Manjimup-Bridgetown Times journalist bids farewell to South West community

Where to begin? The time has come for me to call it a day on my time at the wonderful Manjimup-Bridgetown Times after a year serving as a journalist in the lower South West. When I first received the call from my Editor asking if I would be interested in a job opening at the Manjimup office working for one of the nation’s best regional papers, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I only had one issue — I had no idea where Manjimup was and knew absolutely nothing about the town or its people. Regardless of that fact, on April 19 last year, I drove my car under the town’s iconic wooden archway for the first time and laid my eyes on the place I would now call home. In typical Manjimup fashion as I would later find out that year, it was raining and cold and all I wanted to do was turn the car around and head back to the safety of Perth. But I decided nothing ventured, nothing gained and I went to meet my new work colleagues. Fast forward one year later and to say it has been an honour and a privilege to have had the chance to tell the stories of the people in these communities is an understatement. I have seen people band together in times of crisis, I have witnessed people show unbelievable inner strength in the face of despair and I have seen communities celebrate triumphantly when one of their own reaches for the stars and grasps them in their fingers. We have covered State and national news from this paper, we have broken big stories and we have done it all while trying to do our best by the community we serve. I have had the chance to play country footy, soccer and basketball, although the last sport on that list I am happy to admit I will never play again, much to the joy of my former teammates. I will take away many cherished memories and experiences from my time here at the Manjimup-Bridgetown Times and hope to see the area and paper prosper going into the future. Farewell for now.