The team of the New England Times is a mix of volunteers and freelance journalists.
RK Crosby – Publisher
RK is a journalist and broadcaster with extensive political and industry experience. She founded the New England Times as the first step in a three stage vision to give the New England region back her voice. An experienced not-for-profit leader, she is also the founder of health charity Migraine Australia, and is passionate about delivering the services people need and want where governments and big business have failed. Having travelled all over the world for her consulting and strategy work, she will always call the New England home and tries to get back to Armidale as often as possible.
Kate Brown – Senior Journalist
Kate is a proud mum of two with a wealth of journalism, media and communications experience across the New England and its surrounding regions. She raises guide dogs in her spare time, loves a good chat with her friends and colleagues, and enjoys living her best life floating between country living and the big smoke.
Tom Plevey – Senior Journalist
Former Bingara and now Tamworth local Tom is a highly experienced journalist and former editor of the Gwydir Times. He also writes for The Guardian Australia’s regional freelance team.
Beth Platford – Journalist
Beth resides in the village of Rocky River, near Uralla. She is heavily involved in the local community – both with the school as a parent, and as an advocate for the recognition and preservation of Rocky River’s unique history. Beth strongly believes that small communities are largely unsupported in mainstream media channels. She is proud to help give these places and their people a voice, in support of their proud history, spirit, and character.
Lauren Marer – Journalist has over a decade of experience in broadcast, print and digital journalism. She worked as a broadcast journalist throughout NSW and QLD before relocating to the New England to help grow her partner’s mixed farming and livestock operation, in Yallaroi. Once settled, Lauren was keen to put her skills to good use for the local region, and enjoys writing rural lifestyle, health, agriculture, and community stories.
Penelope Shaw – Journalist
Penelope is a broad spectrum writer and journalist by trade and passion. After spending over a decade working in health and government, she was awarded her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in English Literature in 2018, and has since pursued writing full time. The softest spot in her heart is reserved for stories about literature, the performing arts and good food. In her free time, Penelope enjoys travelling with her family, playing the piano, reading and photography.
Lia Edwards – Staff Writer
Lia is a disability advocate and writer who lives on a classic Northern Tablelands property where you can’t see anything but nature. She is the main staff member who manages the newsdesk, writing up stories from press releases and other announcements.
David Walker – Staff Writer
David Walker is a media content student currently doing an internship with us to gain experience in daily writing. He hopes to go into content creation after graduating.
Jack Nivison – Student Journalist
Walcha local Jack is currently studying Journalism at UTS in Sydney. We’re proud to have him write for us when he’s home on holidays and look forward to having him on the team when he graduates.
Ingrid Rothe – Advertising
With RK since the beginning of the idea, Ingrid and her team at Vivid Marketing are integral to the success of the New England Times assisting with advertising, graphic creation and branding.