Yet despite a deep love for The Area News and the communities it serves, Anthony is hanging up his camera.

Covering everything from the tragic, wacky, magical and mundane, 15 years of MIA history will bear his mark, his magic behind the lens, his photographic legacy.

"I try to tell a story with an image, something that sparks an emotion or memory," Anthony said.

Throughout his time working for The Area News, The Irrigator and The Observer, Anthony has proven adept at being able to balance personal relationships while maintaining professional integrity, both of which were incredibly important to him.

"I try to be true to myself, and treat everything with the respect the situation deserves," he said.

"It's more than point and shoot - it's empathy, understanding the people. As much you meet people in happy situations, a lot of the time it's seeing and experiencing the worst moments in people's lives alongside them."

Having too many highlights to count, covering the 2012 Yenda floods changed him deeply.

Read more: Yenda floods from the air

"Just the emotion of it all. I grew up in Yenda, and I was wading through water and seeing my friend's homes flooded. They told me their stories, and it was just heartbreaking. It was happening to me, even though it wasn't.

"I got 15 hours sleep in total for those two whole weeks, and almost got washed away crossing the Mirrool Creek. I was able to save a Major Mitchell cockatoo, a family pet, and almost got arrested in the process.

"I was lucky I saw it all from the sky, and then was able to walk through it as well."

And yet what remains for him is the way the whole community rallied together, that community spirit unparalleled by anything else he's seen.

He will hold close the children born who were never expected to make it. Children he helped immortalise in the hearts of readers. Children who will never forget his kindness or compassion.

"I feel privileged that these families have trusted me to capture stories, and then you feel heartache, because it's the unknown - will they pull through, or not," he said.

"And then you watch them grow up, and you watch their milestones with moments of pure joy."

Nor will anyone forget being at the end of his lens, watching him lie on the ground, twist upside down, climb to the top most rung of a ladder in the wind.

Nothing was too dangerous or seemed too ridiculous to get that perfect shot.

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"It's been more than a job - it's a lifestyle. It becomes ingrained into who you are. It will never leave me.

"I just want to thank The Area News and the entire area for all their support, and allowing me to capture moments in their history."

The Area News' editor Declan Rurenga said Anthony had done what many people dreamed of doing in their careers - made an impact.

"I've not just relied on Anthony for his great photos but for his deep knowledge and understanding of our community," Mr Rurenga said.

"We will miss Anthony and we know that finding a replacement to fill his shoes will be challenging."

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