Earlier this year, The Australian newspaper crowned Kiama as Australia’s most liveable town.

In their story about the award, the newspaper spoke to local couple Lau Amadeo and Thais Chikhani, who moved here five years ago to start a new life with their young family.

You might know Lau and Thais as the owners of award-winning coffee shop Little Earth Roasters on Tingira Crescent (The Bugle recommends the Reuben Toastie). When the newspaper asked Lau why his family chose Kiama, he said it was because “the community is great” and “the people who live in Kiama are amazing”.

He also spoke about the natural beauty of the area and our laid-back lifestyle. “The rolling hills, the ocean, it’s really nice outdoors all the time, the kids are always at the park of the beach. It’s safe, I don’t worry about anything, we have no worries here”, he said.

The Bugle couldn’t have put it better – Kiama really is one of a kind. So, it’s no surprise we were named Australia’s most liveable town.

But no town, including ours, is perfect. There’s always more work to do.

The Bugle hopes this recognition on the pages of the national broadsheet sparks a fresh conversation about the future of our community.

We might be the best place to live, but how do we become the best place to raise a family, the best place to start a business and the best place to enjoy retirement?

How do we make sure young people in our community have access to the same opportunities as their Mum and Dad?

And how do we make sure everyone who calls Kiama home feels the same way about our community as Lau Amadeo?

These questions should be front of mind for all the local decision-makers at Kiama Council, as well as ourrecently re-elected State MP Gareth Ward and our Federal MP Fiona Phillips.

Answering these questions won’t be easy, and will take time.

But the first step is starting the conversation – and making sure everyone’s voice is heard. That’s our job here at The Bugle.

Together, we look forward to making our one-of-a-kind community even better.