I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was 17. I may not have known what that meant specifically then, but I knew I loved writing.
I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was 17. I may not have known exactly what that meant then, but I knew I loved writing and telling stories.
In high school, I would write and edit my friends’ essays for fun in our free time. My friends couldn’t understand why I liked working on their assignments, and I couldn’t understand why they didn’t.
In grade 12, I was flipping through college catalogs looking for something to study. At the time, I couldn’t wait to leave the family farm I grew up on in Northern Alberta and “get out there in the world.” And my kind, hardworking parents were more than happy to support me while I did just that. I flipped through the pages and suddenly landed on the Journalism Arts program offered by SAIT in Calgary. With no thought of a job or a salary, just what would make me happy, I applied and was accepted.
I studied photojournalism but always knew I wanted to be a full-time writer, and I was lucky enough to be able to do both.
I was first hired by the Williams Lake Tribune in 1994 by then-editor Ken Alexander. I traveled from Alberta to British Columbia for my interview and got the job by singing the Rolling Stones song “Angie” over the phone. I couldn’t believe there was a job out there where I actually got paid to take photos and write stories, and that my boss would sing to me. At 22, I had found my calling. It felt like I’d won the lottery.
Thirty-four years, several newspapers, many editors and reporters, and thousands of articles later, I still feel that way.
During my career as a Black Press journalist, I have had two great periods. I worked as a photographer and hard news reporter for 10 years, then took a break when my children were small and moved to Fort St. John. I then worked as an editor at the Williams Lake Tribune for another 13 years, and most recently served as regional editor for the Cariboo North Thompson. I have so many memories that will stay with me forever as I covered big stories like the 2017 wildfires, the 2020 floods and the pandemic. I have worked alongside newspaper legends like Laurie Williston, Bob Grainger and Bill Phillips, as well as countless other dedicated journalists. More recently, powerful women like Cathy MacLean, Mary Kemmis and Ashley Wadhwani Smith have led the way.
Reporting big stories is always exciting, but now that I’ve embarked on a slightly different path in my career in communications, it’s the individual triumphs and tragedies of the people and places I’ve had the opportunity to write about that stay with me most.
It is bittersweet to leave as I love the newspaper, I love all the people I write for and work with and have nothing but good feelings towards everyone.
I ask that you continue to support your local newspapers and all the dedicated staff who work hard to keep you up to date 24/7, in print and online. I firmly believe that journalism continues to play a vital role in maintaining a healthy democracy in our society. Journalism informs readers, holds elected officials accountable and keeps communities connected.
I plan to continue supporting journalism and I’m looking forward to taking a break to try something new and continuing to read the work my colleagues are writing.
Thank you for letting me tell your story. I hope that one day my career will return to journalism, as it always has been. Until then, I am sure that my dear and long-time colleague, Monica Lamb Yorski, will take over.
As a woman in my mid-50s, preparing to leave my comfort zone and jump into an exciting new role, I find solace in the quote, “To improve is to change, and to be perfect is to change often (although I would never pretend to be perfect).”
