May 2, 2024 is my last day as publisher of The Review, after almost 32 years of seeing this newspaper through many changes.
And yes, it is time for another change.
Effective May 3, 2024, The Review will have two new owners! Our long-time main journalist, James Morgan and his long-time friend, Stephen Yantzi, will guide The Review forward with new leadership.
I have been thinking for a while about how to describe almost 32 years as the big cheese at The Review.
What has made the biggest difference said “Yes!” during the past 32 years.
You said yes when we asked you to subscribe. You said yes when we asked you to advertise. You said yes when we asked you to participate in Yes, Women Can!, 50+ Attitude (presented by The Review with our partner, Hillcrest Funeral Home), the Vankleek Hill Christmas Home Tour, our Fun Fridays, our Author nights, bake sales, fundraisers and so much more. On a personal level, so many of you said yes to signing up for whatever event was coming up next, yes to volunteering, yes to interviews, yes to working here, yes to submitting articles, taking photographs, sharing information and in general, to making it all work.
I send personal and sincere thanks to all of the people in roles of authority who put up with my questions over the years. “Have you got a minute?” I would ask. And they almost always said yes. For their honesty and commitment to sharing their knowledge, I thank them.
A most special and sincere thank you to all of those who said yes to sharing their personal stories of triumph, challenges or sometimes, tragedy. I have been honoured by your trust and humbled by your stories. I remember every single one of you.
A most heartfelt thank you to all of my current hardworking staff, most of whom weathered the pandemic with me: Dorothy Hodge, Shirley Shuberynski, Diane Duval, Sharon Graves-Mac Rae, James Morgan, Lysa Martel, Alison Laliberté, Andrea Belcham, George Ball and Madeleine Dupont.
I wouldn’t be in this chair were it not for the publishers who came before me. Samuel I. Jones woke up one morning in 1893 and decided that he would start a newspaper in Vankleek Hill. Then came L. W. Shannon, H. Carl Jones, W. J. Duncan, Andrew Boyer (1929-1974!), Jean Paul and Bernard Boyer, and then Jean Paul and Therese Boyer, from whom I purchased The Review in 1992. At that time, The Review had been in the Boyer family for 65 years! The immense trust and support of Jean Paul and Therese Boyer will never be forgotten.
This job isn’t as simple as it looks. As a publisher, one is supposed to be a thought leader, an inspiration and example of civic duty, a solver of problems, a stickler for grammar, a half-decent writer, a teller of truth, a fiend for deadlines and a sensitive and sympathetic listener, able to hear and feel the heartbeat of a community. It is a lot to live up to, but what a whirlwind life can be when one aims high!
I won’t say an absolute goodbye. I have community events in the works and will continue my involvement in all of my treasured community organizations. In my continued role as a realtor, I will continue to help newcomers settle in beautiful Eastern Ontario.
You will get to know the two great guys who promise that The Review will continue its mission of independent community journalism and will ensure that this newspaper continues to champion local events, local businesses and local progress. Please be as gracious and kind to them as you have been to me over the years.
I am blessed to be able to say that I have no regrets. If I could do it all over again, I would. In a heartbeat. Yes, that is how much fun this exhilarating career has been!
To all of you: Continue to speak your mind, with kindness and hope. Believe in yourself and believe that you can change all manner of things. Make your voice heard and support independent journalism. Don’t ever take it for granted, because the world won’t be the same without it.
I know I will see you on Main Street. Just like always.
