Am I the first local who was born and raised here to be the editor of the North Island Gazette?
I’ve been told this a few times now by different people who have lived here in town much longer than I have, but I haven’t taken the time to go out and research it.
If it is true then that would be kind of an incredible statistic, one which I would not take lightly.
The Gazette has been around for 54 years now, which no doubt means there has been a few people who have come and gone through the editorial department over the years, but I know this area of the island has never been a real “hotspot” (pun intended) for creating journalists, so it very well could be a true fact.
I like to think that when I took over as editor (on two different occasions) I brought some real “hometown flavour” to the position that had been sorely lacking for awhile.
Don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a shot at J.R Rardon in any way shape or form. He’s a legend and one of my journalism heroes. J.R. has a “North Island Pass” in his back pocket that he can use anytime he pleases.
With that said, we now have a reporter, Thomas Kervin, who was also born and raised in Port Hardy, so our entire editorial department has most likely been “localized” for the very first time in the entire history of the newspaper.
That’s a pretty great thing and it really shows Black Press’ commitment to the communities and the people who live here. I’ve been working here close to three years now and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished for this company and my hometown.
As always, my promise to our readership is that Thomas and I will continue to endeavour to bring you the best hyper local North Island content week in and week out, with no BS fluff included, unless the fluff is something worth reporting on, in which case, you will get some tasty fluff on the side.