This week I was asked what the highlight of my year had been. No pressure there - my boss who is in charge of non-daily titles across the country was the one asking and there were about 20 of us in the meeting.
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Panic set in as I cast my mind back over the tumultuous year of 2021. But the tone was quickly set when a colleague talked about her highlight - working with her crew of journalists and seeing the pleasure they get from doing their job well.
Yes, I can relate to that.
The final speaker raised another highlight - the technology we use. You see, I was in a meeting with editors from across NSW and Victoria. From my office in Taree I meet and talk with this group of editors at least twice a week. Some of them are working even more remotely, covering newspapers and websites in Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Closer to home, members of my team recently helped out teams in New England and South Coast of NSW, and Western Australia.
Daunting? No, it's exciting. As journalists, meeting new people is a perk of our trade, whether that is the president of a Rotary club in Muswellbrook, Armidale's new Paul Harris Fellow or artists in Bomaderry.
So personally knowing that these people are there to talk things over and share ideas, problems and solutions is also a highlight of my year.
FOOTNOTE: Today's photo features our newest team member Sarah Chalmers inspecting work at Browns Creek, part of the OUR PLACES series.
Toni Bell
Editor