Creativity, a passion for social justice, and a belief in the power of local news have made Sharon Bonthuys the excellent journalist she is today.  

Bonthuys began her journalism career in December 2021 when she took up a job at the Narromine Star after living in the Northern Territory and remote Queensland.  

“I did some news writing and feature writing subjects at university. I guess I just took my writing skills when I got the job at the Narromine Star and adapted it to journalism. I just started writing stories and also had to become part of the community - meet people, learn the difference between something that was advertising and something that was a story,” she told the Western Plains App.  

Bonthuys, who is also a marriage celebrant, has a background as a professionally published children’s author. Her books include The Croc Shock, the Blink Off, The Ballonatic and Finders Keepers.  

She said working as a country reporter has enabled her to combine her writing skills with journalism.  

“I am essentially a creative writer,” she told the Western Plains App.  

“While there is a degree of creativity in journalism, you are essentially dealing with the facts. So I guess what I can bring is a more creative way of describing things. So it's a different way of writing, but for me, I love writing anything - poetry, fiction, journalism”.  

Although new to the industry, Bonthuys quickly found success as a journalist.

At the Country Press Association awards in 2022, her former newspaper walked away with highly commended, and she took out journalist of the year. 

“I won it for stories I wrote about a mobile blackspot where someone was injured and also some stories that required some in-depth investigation about community issues."  

In terms of the highly commended award, she pointed out, “It was a collective effort that won the Narromine Star that award. Zoe Rendall had the hard job of pulling everything together so it fit and our colleague Tim Cooper who passed away recently, also had his advertising work featured in those papers.”  

Owner and editor of the Western Plains App, Lee O'Connor, says she was very pleased to welcome Sharon to the team.

"It's wonderful to find the talent that exists in different corners of the western plains. Everyone comes to journalism from a different direction. I had seen Sharon's work so it was great to know that she was interested in continuing her journalism journey with us."

"She's already shown that she takes a great deal of care with her stories and with the people she interviews," Mrs O'Connor said. "It's really important to us to have the interests of the local communities at heart."

"A mobile app is a different animal to a local newspaper so there's always new things to learn and Sharon brings with her a real interest in learning and honing her craft. I think readers all around our region will enjoy the stories Sharon creates."

Image: Supplied. 

Bonthuys said she "was excited to be asked to write for the Western Plains App app earlier this year and it has enabled me to keep my connections with community groups".  

"The Western Plains app fills a valuable space in news provision for rural communities that may not have a paper or who prefer to get instant access to stories via an online platform. I believe there is room for both news platforms in communities and that residents will embrace both.   

"The App provides me with the flexibility I need to be able to write around other commitments" she said "I hope to be able to meet the other remote reporters one day as I think it’s important to know your team members. I’m also grateful to Lee O’Connor for giving me this opportunity". 

“Communities also need to get behind local media through advertising which is what helps sustain local papers. , If you are going to invest in your community, you need to invest in things that don't go online”.  

Bonthuys also revealed she grew up in public housing, which has inevitably formed the style and content of her journalism.    

“I've come from a very poor background,” she explained. “I've used my  education and the opportunities that my education has given me to move into a  more comfortable space, but I've never forgotten where I've come from. So I'm very  passionate about social justice, I like to look at stories where people are  impacted by socio-economic disadvantage or disability and how how that can make life hard for people and how they overcome those challenges.”