What a relief it is to have last year in the rear-view mirror.

Welcome to 2021!

On behalf of everyone at ACM, publisher of The Area News, we hope you and your family have enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season.

Thank you for your continuing support for our local team.

After a year that tested us like no other, we begin a new year with new hope and the promise of a vaccine that will help our families, towns, cities and nation meet the challenges of the pandemic.

Our local team - so proud of the important role their masthead plays as a trusted voice for the community they love - will be with you in 2021, striving every day to keep you informed and connected.

They'll be there to salute the successes, mourn the losses and champion local causes - the big and the small.

This is all work that would not be possible without you.

As a subscriber, you are helping our journalists and editors gather and share the local stories that matter: the breaking news and essential updates you need, as well as the stories that celebrate the local people, places and events that add richness to community life.

Global digital giants Google and Facebook may well be resisting measures to contribute to the cost of providing the dependable Australian journalism that lends credibility to their platforms - even while they consume most of the advertising dollars that might otherwise help pay for it.

But you, as a subscriber, are directly supporting local news from trusted local sources.

And by helping our local team tell the stories that no one else will tell, you are making a powerful statement that local news matters - because community matters.

For that, we are truly grateful.

- James Joyce, executive editor of ACM.