Our July edition is here! Pick up a free copy from key locations around the area, and our letterbox delivery to selected Western suburb streets occurs 7/8/July.

This month’s cover article covers the recent 2026 Cooper Small Business Awards – held by Jonty Bush MP. Congratulations to all the winners, runners-up (see the full list in this edition), and all the businesses that were nominated. It was a wonderful awards night networking with fellow local small business owners, and we are thrilled that The Western Echo won a runner-up award.

This month in our regular columns Colin Bushell chats with local author and creative Christine Rosher in his ‘Col’s Chat’ column; Sarah Krause writes about First Nations books in her ‘For the Love of Books’ column; and Leonard Cavallaro debates about ‘flying the coop’ and the affordability of housing for young people in his ‘It’s Debatable’ youth column.

And don’t miss our monthly fun Photo Quiz, guessing where Colin Bushell (photographer) has been this month with his camera.

We are seeking a few new ‘stand’ locations to distribute our publications in the local region. If you have a location available, or a suggestion, please tell us. In particular we’re looking for locations in: Paddington, Bardon, Rosalie, and Newmarket.

And please support our local advertisers, community groups, and events!

Happy reading,

Mel + Kym