OUR LOCAL TEAM: Sharon Burns' love of newspapers comes from her father

My love of newspapers comes from my father. My earliest memories place him in his recliner in the corner of the front room of our home on Creek Road, holding a wide newspaper, with me laying on the floor in front of him.The noise he made when he snapped open a page was terrifying!

When dad finished reading a section, he floated it down to me, where I would spread it open on the floor and read the comic strips, look at photographs and captions, and read the headlines and sometimes even the first paragraph or two of the articles.

I didn’t dare get to the newspaper first and not put it back in the right order, or worse, cut out an article for a school project.

Later, when I was 13, my letter to the editor of The St. Catharines Standard was published. I had read that there could be a chance of a third world war in less than 20 years, and I was advocating for a better way for countries to settle their differences. Because of that letter I received my first anonymous hate mail, calling me out for my immaturity. I decided to become a journalist.

The most famous person I interviewed happened while I was writing for my university student newspaper, excalibur, and I was assigned to cover a Gloria Steinem talk. The editors wisely sent a co-author for this coup of a story, because it was a nerve wracking experience to put into 500 words the strength of her message.

After obtaining a degree in English and political science, I completed a print journalism diploma at Niagara College and landed a short stint working for The Toronto Sun. Today, advertisements for journalism courses don’t even mention the newspaper as a platform, saying that the “program prepares you for a career in television, radio, the newsroom, and emerging media platforms.”

There was about a 20 year period when I clipped newspaper articles to place inside my meticulously curated photo albums:

• A stepsister’s rowing championship
• The car accident of a work friend during my time at Julio’s Gatehouse
• Luke and Laura’s wedding (if you know, you know)
• The birth announcement of an old boyfriend’s baby

I put my journalism career on hold for nearly 35 years to concentrate on teaching, but I never stopped reading newspapers, and, when Penny advertised for a journalist six months after my retirement, I knew things had come full circle. What a great decision. Penny and the staff are wonderful people who really care about this community and quality journalism.

I still get The Standard delivered to my home Mondays through Saturdays. The Globe and Mail is included on Saturdays, mostly for the cryptic crossword. I used to subscribe to the New York Times, but found that I had too much to read on a Sunday. I now read the Times online. Often, I read The Local online before it even lands in my rural mailbox.

I  no longer use photo albums, and have no need to clip, label and save newspaper articles.

This next stage of my unexpected journalism career is exciting for me and I will continue to provide The Local with stories about the venerable members of our community.

Not much has changed with my dad. He still loves The Local. Only now, he has to read it online. I guess sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks.