String stitch in the fabric of the community
When I announced my next road trip would take me to St. John’s, N.L., I was overwhelmed by the feedback. Almost without exception, you told me how I was going to fall in love with the people.
You were right.
Not long after getting off the plane, I could feel something special in the air. Maybe it’s more accurate to say it was what I didn’t feel that was refreshing. I didn’t feel out of place or like a tourist; no heavy sighs from people walking behind me, no honking car horns as I cautiously approached intersections. And while this might sound fairly minor, when the elevator doors closed, people didn’t risk spraining neck muscles to avoid eye contact and, God forbid… conversation. A couple of days into my road trip I got to meet some of the people I work with – from a distance – every day. To be very honest, I was nervous about meeting my long-distance co-workers. I was an outsider coming into something very special. I could tell right away by the comments strangers made when they saw me getting out of the Telegram vehicle. Their eyes lit up, they wanted to talk to me… not because it was me, but because I worked for the Telegram.
There is a lot of history here. The Evening Telegram was first published on April 3, 1879, by William James Herder. It adopted its current name in 1998. The Telegram was the first daily (excluding Sundays) in Newfoundland. It is also the only 19th-century Newfoundland newspaper to survive into the 20th and now, 21st century.
For centuries the men and women who worked at the Telegram connected people and communities, warned of dangers, congratulated winners, passed along passings and announced new arrivals.
The Telegram has been a part of many peoples’ lives for as long as they can remember. It is without a doubt an integral part of the fabric of the region.
After meeting my Newfoundland co-workers, I can confidently assure the people who trust these journalists to inform them and deliver the news and information they need each day, that they are in very good hands.