My journalism career began right here at the Bunbury Mail in 2011.
I was a confident Victorian who changed her life to be a cadet journalist in a regional town I had never been to.
I laugh at myself now because when I first moved here I thought, ‘I’m only going to be here a year’ as I had high hopes of working for The Age one day.
It took a while for my first front page to come to fruition but it when it did, it was a doozy. It was about a Bunbury port workers strike.
At the time, there was nothing controversial about this article, but about a year later the story was subpoenaed.
I was so lucky to take on the rounds that I love most - sport and politics.
These two rounds really allowed me to immerse myself in the community.
But a lot has changed since then.
I spent two years at the Bunbury Mail before becoming a senior journalist for the Busselton Dunsborough Mail.
It wasn’t long before circumstances changed again and I became the editor of both Busselton Dunsborough Mail and Augusta Margaret River Mail.
This was great, as I was able to lead a team of three journalists to produce two papers within the region.
I got to know the nuances of the Margaret River people, as well as enjoying the many events Busselton hosts each year.
The ambition of working in Melbourne as a journalist was slowly slipping away from me as each year passed.
It didn’t bother me too much because I was doing what I loved here in WA.
I also managed to find love here in Bunbury, which was another thing I did not expect.
Then, my now husband and I decided to try a year in Melboune in 2016.
Which was great! We were able to enjoy everything Melbourne has to offer, however, I did forget how cold it got there.
It was after we got married that we started to talk about what our future would look like.
Which led us to move back to WA. Long story short, all of this has contributed to me now becoming the Bunbury Mail editor.
This is really exciting for me as I get to take carriage of the publication which launched my career in the first place.
I hope to see you out and about as I become re-acquainted with the town.
Please don’t be shy in getting in contact. You can email me at jemillah.dawson@fairfaxmedia.com.au