Following the yarn: How can the audience help shape a story?

A lot of the work of being a journalist is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle: the story never comes to you fully formed, you often need a helping hand from a few people to know exactly how to fill the gap.

And that’s where you come in – if you want to tell the stories of your local community, it’s difficult if you don’t reach out to the people, well… within your community.

One clear example of that at the Eastern Melburnian this year has been the emails, messages, and requests from readers to look into abandoned businesses and old shopping centres across the region.

In some instances, I get a tip-off from a reader to look into what’s going on with a particular abandoned space. Like with this old mechanics shop in the Basin, where a reader reached out to me to ask whether I knew anything about what was going on with the site, as it had become an eyesore for locals and a popular spot for graffiti.

From there, I did a little digging to contact the former owner of the site to talk about what’s happened to the site over the years.

Since then, I’ve since discovered that Knox Council had received a planning permit application for the construction of a Shell petrol station with takeaway food, a convenience store and two car wash bays.

That tip came after my investigation into the origins of an old wine saloon in Bayswater that’s been left to gather dust after it was sold for $2 million in 2017.

Some other buildings and historic locations I’ve covered over this past 12 months have included Metro Cinemas Boronia, Mooroolbark Terrace Shopping Centre, Boronia Mall and Lilydale’s White Dog Hotel.

All of these were made possible thanks to the people behind these places – whether it’s Tom Schouten – the owner of Metro Cinemas Boronia, Thompsons Coins and Collectables owner Matthew Thompson or Rob Hall – a Yarra Ranges local who has been fighting to see the White Dog Hotel revitalised since 2013.

As the Eastern Melburnian moves into 2026, I hope to continue to foster a environment where locals can trust me to tell their stories,

Either by giving me the first piece of the puzzle or helping me along the way.