Time jets by without a moment's notice, and it certainly doesn't wait for anyone. That's something that I learned very early on in my career as a weekly news journalist.
In my line of work, you wear a lot of hats. I'm a journalist, I'm a photographer, I'm a spellchecker, I'm a very seasoned driver, and I'm a go-to source of information for people who are looking for specifics about this or that event that happened on this or that date. Suffice to say, my job can be interesting at times, and it's taken me all around this province.
As it turns out, the time has certainly gotten away from me. This coming Sunday, March 27 will mark 15 years since I started here at The Outlook. I can tell you one thing - it both does and doesn't feel that long, if that makes any lick of sense. I can think back to a lot of articles that I wrote and remember them as the events having taken place just a couple of years ago, and then I'll go and look those articles up in our archives, and it turns out they took place in 2011. Then I'll think about a story I covered and I'll be convinced that it was eons ago in 2008 or 2009, and in reality it took place in something like 2016 or 2017. Oh, well, OK.
Like I said, the time just gets away from us. If I'm terrible sometimes with my dates of when certain stories took place, I must say that I can't necessarily take all of the blame. After all, we here at The Outlook, just like any other weekly news publication in the province, release 48-49 issues a year, with anywhere from 5-6 articles (slower weeks) to 12-13 articles (busier weeks) written by me.
Now take that and multiply it by 15 years.
Yeah, I'd say I've managed to write a fairly big chunk about the modern-day history of this part of Saskatchewan on a weekly basis for the last decade-and-a-half. To tell you the truth, I've given some thought over the last few years of putting together a book featuring my best stories and photos that help highlight what life is like in this part of the province. Any interest in something like that? Hmmm, well, we'll see what happens on that front some day.
The day was Tuesday, March 27, 2007. I drove over here to the offices of this newspaper, excited to start my first day. Back then, I was merely a copy editor that the paper hired because they had the grad issue coming up in June and thought they needed an extra hand, but as it turns out, I also started writing news, too. I remember having a weekly critique feature where I rated movies, and I remember my first press assignment of covering the graduation of students from Prairie West Regional College, back when they still had the campus and programming in Outlook. I took some solid photos, and my writeup on the event was okay, but when I look back on it almost 15 years later, I can't help but smile and laugh just a little bit at all the 'rookie-ness' of it. Oh, the things you'll eventually discover about this job, boy-o.
I remember being very nervous about starting here full-time when it was learned that the previous reporter was on her way out and going back to school. I was just a part-time copywriter, guest writer and sometimes-reporter, I didn't need the stress of doing this full-time! My nerves were a mess and my brain was all scattered, but as it turns out, this job and I became one pretty seamlessly and without a whole lot of chaos. Oh, there was the odd mistake here and there, but it's like starting any job; you'll make mistakes for the first little while before you finally find your groove. I also have to say, the people of this community and beyond were incredibly gracious and positive about me doing this. People that I knew who were already aware of my love of writing said this was something that would fit me like a glove, while perfect strangers were so easy to talk to and get to know.
I remember the first big story that I had to cover. Election Night in Saskatchewan, November 2007. Everyone remembers it as the night the Saskatchewan Party came into power, and I remember it as the night that I almost wanted to ditch out on entirely. You see, I had recently bought a book, an autobiography of former professional wrestler and proud Canadian, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart. I loved the book and I couldn't put it down, and then I found out that Bret was going to be giving a reading and signing copies of it at McNally-Robinson Booksellers in Saskatoon. What night was he set to appear? On Election Night, of course! So, I swallowed my geek fandom, put my book away, and I had to choose work. I drove over to Rosetown, watched the election results come in, and then I sat in the downstairs room of the Elks Hall with Saskatchewan Party candidate and newcomer Jim Reiter to discuss his win and the future that lay ahead. I found out later that I was the lone reporter at the event, which took me by surprise because by being in Rosetown, I was actually horning in on territory covered by the neighboring Rosetown Eagle newspaper. The interview with Jim went great, the story got a lot of traction, and looking back on it now, I'm glad I was there on what turned out to be a historic night in Saskatchewan. To this day, whenever I see Jim at an event, he always takes the time to say hello.
There have been hundreds and hundreds of stories, community events, big hometown sports highlights, local political scenes, and hard-edged photos that have showcased what life is like in this part of Saskatchewan. Not all of it has been a bed of roses; I remember when my "tactics" for a Q&A section were labeled as "malicious" three years ago by the then-mayor of Outlook and council. Sometimes, folks, I just think back to things like that and all I can do is laugh.
In being the guy behind the camera and armed with a recorder, I've seen and heard a lot in my 15 years, and I certainly don't take that for granted. I've enjoyed being the person who helps tell the story of what life is like for all of us here in the west central part of our province, and I'll continue to do so for as long as you'll have me.
Thanks for reading.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
