A farewell to a dozen years and 10 months - Denny Scott editorial
Some of you may have already heard, but, like anything else, it’s not official until it comes from the horse’s mouth: I’ve officially left North Huron Publishing and The Citizen.
After nearly 13 years, I felt it was time for a change, as I just didn’t have the same drive to come into the office every morning. For a little while now, I’ve been restless at best, and downright concerned at worst, that either I wasn’t the same person, the news industry wasn’t the same beast or the community wasn’t part of the same world it was when I found my way to Blyth for the first time in February of 2010.
It’s been a remarkable 154 months since I first stepped foot into (since retired) Publisher Keith Roulston’s office wondering just where I would fit in if I got a job at The Citizen. I had been told by my former boss, Dave Sykes at The Goderich Signal-Star that after a restructuring from higher up, I would be laid off and he directed me to Blyth and Keith, saying I would have a chance to learn a lot here. He was right.
Since then I’ve gotten to know the folks of this community and been a part of some pretty memorable events, some annual like the reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association, and some once-in-a-lifetime events like the 100th International Plowing Match held in Walton in 2017.
It’s been quite a ride, literally and figuratively, as I’ve travelled to every corner of Huron County and beyond to talk to folks about issues that are important to them and, aside from the COVID-19 pandemic and a motor vehicle collision, I probably wouldn’t change much about the past 12 years and 10 months.
Anyway, this isn’t meant to be a trip down Memory Lane, but a goodbye to all the wonderful folks I have met and worked with in The Citizen’s coverage area and beyond. From the community members who not only champion the work we do, but also give us stories to write, to the council members who make important decisions, giving us something to cover (and people at the coffee shops something to chat about), to the wonderful people I’ve worked with in The Citizen’s office.
I’ve loved being a part of your community events, your announcements, your school events (and recess on more than one occasion), your sporting events and your best days.
I respect the fact that some of you worked with me on your worst days, and I’ll never begrudge anyone who just couldn’t do that.
Most of all, I want to say thank you for the respect that nearly everyone I’ve worked with or for has shown me. While a great many politicians, both here and abroad, would like to believe journalists are less than human and only out to parasitically drain others, I could have mitts on and count the number of times those sentiments were shared here. Almost all of you say (and hopefully believe) that your small town newspaper is here to help you know what’s going on, show pictures of your children and grandchildren and give a place for people to debate the decisions of the day.
You will still see me around town; I’ve put a little bit too much of myself into this community to leave it. My wife Ashleigh will continue to be happy to help you at the local hardware store. My daughter will still go to a local school. We will still live in the same place.
I, however, am making a 30-minute-or-so drive every work day to South Bruce, where I’ve signed on to work for the municipality.
As I told North Huron Publishing Company Publisher Deb Sholdice, if I were to keep being a journalist, it would have been at The Citizen, but I felt I needed to get out of the industry before I soured on it.
Again, thank you to everyone in the community, at the municipalities, at the county and here at The Citizen for all the years of wonderful experiences I’ve had.
Finally, if you really miss finding out exactly what is on my mind week-to-week, I guess you’ll just have to track me down because my life in print, as of next week’s column (after all, I couldn’t leave our loyal readers hanging at Christmas), is at an end. À bientôt, see you soon.