The last hurrah
Editorial
After more than 180 editorials over the past 17 years, this will be my last.
I am NOT retiring; as one kind-hearted Emeritus Bishop said, ‘you’re too young for that’.
But I am looking forward to having more time and flexibility to enjoy being a grandparent, which initially will involve being a ‘netball nanny’ while my daughter returns to playing for the NSW Swifts.
After that, I hope to be able to use my skills and experience to contribute in a meaningful way. The fact is, I don’t feel any different or any less passionate about my chosen career than when I began studying journalism at the Magill Campus of UniSA in 1979. I still get a buzz out of sharing people’s stories, getting a ‘scoop’ and covering the issues and events of the day.
I am forever grateful to Archbishop Philip Wilson for appointing me to the position of director of Communications and editor of The Southern Cross. After working in government communications and public relations, it was a joy to return to my true calling, journalism, as part of a broader marketing and communications role.
I am also indebted to Archbishop Wilson for giving me the freedom and encouragement to think outside the square and adapt to a changing media landscape. This included taking The Southern Cross into the digital era and broadening our readership through regular insertions in The Advertiser.
When I look back on the past 17 years it’s been a tumultuous time. Not long after starting in the job there was the announcement that Australia would have its first saint. This brought some amazing opportunities for my team and I at both the national and local level as we worked with the Sisters of St Joseph and the Church to bring Mary MacKillop’s remarkable story to the world.
The resignation of Pope Benedict – the first pope in more than 600 years to do so – heralded the election of the first Jesuit pope and the ever-surprising pontificate of Francis. Indeed, many of this paper’s editorials were inspired by him.
On the homefront, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a watershed for the Church in Australia, was followed by Archbishop Wilson’s fight for his innocence in an extremely hostile environment.
The COVID pandemic brought massive challenges with the unprecedented closure of churches and the severest restrictions on the way we gathered for funerals, weddings and worship. We quickly learnt how to use technology and enhance our online presence but we also managed to continue to print The Southern Cross, the only Catholic publication in Australia to do so.
The historic Plenary Council, the death of Pope Francis and the election of the first American pope are among the more recent happenings to be covered by this paper.
Throughout all this, there has been a constant flow of articles about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It has been a blessing to listen to and share their stories, whether they be priests, Brothers and Sisters, lay Catholics, refugees and migrants, young people, volunteers…the list goes on.
Whenever I have felt a bit jaded or disillusioned, there has always been an email or a message from a reader saying how much they love a particular story or the paper in general. Of course, there has been plenty of criticism as well – it’s hard for an editor to keep everyone happy – but mostly I have felt privileged to be in a position where I can try and make a difference. I remember once asking a Sister working with asylum seekers and refugees what the point of writing stories about the unjust and inhumane treatment of these people was when political parties of both persuasions were so intransigent. She told me to just ‘keep doing what you’re doing’. So I did.
After hearing of my resignation, a refugee advocate wrote to express his thanks for our interest in the story of an asylum seeker he had been helping. He said after many years the man had received a permanent visa to stay in Australia. Good news indeed, if only it were more common.
I’m grateful to my fellow Catholic media journalists and communicators from around Australia for providing friendship and a listening ear over the years.
I have also been fortunate to have a fantastic team, albeit small, and I thank everyone who has been part of ‘Cath Comms’ for their support. We have certainly punched above our weight.
It would be remiss of me not to single out Rosie McMutrie, our production/graphic design guru who has worked for Catholic Communications and The Southern Cross, in its different forms, for
37 years. While editors and journalists have come and gone, Rosie has been a constant, never missing a production deadline and always with a smile.
Rosie told me a previous editor introduced a section on the back page called Parting Shot. I’ve thought a lot about what my ‘parting shot’ might be, and the best I can come up with is: ‘thank you, goodbye and God bless’.
