasses of dead kangaroos dotting the highways, and it takes an outsider to point them out. In much the same way, communities - and their newspapers by extension - have their blind spots and need new blood to remind them of the beauty and tribulations they take for granted; or at least help them view these from another perspective.

Different angles are especially important in news services. Communities deserve newsrooms free from allegiances and open to expressing a variety of voices. What matters isn’t the size, but the mission of fostering debate that leads to actual change while reaching out to those excluded even if it feels awkward at times.

Sometimes it takes a stranger full of newfound enthusiasm to reexamine the unnoticed areas that have always been hidden in plain sight. Of course, it works both ways. Outsiders, too, need to find a place of belonging within the community.

It was with this mindset that I first walked the leafy streets of Inverell two weeks ago with the nervousness of a mail order bride meeting her new home - a place to serve, cherish and belong to. 

Having lived in so many different cities, I know that home is more than a location. Ultimately, it is where we feel welcome. And for me, home is a place I’ve never lived before within the wonderful Fairfax family of regional news.

The Fairfax family of regional newspapers believe that the issues of smaller communities are no less important than those of large urban areas. In this spirit, we would like to invite our readers and members of the community to contact us with their stories and issues they consider to be important for the local area. Do you have an issue you feel we should cover? Feel free to contact us at inverelltimes@fairfaxmedia.com.au