While most of us never quite moved away from calling it the Quota phone book, that much-treasured repository of local information is about to undergo a major change.
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The demise of the Tenterfield Quota Club back in 2016 saw publication of the phone book pass to the Tenterfield Eisteddfod Association, which in 2018 produced the current edition Tenterfield Calling.
The association's members have decided they can no longer muster the considerable resources required to produce another edition, and have passed the mantle onto A Better Way to Print, responsible for the Granite Belt Informer (in Stanthorpe) and the Celtic Informer (in Glen Innes).
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"This is a matter of great regret for us, as it has provided a substantial financial support for our local eisteddfod," association president Christine Denis said. "But our members are getting older and fewer, so the manpower is not available to complete the task.
"We have enjoyed the support from so many members of both the local community and the Tenterfield business community, so that the phone books have provided wonderful financial support for our biennial eisteddfod.
"You have our sincere thanks for that support, without which we would not be in the position of being able to encourage young and not so young performers in music, speech and dance to pursue their creative talents."
The association approached A Better Way To Print to take on the task of providing the Tenterfield district with a local phone book.
"With their experience in producing local phone books for the Stanthorpe and Glen Innes districts, the Tenterfield community can be assured that local information will be presented in a most professional way," Mrs Denis said. "We do ask that you support the project as you have in the past."
A Better Way To Print in turn will be supporting the Tenterfield Eisteddfod Association with a contribution towards its 2021 eisteddfod, which will marks the event's 40th anniversary.
"While September next year is a way down the track and we don't know quite where we will be in the (hopefully) post-COVID world, there will be a celebration of this event," Mrs Denis said.
"In just what format is still to be determined."
The Federation Informer
Anyone with a mail delivery within Tenterfield Shire can expect a card in the mailbox from next week, confirming their free listing in the new Federation Informer or giving them the opportunity to opt out. The existing database will be used as a starting point.
A Better Way to Print's Natalee McCosker hopes to send off the job to the printers before the Christmas break, with the new phone book distributed by the end of January. It will be delivered for free to all mail addresses, with extra copies available at Sullivan's Newsagency, CRT Tenterfield and Drake Post Office (where sample books can be viewed in the lead-up to publication), and at Deepwater and Wallangarra Post Offices.
Mrs McCosker also hopes to have copies available at real estate agents (for new residents) and in all motel rooms (for visitors).
The format will be similar to that of its sister publication the Celtic Informer. In addition to the general listing there will be a separate community section along with a categorised business section at the back. Businesses not opting for display ads still receive a free listing in the general section.
A federationinformer.com.au website for online searches will be launched in conjunction with the release of the book.
Mrs McCosker, who already has regular involvement with the Federation Eisteddfod, said she is glad to make an annual donation to the organisers to help support the eisteddfod's longevity. The Federation Informer will be published annually.