EUROA Gazette journalist Darren Chaitman is leaving this masthead next week for a new reporting role in Adelaide, South Australia.

His last day will be Monday, December 9 and next week’s newspaper will be the last he will work on.

Since moving from Melbourne to Euroa to join this masthead in April 2023, Mr Chaitman has covered stories including the suspension of Strathbogie Shire Council, the shire’s stretch of major power outages in the summer of 2023-24 (culminating in AusNet proposing a second powerline for the area), and developments in Inland Rail’s plans for the Euroa Railway Station precinct.

He has encouraged locals to write letters to the editor and contribute their own stories.

Council’s former municipal monitor turned administrator, Peter Stephenson, nicknamed the reporter “Daz from the Gaz” earlier this year.

“No matter where I roam, I think part of me will always be Daz from the Gaz,” Mr Chaitman said.

“For the past 20 months, I’ve written things like, ‘this masthead understands’, and ‘this masthead’ has always referred to me.

“I remember I was once introduced to someone at the dog park as, ‘Darren, the new Gazette’.

“At Fare Enough café, they prepared rice bowls ‘for the Gazette’ and when I turned up to events, people said, ‘the local paper’s here’.

“I really was this masthead.

“Being a masthead has been a unique experience and I feel proud to have been part of a long line of Gazette reporters.

“I am excited for the future and wish the best to my future successor, and to all the Gazette’s readers and supporters, whom I gained so much from in my time here.

“But I won’t miss the pacific koel or Shane Jacobson from IGA.

“Long live The Euroa Gazette.”

North East Media is recruiting a new journalist for the masthead.