ESTEVAN - For those of you who haven’t heard, The Estevan Mercury recently closed their doors after 122 years. This was Estevan’s oldest business, even pre-dating Saskatchewan becoming a province.
I began my newspaper career with The Estevan Mercury in 1978 (yes, I’m that old). Fresh out of high school and not knowing what I wanted to do, I crossed paths with a man named Peter Ng. He convinced me that I had the talent to be a “graphic artist.” I had no training or experience and was given this fancy title which really was someone who designed ads. I guess Peter saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself as 47 years later, I’m still in the business. The industry has taught me a lot, from creating ads by hand using tape for borders to computer programs that drive me crazy.
Viewing some of the comments that accompanied the posting of the story of the Mercury closing, really made me think further. There were the ones who reminisced about their time working there, the fabulous community, thankful people who acknowledged the great staff that currently worked there, the 120 plus years of news, photos, memories, etc.
Then there are the keyboard warriors who never have anything nice to say. No one reads newspapers. Everything is online or I get my news from Facebook. Well, my response to that is that Facebook IS NOT LOCAL. They do not employ any members of the community you live in. They do not pay taxes here. They are not accountable for any false stories or fact checking.
Remember that time when Amazon sponsored your church fundraiser? Remember when Facebook bought a case of Girl Guide cookies to support your daughter? Remember when Google provided free pizza to your child’s soccer team when they won the championship? NEITHER DO WE! Local businesses live here. They play here. They invest here. They need our support, now more than ever.
My girlfriend in Estevan posted, “The Mercury closing is the end of a legacy. No more coverage of our amazing community. No more pictures of your kids in the paper. No more coverage of sports, events, celebrations, showcasing all the achievements and milestones of our citizens/businesses, sharing sad news, public safety announcements, educating the public about important things. No more contests, giveaways, promotions. No more archiving of our history. No more cutting out the stories and saving them in your photo albums. No more opportunity to promote your business in a trusted platform. No more paper routes for kids’ first jobs.”
To me, that’s all that needs to be said. Most of us understand the importance in business and our personal lives of supporting each other, whether physically, mentally or financially. We all have friends (at least at my age) that work above and beyond their regular work duties that the public doesn’t know about, but we see the impact it has on their lives. Long gone are those 40-hour work weeks for people who believe in their product and have a real passion for what they do. There is just not enough time in the day.
To those of you who say “it’s just a matter of time”, we will continue to do the best job that we can. Just like you make the best hamburger or have the best hairstylist, we can only exist with the assistance of others.
Please continue to support your local businesses, as we need you as much as you need us. We’re all just trying to exist in this crazy world!
