Looking back, looking forward

Some events occur under the glare of intense public attention, while others slip by without much of a peep.

For the Georgian (and all of Transcontinental's weekly newspapers in this province, along the news media in general), an era passed without much fanfare when Managing Editor Ron Ennis retired in September.

Here's an editorial written by George MacVicar, Southern Gazette editor, the week after Ron's retirement. It's title: A fine journalist.

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The passing of an era in the newspaper industry in Newfoundland and Labrador slide by silently Friday.

Ron Ennis, Managing Editor with Transcontinental Media's 14 weekly newspapers in the province for over 20 years, hung up his shingle after 42 years as a journalist.

Many outside of Grand Falls-Windsor and Bishop's Falls likely know little, if anything, about Ron on a personal level. But on a professional level throughout this province, the Maritimes and the whole of Canada he was well known in the industry.

Ron, as he was known to most, began his newspaper career with the Robinson-Blackmore group - founded by the Blackmore family over 60 years ago in Grand Falls. He arrived on the scene in 1968 and was instrumental in continuing the unprecedented growth of The Advertiser newspaper in that central Newfoundland paper town, and numerous other papers in the province such as The Southern Gazette on the Burin Peninsula.

He launched the design or re-design of a number of the papers, not only in this province but also community newspapers in Nova Scotia.

His resume includes a number of prestigious awards from the Atlantic Community Newspapers Association (ACNA) and the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA), from whom he received a national award for 25 years of dedicated service to the industry.

On a personal side, Ron was a mentor and confidant for many of the editors and reporter/photographers who went through the RB-Optipress-Transcontinental group over four decades.

He was a great supporter of his employees and provided a wealth of experience and advice for his writers and layout people, always with a thirsting need for more knowledge.

He was a man who gave back to his community through service on town councils, the Kiwanis Club - in particular the annual music festival in Grand Falls - and his church.? A proud family man - he and his wife Delores raised five children together, all of whom went onto their own careers after university.

Not many of our readers may recognize Ron Ennis' name, but he was one of a few individuals who shaped the face of community newspapers in this province.

After experiencing many of the roles of the newspaper industry, he was fair and supportive of all the workers he supervised. Ron will be missed by his fellow employees - his friends.

Ron Ennis achieved a unique status in life. He was able to call most, if not all, the people he encountered a friend. And because of that, his lessons will continue to ring in journalists' ears for years to come.

He was a humble man, who tread softly, but knew when to put his fellow employees on the straight path when they strayed.

Happy retirement, Ron. Your children and grandchildren are looking forward to many, many years with you. The time is right.

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We couldn't have said it any better. You're certainly missed, Ron.

Like most things, the newspaper industry continues to grow and evolve with the times. If you look at the bottom of this page, you'll notice that Troy Turner has taken over the role of Managing Editor for the Georgian and the western Newfoundland and Labrador weeklies. We're confident he will do a fine job as we move into 2010 and beyond.

All that said, we hope you continue to pick up and read the Georgian each week. If there's something you like, let us know. Something you don't like? Also let us know. And if you have any story ideas or suggestions, we're always here to chat.

Don't forget to check out our website, www.thegeorgian.ca. There's always something new and exciting happening at the site - from extended photo spreads and reader polls to videos and breaking news.

The Georgian is here for you. Let's make 2010 our best year yet.