However, the decision to leave Griffith was not an easy one as this place and its people truly feel like home, even though I’ve only lived here two short years. I’ll no doubt return to Griffith for the rest of my life, if only to buy some 3 Bridges Durif, grab a coffee at The Roastery and some ‘chicken steaks’ from Hanwood Butchery.

There are a few parting thoughts I wanted to share with you and Monique Patterson graciously gave me this space to do so.

Firstly, Griffith’s wealth of produce, both food and wine, is still one of Australia’s best kept secrets. All it would take is a small group of dedicated people to shout Griffith’s praises from the rooftops of Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles and Austin to draw a diverse group of ‘foodie-tourists’ to this wonderful little slice of Italy in NSW’s southwest.

The very things that differentiate this place from the major cities are what make it special. True, there isn’t a K-Mart, but neither are there hour-long commutes to and from work. There aren’t beaches, but there is a great river very close by and as I wrote earlier this year, there’s nothing better on a hot day than splashing around in the Murrumbidgee.

Secondly, there are some absolutely wonderful people here and I will miss running into them on Banna Avenue. I’ve joked before that sometimes it can take half an hour to get from one end of middle block to the other, but it also really doesn’t matter because everyone seems to run on ‘Griffith time’, a close relative of ‘island time’.

Lastly, take care of the people who work for this newspaper. Everyone has an opinion on The Area News and they’re not always positive, nor should they be, but you have an independent team of journalists doing what they can to tell the stories of this great little city. There is an important role played by local newspapers and while you may not always agree with what is printed, if it disappeared you would quickly come to miss it.

You have a great deal of potential, Griffith, but you need to look to the future and employ some of that great entrepreneurial spirit to grow into all you can be. Don’t get hung up on the negativity and gossip, but instead work together to build a brighter tomorrow for your children.

Au revoir, Griffith, je ne regrette rien.

-STEPHEN MUDD