Serendipity meant I was back at the Bellingen Courier Sun when its five year milestone came around, giving me the opportunity to get inside and really get a feel of how it has all evolved.

What sticks with me most is what a wonderful facility it has become - much used, much loved and much appreciated by the community - and how it offers invaluable support to lots of youth in the shire.

More than that - it has been a lifesaver for some of them.

The tricky part about pulling this story together was getting the kids to be there when I needed them and/or we'd arranged.

I had a few false starts and then a lucky break – turning up one afternoon when there happened to be lots of them there. The result was the great celebration photo that heads the story.

See Ute’s story and video here:

The piece was for our Mid North Coast NOW magazine, which meant I had space for lots of photos and a longer story ... always fun to do.

Taking video footage was an added extra and I ended up making a short iMovie - it was my first - a challenge indeed for a mature-aged journo, but very satisfying.

Ute Schulenberg is a journalist with the Nambucca Guardian.  If you have a story you would like to share with her email ute.schulenberg@fairfaxmedia.com.au