Over the past 15 months living in Blairmore, Alberta, I have come to find that Crowsnest Pass is an extraordinary place. The people I have met here are some of the most fascinating and charming people I have ever met. The sights here rarely fail to take my breath away and the serene, peaceful atmosphere is hard to beat.
That is why it is with sincere sadness that I am naming this to be my last Lindsay’s Outlook, as last week I accepted a job opportunity working for the Innisfail Province.
Although Crowsnest Pass is the place I have come to call home for the past year and a half, I feel that it is time to move on, allow myself more of a challenge, and be in a place closer to Calgary where my dear family and friends are.
I am extremely excited for the opportunity to work with a new team of people in a different newsroom, but that does not mean that I will not miss the Pass deeply.
There are several people who have helped make this place exceptionally special for me, many of whom are the people I worked with while covering the news- the staff of the Pass Herald.
While all staff members helped me improve as a reporter in more ways than can counted, there is one man in particular I’d like to thank.
His name is Trevor Slapak. The guy everyone calls Buddy.
Bud was my editor for the past 15 months, but more than anything else, a friend of mine.
I’ll never forget the first time he helped me out like a friend would do.
It was during my second week at the Pass Herald. I had found myself at the office burning the midnight oil, in a complete fluster over council news and how to write it. I was a fresh graduate with very little journalism experience and my self-assurance was nowhere near to where it was today. I was tired, worried and lacking the confidence required to type the story.
In the midst of my panic, Bud came into the office. He said that he saw the lights on in the office while driving by and wanted to see who was working so late.
I told him that I was struggling with council news and he instructed me to turn off my computer and come for a coffee with him.
“Write it tomorrow after you get some sleep,” he said. “We’ll give you some extra time tomorrow, don’t worry kiddo. In the meantime, let’s grab a coffee.”
And with that, he took me for an 11 o’clock coffee, the first of many coffee dates we would have over the next year and a half.
I cannot write in a column how much I learned from Buddy, nor can I count the many times he made me laugh, smile and beam. He always stood behind me, without fail. He always believed in my potential. For that, I cannot thank him enough.
I have had many good times here in the Pass and have made many happy memories that I will keep close. But it is time to move on.
Crowsnest Pass, I will miss you. It has been a true pleasure.
