Marlborough Magazine September 2018 | Page 4

We have something to cele & it’s thanks It’s been 10 years since a humble first issue of this&that was printed and distributed to the Marlbor- ough community. What was first designed to be a bite-sized community newsletter, evolved into the inspiring, popular regional magazine that you enjoy today. It’s covered every topic you can think of, spoken to a huge array of both international and national celebrities, to honest, caring locals, always with the aim to inspire, entertain and inform those who take the time to spend an idle moment within its pages. It’s with this milestone in mind that it now celebrates a new era with a new name, ‘Marlborough Magazine’, aimed to encompass what Marlborough means to us. From the people and the places, from the past into the future. We represent the locals, the lifestyle and our community vision and will continue to evolve to ensure you get your monthly dose of Marlborough magic. to you! From one farmer's wife to another! BY NADINE HICKMAN this&that FOUNDER Where it all began... August 2008 Starting this&that felt like one of those moments of destiny. While making a pit stop at a Cheviot cafe, my mum picked up ‘The Coffee News’ publication and said, “You could do something like this.” At the time my second child was a baby and I wasn’t necessarily looking, but open for the idea of something that would stimulate my brain. I remember being immediately interested and I replied, “Yes I could!”. That very night I hit google for ideas, worked out feasibility, and came up with the name 'this&that'. I wasn’t completely sure how it would evolve so I wanted to keep the name quite broad. But I knew I wanted my publication to be available in places where people found themselves waiting, and in need of a light read, hence the slogan became, 'For Idle Moments'. I got straight to work on the first issue, and didn’t look back. A few weeks later, September 2008, I was distributing that first issue, which was literally a photocopied A3 newsletter, 500 copies distributed to around 40 outlets. To fund my new business I went to all of the business owners that I knew in Blenheim and they supported me by being my very first advertisers. The first issue turned a profit, I was off and away! The next step in the evolution was on this&that’s one year anniversary, when the mag went colour and glossy. Pages were Nadine Hickman & Summa MacDonald slowly added, and as business grew the publication became much more professional looking when graphic designer Toni Woolf came on board. Toni is still the designer today, and is a big part of the magazine’s success, both from a reader’s point of view, and the advertisers, who just love what she creates to showcase their business. During those years this&that was the perfect business that I could operate mostly from home, on our farm near Ward, while raising my four preschool children. I feel truly blessed that the inspiration came so clearly and gave me seven thrilling and at times very challenging years, where I learnt so much and meet many wonderful Marlburian business owners and community people. Just as this&that started in what seemed like a moment of fate, so did the time for me to move on, with the seemless sale of the business to Summa. The interesting thing being that Summa is also a mother of young kiddies, living on a farm, near my neck of the woods. It has been exciting to watch this&that continue to thrive over the last few years under Summa’s passionate ownership and now a new era with the timely rebrand to Marlborough Magazine, inline with this special anniversary issue. Congratulations Summa on this awesome 10-year milestone, I can’t wait to see how Marlborough Magazine has evolved in another 10 years!