After nearly two years of covering everything from dog races through the fair, sporting fun, government announcements, fundraisers, and countless community meals, my time at THE EQUITY has come to an end.
It’s been a blast, to say the least, and it was not an easy decision to make, but come to think of it, it was also a tough choice to move out to Shawville in the first place.
I started at the paper in May 2017 when my career had seemed stalled. I was working at EB Games in Newmarket, Ont., and hating it. After having worked my butt off in school, taking on extracurricular roles in college, and having regular, accessible social circles, I found myself at my parents’ house and miserable.
So it seemed like a godsend when Chris Lowrey and Caleb Nickerson wanted me to join them in the Pontiac.
We had been buddies from our time at the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College where we studied journalism together. So not only did I have my start in reporting to look forward to, but the familiarity of the guys helped sell the transition.
What I was not familiar with was the Pontiac. Through Chris, I had heard enough about the Shawville Fair and that was about it.
I had never lived rurally before, the closest experience was visiting the barnyard animals at my aunt’s home in Peterborough, Ont.
Very much, I am an urbanite.
So arriving in Shawville with that mindset was the biggest thing to overcome.
The only solution was to approach everything with a sunny disposition. From my very first story through to my last, it was the approach I tried to maintain. I think it worked, but others may have had a different opinion.
Anyways, after a short time shaking off the rust, the guys had me back at it. Soon, I’d spend most weekends a month traversing the region, covering event after event to the best of my ability.
In the time since, I’ve made a lot of connections in the Pontiac. I’ve built trust with many people, and shared many more laughs, smiles and bouts of frustrations with folks. I’ve heard many tales – some no doubt tall – from people and had the pleasure to share some of them in stories.
I’ve met so many incredible people doing amazing things, whether they realize it or not. Sure, there are the stand-outs with a talent that is recognized for being unique and amazing. Yet there’s so many who put their talents for organization, administration and more to work for their community everyday.
It was a whole world that I had never been exposed to and was always something I’d step back from at the end of a busy weekend and realize, none of that would have happened if not for the labour of so many.
It’s so easy to overlook the cogs that keep the whole machine running, but I’ve always felt fortunate to have a job that let me put the spotlight on them. Organizers have, understandably, grown sick of being interviewed by THE EQUITY every year, trying to find a new way to share what it’s all about, but even just their patience in doing so has been instrumental in the success that I’ve felt working there.
Honestly, I’ve loved my job. For me, journalism has never been about digging for information on wrongdoings, keeping political figures in line and accountable, or exposing a seedy operation.
It’s always been about capturing a moment or feeling – say, at a sports game – and sharing that with the rest of the community. It’s been about telling the story factually, in a way that entertains.
But to say that everything has been all sunshine and lollipops would be a gross understatement. I’ve made mistakes on the job, published an incorrect detail or two, and messed up many names.
All I could do was be upfront about it and apologize.
I’ll freely admit, I had to apologize all too often for forgetting names. Faces are always familiar, but unless it’s a character out of a Marvel comic book, I will have a hard time putting a name to it.
Though the names will inevitably fade from my memory, the experiences and feelings will be with me forever.
From speaking to those who’ve just lost a loved one or had their home torn away from them in tragedy, to snapping an awesome picture of a minor hockey moment, riding on the back of a jet ski or side-by-side, running all over the Shawville Fair, attending my first wrestling match, and especially the fun I had making sauerkraut for Oktoberfest, plus so much more, I’ve had the pleasure of reporting on a wide range of topics, beats, and stories.
Why then, if I was having such a great time, did I decide to leave? It just comes down to the simple fact that I’m not from here. While my career may have been in the Pontiac, my family, my long-term girlfriend, and many close friends still reside in the GTA.
As I’ve said to whoever has asked, it’s felt like I’ve been living two lives this whole time, and I could only maintain that balance for so long. While I’ve been out reporting on this community, there has been a lot going on in my own circles and I’m eager to stop hearing everything second-hand.
I have no new job lined up and no real plan as of yet. I will see what the coming weeks bring to bear in that regard.
After having all the positive experiences that I have had in the Pontiac, I can’t really see myself reporting for one of the big news corporations producing “content” over a full-bodied story.
Maybe more education is the answer and then again, maybe it isn’t.
Regardless of my next step, none of it would have been possible if not for my time learning, living and growing in the Pontiac, and for everyone that I’ve encountered along the way it’s been a pleasure to have had all these opportunities alongside you.
