They’ve been associated with Dubbo Photo News for as long as we’ve been publishing – more than 20 years now – and their photos of local people, places and events have enthralled our readers over that time.

But now Wellington residents and professional photography team Colin and Laurie Rouse have changed focus as they step back, slow down, and fully embrace retirement.

It feels a little strange to Colin, 70, and Laurie, 66, to step away from their long association with the region’s only free newspaper, but they are looking forward to a quieter life.

Colin and Laurie each have particular health challenges that will take precedence. They look forward now to focusing on dealing with that and being able to spend more time with their five thriving adult children and 10 grandkids, most of whom live in the region.

Photography has been Colin’s passion since he was 19, when he first looked down the lens and literally fell in love with the craft.

A photography and videography business the couple created in Dubbo decades ago was very successful for many years.

“Colin was a very well-known photographer in his day, like the ‘go-to’ photographer for everything,” Laurie explained to Dubbo Photo News over a drink at Four Cats Coffee in Wellington last month.

“He supported a family of seven purely on his photography and his videography work, which is not a common thing.

“Usually, photographers do it on the side but Colin did it full-time and raised five children and privately schooled them all on his craft,” she explained.

Laurie was an important part of their team, doing the back-end business stuff that few people would ever see. But she was always an important cog in the wheel of the business.

The new millennium brought professional challenges to their business, particularly with the advancement of photographic technology and the rise of the digital age.

“Everything just changed. You know, there was a drought on and the change from films to digital,” Colin said.

“The technology was changing at such a rapid pace, and we did keep up with that, but it was so expensive,” Laurie added, indicating they had bought a $250,000 digital processing machine to pivot their business and adapt to the change.

“We were the first people this side of the Blue Mountains that had the capability to print digital,” she said.

The rise of super-cheap photo processing by large chain stores, however, severely impacted the viability of their business and it eventually closed.

“Colin was left with basically one camera and a few bits and pieces, and we had to rent a house,” Laurie said of that time in the early 2000s which was very difficult for them financially as well as a family.

Using video cameras, Colin moved into videography and focused on photographing and filming eisteddfods, becoming the provider of choice for many events in the region.

“We loved it. We travelled around a lot and worked in so many places,” Laurie said.

“In one eisteddfod it was not unusual for him to take 60,000 photos as he continually clicked away while dancers, actors and musicians performed,” she added.

In 2004, they moved into the Wingewarra St premises where the new Dubbo Photo News was located and thus began their long association with this masthead.

Colin would supply social photos for publication, and this became a commercial arrangement that continued through until their recent retirement.

“It was always a great thrill if we made the front page,” Colin said.

Eleven years ago, Colin and Laurie moved to Wellington into what has become their “forever home”. Initially attracted to the area because of the cheap homes, they quickly fell in love with Wellington and have become much-loved and respected members of the community. They have provided photos from Wellington for Dubbo Photo News ever since.

Over time, both Colin and Laurie have also worked in other roles, carrying out their photography and videography work alongside those commitments through their business RSVP Rouse Studio of Video and Photography. But as time passed and technological advancements continued to impact their industry, this coupled with their health challenges was another deciding factor influencing their plans to retire.

“Everyone's got a phone in their hand, and photography and videography has become a very different game,” Laurie explained.

If you’ve enjoyed reading Dubbo Photo News in Wellington, you have Colin and Laurie to thank for it. They have delivered copies around to local outlets, a physically demanding job.

With their recent retirement, this “public service” to the Wellington community has also now ceased.

Now they’ve put down their tools professionally, the couple will enjoy some social photography and Colin may continue to be involved in eisteddfods. They’ll also continue reading Dubbo Photo News, and we will miss them!

From all of us here at Dubbo Photo News, Colin and Laurie, thanks for the memories your beautiful photos have helped create over these many years. We hope you enjoy your retirement, and importantly, see great improvements in your health.

It’s only fitting that we dedicate this week’s front page of Dubbo Photo News to you.