It's time I introduced myself. I'm acting editor of the Port Macquarie News and The Macleay Argus and my day job is editor of the Manning River Times, Great Lakes Advocate and Gloucester Advocate. So I'm basically in the driver's seat for the Mid North Coast ATM.
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A bit of my history - I've been a journalist for more than 47 years. Just missed the hot metal days but I started with copy paper, a typewriter and a line gauge. Most of my time has been spent covering local news - court, sport, council meetings and gatherings of all kinds. I've been lucky to work so long in a job I still enjoy
I've worked with production staff - compositors and the like - all flag-flying members of the PKIU (Printing and Kindred Industries Union) and not to be messed with. One of my journalist colleagues, Beth Ryan (later to become Liz Hayes of Sixty Minutes) was helping out at a 'sister paper' The Maitland Mercury in my early days and she caused a strike when she walked onto the production floor. The crew at Taree were a bit less militant. And if the crew were in a magnanimous mood, us journos might have got invited to a counter lunch on a Friday. A beer (or two) with lunch was also the done thing, back in the '70s. I don't recall too many production staff in the office on Friday afternoons... but I may be wrong.
Advertising reps (consultants they are now called) were a breed of their own. Most smoked and had the "gift of the gab' (talked b....t). We had front office staff who made us cups of tea and doled out biscuits, at the same time ensuring we got paid. And pay came in a pay packet - small brown envelope with the exact amount (dollars and cents).
Meanwhile the classifieds girls (most were female) made the company lots of money - classified ads were 'rivers of gold' to newspapers. We had pages of them and the truck bringing the papers back from the press late at night was often met by a crowd wanting a head start on positions vacant or items for sale.
I've seen a lot of change in our industry, mostly technological. And while we have different tools, the job is still about telling people's stories.
So, I'm still finding my way around Port and Kempsey, but both newspapers are in the very competent hands of a team of young journalists who many of you would have met already.
Have a great weekend.
Toni Bell
ACM editor, Port Macquarie News