General News
14 July, 2025
My week with Wimmera Mallee News
I had the opportunity to take part in the work experience program as a year 10 student attending Wimmera Lutheran College.
I chose to be placed in the Wimmera Mallee News business as a Journalist where I spent five days learning what it was really like to be part of this industry.
I was nervous about doing the wrong thing or not knowing how to help, but as the days passed I started getting the knack of things.
I would venture out into the community in search of interviews and crucial information for my articles and stories.
I’ve learnt a lot of new things such as the structure of a newspaper, the software Wimmera Mallee News uses to produce papers, and how a journalist’s day is layed out.
I’ve also experienced how newspapers are produced at the North West Press in Warracknabeal and how a journalist should observe a court trial.
It fascinated me seeing how much effort is put into these bundles of paper, in fact it made me appreciate it more.
I’ve not only learned new skills but I’ve also learnt about a new side of me that I didn't think I had.
I’d have to give credits to my parents for recommending a pathway towards journalism.
Originally I had my mind strongly set on a career as a psychologist.
I picked my VCE subjects carefully and made sure to map out my future towards my initial goal, but the universe had other plans.
I found myself struggling to understand the subject and as much as I tried to understand psychology, it just wouldn’t happen and for months I was in denial.
I eventually came to terms that I’d always have the passion for psychology but never the skill so when work experience was announced I was stumped.
I had no idea what to do for my experience so I had no choice but to turn to my parents for their guidance.
Funny enough, they mentioned journalism.
After very careful thought about my parent’s suggestion, I finally caved in and decided to see eye to eye with them.
Eventually the week of work experience rolled around and as soon as I walked into the office I was greeted by editor Ben Fraser and some other lovely journalists.
Mr Fraser taught me how to lay out my stories and talked me through my tasks and I have to say his expertise was very helpful.
I experienced a variety of sections throughout my time at Wimmera Mallee News with some being media, writing, listening, and more.
My biggest struggle was staying consistent with my work in the beginning.
I found creating interviews and actually socialising a challenging moment but once I got the hang of it I was unstoppable.
With a lot of coffee and help from my mentors around me I found my work experience at Wimmera Mallee News one of the most helpful experiences of my life.
I thank my parents, Mr Fraser, my mentors, and my peers for guiding me through this experience.
For the future year 10s who will be doing work experience in 2026, good luck and cherish your moments because they’ll stick with you.