More than 150 staff, clients and community group representatives gathered at The Standard’s Adelaide Road site to reflect and pay tribute to the paper.

The Murray Valley Standard manager Trevor Channon said the night was a huge success.

“For 75 years The Standard has acted as a platform for readers to shape the community and act as a record of the region’s activities, values and interests, and it will be there for generations to come,” he said.

“The Standard is a newspaper that is compared to its State and national counterparts.

“It leads the way in news, with state-wide media relying on The Standard for news rather than The Standard relying on them.”

The highlight of the night was the announcement of the winner of The Standard’s Barina competition which received more than 35,000 entries from readers over the past three months.

Aendre Hand, of Murray Bridge, was the lucky winner who drove away with the car.

Mrs Hand said she was so excited as her existing car was 20-years old.

“I entered 100 times,” she said.

Fairfax chief executive officer Brian McCarthy said he was delighted to visit Murray Bridge and had seen the paper grow and prosper since Rural Press purchased it in 1988.

“Our investment in this vital facility is testimony to our faith in Murray Bridge and indeed the future of Murray Bridge,” he said

“The Murray Valley Standard has succeeded and survived because it has put the interests of its community first, staying in touch with what is relevant to its readers.

“Regional newspapers carry with them the enormous responsibility to be the eyes and ears of the community they represent.

“Life is local and papers like The Murray Valley Standard are local.”