Five years ago I took a job with Black Press and I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I have served many roles at The Free Press from reporter, to editor, sales associate and finally publisher. I have enjoyed each role and the challenges they brought with them. I have worked with many talented individuals and have learned a great deal. My passion has always been with editorial and the best part of the job is putting the paper together every Tuesday.
When I took over as publisher I was very excited to have the opportunity to bring my vision for the paper to fruition and over the years I made sure that we did our best to report on everything local and that we printed all of the letters that we received. I took my position very seriously and always did my best.
Over the years I have had the privilege of sitting on many boards and committees, being a member of Rotary, covering politics and getting to know how the city operates.
Some of my fondest memories are of covering elections and encouraging our reporters to hold politicians accountable for their actions.
If there is one piece of advice that I can leave you with it is how important it is to be involved in local politics, whether the issues affect you directly or not, I encourage everyone to be involved, attend council meetings and Committee of the Whole and special meetings of council. This is your city and council needs to hear from you.
Here in the Elk Valley, news affects everyone and it has been my pleasure to bring that news to you for the past five years. From breaking news to floods and fires, the Fernie Guide to Celebrating Tourism, we have worked tirelessly to keep you, our readers, informed and I know that I am leaving this paper in very capable hands and you will continue to be kept up-to-date.
I will miss the friends that I have made, the politics of running a local newspaper in a small town and watching out my window every Thursday morning when all of the regulars come to pick up their copy of that week’s issue.
I wish my co-workers and all of our readers the very best.
Farewell.