IN my nine-year career as a journalist, I’ve had the privilege to write stories on almost every topic imaginable.
Upon being appointed as editor of The Guardian and Gannawarra Times last week and being asked to write an article to introduce myself, I suddenly found myself stuck for words.
As the person behind the keyboard, I am focused on telling the stories of others. After some procrastination, I decided to just tell my story.
Starting out in 2015 with The Guardian as a general news writer, I was a green rookie with no experience in writing for a newspaper and armed only with a lifelong passion for writing.
The team at The Guardian, including general manager Rob Duffield and editor Averyll Loft took a punt on me and gave me a shot.
Over time, I was mentored by some amazing people and cut my teeth in the folds of our community, writing stories about the people who shape our region.
I learnt that being a journalist was not about an ability to use clever words, but rather my responsibility to give a voice to others.
I learnt that effective journalism is built on trust and relationships.
From celebrations to devastation and everything in between, I have taken pride in my time spent in the community, sharing our stories.
The archives of The Guardian and Gannawarra Times are our towns’ history books sitting warmly on the shelf like beloved photo albums waiting to remind us of times past.
Equally important, each new edition holds the responsibility of informing the community about current news and information, the achievements of our friends and family and the development of our region.
In those early days I learnt that rain did not make a bad day in the Mallee and rabbits and mice were not cute, furry friends.
I also learnt that every person who allowed me to tell their story had invited me into their lives in a unique and open way, and that was something special.
In 2017, The Guardian and Gannawarra Times took another chance on me and I took on the role of sports editor, quickly learning the importance of footy season to country towns.
I learnt that accuracy in scores was as important as accuracy in election results and the need to celebrate triumphs was as much about the person achieving them as it was the achievement itself.
There are many people who invested in me, far too many to acknowledge here, but I would like to pay respect to past editors Gregor Mactaggart and Peter Bannan for seeing something in me and taking the time to develop it.
I would also like to thank sportswriter Cohen Mortimer for allowing me to be his boss when we both knew he was really leading the ship with his knowledge and passion.
Not only did he help me to understand the world of sport, but he also taught me to love it.
I would like to acknowledge photographer Pamela Blackman, who proved that finding stories in country towns was not about keeping your nose to the ground, rather holding your head high.
In her lengthy career, she built relationships that made people want to share their news with her.
The owners and management have again taken a chance on me and given me the privilege of being editor of our community newspapers.
I will endeavour to do justice to our publications by ensuring the editorial team remain passionate about timely, accurate news reporting.
I will try to instil the importance of injecting the nuances of our community into every story so that future generations can reflect accurately on our time and our place in the world.
I wish to acknowledge outgoing head of news Peter Bannan and his valuable contributions and leadership for the past seven years and throughout one of the newspaper’s most difficult times during COVID-19.
Fortunately, Peter will remain with the editorial department as a senior journalist.
I hope that with support from our community, our publications remain as informative, entertaining and valuable as they have been for the past 136 years.
We have much to be proud of, both in the pages of history and the future that awaits us.
