Peri Strathearn says farewell to The Murray Valley Standard
Below is the text of a farewell letter from a former journalist which Australian Community Media declined to publish after his eight years of service.
The following is the author's personal opinion, and was originally published on Facebook.
Legacy is the answer to a question: did you leave the place in a better state than when you arrived?
With regret, with respect to my eight years at The Murray Valley Standard, I'm not sure that I can answer "yes".
That can be partly attributed to the success the paper was having at the time of my arrival in 2012: there were more than 20 people working in the office, we were in the middle of a 10-year winning run at the SA Country Press awards, and on one Thursday in my first year we printed an edition that was thicker than the same day's Advertiser.
Even now, the newspaper still has a lot going for it.
I understand publishers Australian Community Media will move to one print edition per week going forward, a smart response to a long-held community desire; though I'm not sure people will get the 48-page book they might have imagined 10, five or even three years ago.
I'm glad the print edition will continue for now; selfishly, I never wanted the burden of being the one to put it to bed for good.
And perhaps more than anyone, I appreciate the value inherent in the masthead, the name.
The Standard has set the standard for news coverage in the Murraylands - not the Murray Valley, nobody calls it that - for almost 86 years.
But there comes a time, after years of cost-cutting, centralisation and finally an un-announced 10-week shutdown, when a fellow realises it's time for a change.
Don't get me wrong: I'm still as passionate about telling local stories as I ever was, as those of you who have heard about my new business venture well know.
My wife and I have a house here in Murray Bridge now, and we I hope to bring up our two girls here.
In an alternate reality in which the job still existed, I might have aspired to be the editor of the local newspaper.
Instead, I'll say thank you to SA editor Greg Mayfield for taking a shot on the unshaven uni student who did a day's impromptu work experience in Port Pirie 10 years ago, the morning after meeting him at a battle of the bands.
Thank you to Sharon Hansen for taking the time to chat to the cadet journo who dropped out of the blue sky with a resume in hand in 2011.
Thank you to a roll call of colleagues: Brennan, Claire, loyal Dylan, the members of the "dream team" and half a dozen more journos besides, plus the Suzannes and Tricias and Chloes and printers who keep the place running.
But most of all, thank you to the hundreds of you who have shared interesting little bits of your lives with me, proud, heartbroken, hopeful, excited and everything in between.
It has been a privilege to write the first draft of this region's history through the Thomas Foods fire, the basin plan, elections, council dramas and all the rest of it.
I hope I've made myself useful to the community over the past eight years and, God willing, I hope I can continue to do so.
