So long, and thank you for the teachings
SO, I AM going to push the boundaries a little and write this column in the first person – oh, how my Rhodes University journalism professors would shudder – but it is really the only way I could possibly say farewell to the communities and newspapers I have poured my heart into over the past five-and-a-half years.
Yes, it’s been more than five years since I first walked through the doors of the Caxton Joburg North branch as a fresh-faced graduate and, interestingly, I leave as a graduate too, having just received my Master’s degree. The years of working with the northern suburbs communities have really cut my teeth in the field of journalism and taught me so much more than any textbook could. After all, it’s not only working hours I have put into this job but a large chunk of my soul too.
As a journalist, I have coughed through the fumes of a fire that would not stop burning in the Barbeque Downs area – my first front page story for Fourways Review; I have hunted for hedgehogs at night in Kyalami; and dismantled snares threatening the wildlife. My heart has ached at community members’ losses, I have been angered by injustices and I have cheered on their successes.
As news editor and then assistant group editor, I have refined all aspects of my journalism skills. Working with journalists, I have imparted my experience and knowledge and, in turn, they have taught me, challenged me and helped me grow in so many ways.
Dealing with community members – well, the close connection we try to foster between our local newspapers and the communities we serve is what is just so special about community journalism, and I certainly have all of you to thank for moulding my journalistic thinking. Thank you for turning to our newspapers as platforms to appeal for support; thank you for your chats and your constant flow of news stories; and beyond all else, thank you to those of you who have challenged me – for you have taught me the most.
Last year, I stepped into the community wearing a research hat as I sat down with community members and journalists to explore their expectations of a community newspaper, and I could not be more grateful to all of you for sharing your fascinating insights with me.
And so, with all the lessons that I have learnt during my time of working with you all, and not without a heavy heart, it is time for me to say, ‘so long’ as I take a much-desired step along my career path and take up the reins of leading a team at The Citizen.
To our readers, I thank you for all your support, and challenges, over the years, and I encourage you to lean on your local newspaper as a platform to raise awareness and build up the community. To my group editor, Megan Tyack, I could not be more grateful to you for allowing me the opportunities to grow in this newsroom over the years; and to my team which I leave behind, I can’t wait to read the stories you are going to produce and to watch your careers flourish.
I certainly leave a piece of my heart behind in these newspapers and communities. I wish you all only the very best.
