I’ve never liked sappy goodbyes – but here goes one anyway.
Friday, June 29 marked my last day at the Comox Valley Record.
I’m returning to Calgary to move in with my girlfriend, who graduated university this spring and landed a great opportunity to kickstart her teaching career with the Calgary Board of Education.
Though I’ve had an amazing time living and working in the Valley, I’m excited about the next chapter in my life; I’ve accepted a sports writing job with two community newspapers in Airdrie and Rocky View County, and am looking forward to starting a new challenge.
My first day at The Record was only 11 months ago. On just my second day, I ended up writing a story about black bears. It seemed a fitting welcome to Vancouver Island.
It’s only gotten better since then. I’ve tried to pack as much into my Comox Valley experience as possible, whether it’s mountain biking in Cumberland, floating down the Puntledge River on a hot day, or drinking delicious craft beer at any of the Valley’s three breweries.
And then there’s work, which has been rewarding in its own way. A quick check on The Record’s website shows I’ve contributed to 96 print editions of the paper and written 350 stories. I feel I’ve improved as a reporter and have picked up new skills that I will take with me into the future.
Covering the CVRD, I became interested in topics I never expected to care about, such as water treatment, landfills, waste-to-energy technology, and sewage systems.
Covering Cumberland council, I learned how a small community can have a big heart in everything it does.
Covering Comox Valley schools, I learned how contagious student enthusiasm is, whether it’s cleaning up a shoreline, volunteering in Honduras, or teaching younger peers about endangered species.
This was my first journalism job since graduating from university last spring. I’d like to thank The Record and Black Press for giving me the chance to prove myself in an industry I care so much about. I hope I’ve repaid that faith over these past several months with my work.
I don’t think I could have landed in a better place to get my feet wet in community journalism. The Comox Valley is a delightful place and it has countless stories that deserve to be told. I’m sure I’ll be following the Valley’s current events and visiting it again in the future.
Before I sign off, I’d like to collectively thank everyone who helped me do this job in the last 11 months. Thank you to the sources who emailed or called me back, the people who contributed story ideas, and my editor and colleagues for proofing my work, providing advice, building pages, selling ads, and doing everything it takes to make a community news outlet tick.
Before I moved here, I learned the Comox Valley got its name from a First Nation term that meant Land of Plenty. After living here for almost a year, it’s easy to see why.
So long, Land of Plenty. It’s been plenty of fun.