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See you later, Oshawa

McNaughton_Graeme (web)By Graeme McNaughton

It was shortly after Thanksgiving in 2014 that I made the move to Oshawa. I was coming from Yellowknife, getting ready for my second winter up there when I got the call that I was wanted back where the temperatures typically don’t hit -50C. To say that I felt a bit of relief at the idea of not having to go through that again, having my beard frost up, older electronics call it quits and having to bundle up every square inch of exposed skin to prevent frostbite.

I came into Oshawa right before the municipal election, and I was thrown into the fray right off the bat. Since then, I’ve covered more stories than I can count, whether it be talking with the leader of the third federal party who has since gone on to be the prime minister to country music stars to professional wrestlers to aspiring writers to just everyday people. As much as the spectre of talking with celebrities and notable local figures can be exciting, I always enjoy just talking with regular people. Community journalism is telling the story of what average people are doing in their day-to-day lives.

Unfortunately, I’m soon going to be doing that job in a place that isn’t Oshawa.

I have enjoyed my two years and seven months in Oshawa immensely. While a relatively short amount of time, it has proven to be a great one for me. I have learned so much about this crazy job that I decided to do for my career, and I hope that through that I have served the city well, telling the stories that need to be told.

My time in Oshawa has also been great for me personally. When I moved back, on a whim I decided to try online dating. After my first day working at The Oshawa Express, I went on my first online date with a woman I met online, she having recently moved back to Oshawa herself after finishing university. I must have done something right because, in September 2018, I’m going to be marrying that woman.

I am sorely going to miss Oshawa and the stories it has to tell. I am going to miss the great team here at The Oshawa Express. I want to thank Sandy for providing me the opportunity to grow as a journalist and tell the stories that need to be told. I also want to thank the man who will be taking over the helm as editor, Joel, who through his writing pushed me to be a better writer myself. The Oshawa Express is in good hands with him as editor.

I want to thank the rest of the team here – Kim, Lezlie, Stacey, Sharon, Violet, Nicole and Keely. You have made The Oshawa Express a great place to work, and a great environment that I wouldn’t change for anything in the world.

And finally, I want to thank you, the reader. I hope that the stories I have written over the past 31 months have been up to the standard of what you come to expect from this paper. Whether it be through letters to the editor or phone calls or just random chats on the street, you have kept me honest and made me strive to do the best job possible.

Thank you, Oshawa. I’m going to miss you.

 

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