AFTER two-and-a-bit years working at The Bunyip and reporting on the Gawler region, it’s time for me to leave home.

I have received a lifetime’s worth of memories and knowledge from Gawler which I will take with me through to the next phase of my life and career.

The north is large and complex. It is a dream place for any young person to start their career.

I have met some great people and worked on some fascinating and important stories, which The Bunyip will continue to tell for years to come.

I believe it’s the mix of people and cultures which make this area so interesting and important to the state and the growing multiculturalism in the north will continue to be a winner.

From the mix of old and new in Gawler, the farmers who make the country go around on the Adelaide Plains and the migrant communities in Playford, there is no shortage of smiles and stories to tell.

A reoccurring highlight for me has been reporting on everyday people making a difference for others, just to bring a smile to their faces.

There was Raelene Wlochowicz and her idea for the Playford Women’s Shed, which is set to give a safe space for women in the region.

With a dedicated group of volunteers, she will potentially turn around the lives of hundreds of women in the north and deserves all the thanks in the world.

Another is the Playford Hindu Bhutanese community, who spend part of their yearly cultural festival Dashain, handing out water and snacks to train commuters on hot days.

The community fled their home country due to religious persecution and are now giving back to their new community during what is one of their most important celebrations of the year.

Coming from the city to work in a regional area has shown me what being a good neighbour looks like, and I think the greatest neighbours of all might just be our emergency service volunteers.

Whether they be Country Fire Service firefighters or volunteer ambulance staff, they spend their own time to protect the community from sometimes deadly danger.

Speaking to Roseworthy CFS volunteers Adam Newton and Jason Menadue last year about why they sacrificed their time to head to Victoria to fight the intense Gippsland fires, they said they did it because the Vics had come across to assist them during the Pinery fire four years earlier.

Just like buying your neighbour a carton of beer for helping fix your television, CFS volunteers always make sure they repay the favour.

News can often get bogged down in politics and ‘he said, she said’ arguments, but it is the people of Gawler and this region which are the real story.