By Barb McKay

This will be my final column as editor of the Kincardine Independent. Next week, I begin a new chapter in my life. The change is bittersweet – I’m looking forward to new opportunities and challenges, but I will very much miss the incredible team I’ve worked alongside here and the people I have gotten to know through my role.
It was nine years ago – this month, actually – that I moved with my family to Kincardine and began working at the Independent as a reporter. It was serendipitous – I was in need of a job and Eric Howald, the Independent’s founder and former publisher, was in need of a reporter. I can’t thank Eric enough, not only for taking me on but for helping me to improve my skills.
I’ve been very fortunate to have been a part of community newspaper that is truly independent. I’m grateful to have worked under a manager who put faith in me and always had my back. We are also very fortunate to have a company owner who understands the important role local newspapers play in their communities and supports and values the work we do.
One of the great benefits of working as a journalist is that you quickly become immersed in the community in which you work. That was certainly the case for me. I had visited Kincardine numerous times over the years, but when we moved here in 2010 I could count on one hand the number of people I knew, and most of them were family. But, after attending meetings and events on virtually a daily basis, it wasn’t long before I couldn’t go to the grocery store without bumping into at least half a dozen people I knew. My husband grew up here and we now joke that I know more people than he does!
Getting to know people – making connections and forming friendships – is one of the aspects of my position that I have enjoyed most. We have an incredible community here, full of people who make positive impacts in some many ways. I think it is my regular interactions with my amazing colleagues, with the people I have gotten to know at weekly council meetings, at community events and festivals, as well as our regular readers who pop into the office to chat that I will miss most. Lucky for me, though, this is not goodbye. Kincardine is my home and my new role will keep me in the community. I will also continue to stay in the know – as a Kincardine Independent subscriber!