JUST A GAL FROM GLIDDEN: Ink-stained and hooked: Confessions of a newspaper addict
By Kate Winquist
Some people collect figurines. Others cram their basements with antiques or hockey cards. Me? I collect newspapers. And not in the “line the cupboard shelves with them” way. I buy them. I run them. I practically breathe newsprint. (No, really — ask my husband.)
I’ve been tangled up in printing longer than I care to admit. Let’s just say I remember paste-up wax and leave it there. After graduating from Medicine Hat College in 1990 with a diploma in Visual Communications, I jumped straight into newspaper life as a graphic designer and layout artist at Robins Southern Printing in Lethbridge. Three years of college, eight bucks an hour, and my first gig was with The Farmer-Stockman AD-Visor. Yes, it was every bit as old-school as it sounds: darkroom work, t-squares, paste-up and mechanicals. (There’s that wax again.)
From there, it turned into a full-on paper chase: Medicine Hat Shopper, The Shaunavon Standard, owner of the the Gull Lake Advance, then Managing Editor of the Maple Creek News and Maple Creek Advance-Times. That’s where I was when Covid hit. A hefty wage cut nudged me back toward Kindersley — The Clarion had recently closed its doors, after all. So on my 51st birthday, I gave notice. Less than a month later — Canada Day, no less — I was packing up for home.
Born and raised on a farm near Glidden (hence the name of this column), I graduated from Kindersley Composite in ’87. When the pandemic rolled in, I circled back to my roots and launched Your Southwest Media Group. By July 6, the first issue of Your West Central Voice hit the stands. Then came more papers: The Oyen Echo in January, followed by The Weekly Bean and The Kerrobert & District Chronicle in October. At that point, even I had to admit my “hobby” was starting to look suspiciously like an obsession.
And just when I thought I was done, Stewart and Richard Crump asked if I wanted to take over The Rosetown Eagle. At first, I politely declined. Even I have limits. Or so I thought. Stewart circled back in September, and by the 17th we had a deal. Suddenly, I am publisher and editor of a paper that’s been around since 1909.
It’s been a whirlwind — picture a roller coaster, but with more paperwork. Thankfully, Ian MacKay and David McIver are staying on as contributors, and I’m thrilled to be adding some new voices. The timing, naturally, was impeccable: my first week coincided with both a Canada Post strike and Fire Prevention Week. Nothing like trial by fire (and delayed mail).
One thing you’ll notice: no Rosetown office, at least for now. Buying the Eagle building didn’t make sense, so we’ll find a cozier spot down the road. Until then, email and phone will do the trick. This is your paper. If it matters to you, it matters to us. And if you’re posting your events on Facebook, consider tossing them our way too.
When I’m not wrangling deadlines, you’ll probably find me roaming backroads with my camera, blasting music, or yelling at the TV over the Roughriders, Blue Jays or Maple Leafs. (Yes, the Leafs. Don’t judge. Two out of three isn’t bad.) At home in Kindersley, my husband Robert, our dog Pablo and our cat Scrat tolerate my ink-stained hobby. Our three grown kids — Devin, Kalen and Jaidyn — cheer me on, though I suspect they’re also wondering if there’s a 12-step program for their Mom who can’t stop acquiring newspapers.
Taking on The Eagle wasn’t part of the plan. But then again, hobbies have a way of getting out of hand. Here’s to the next chapter — complete with deadlines, headlines and plenty of ink under my fingernails.