To preface this, I’ll admit I don’t like doing these things. Formalities make my skin crawl. In any event, hi, I’m Sam Macdonald. You can call me Samuel if you feel so inclined, but please don’t spell my last name with an uppercase-D.
Many of you may be thinking, “that new reporter they’ve got at The Casket looks sort of familiar.” Many of you are right. I’m from here - born and raised. I actually used to freelance for the Casket, but that’s neither here, nor there.
Once upon a time, I set off to live out west, writing in newsrooms and for a magazine in towns and cities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, looking to tell stories in those communities and, generally, get out of my comfort zone.
Truth be told, I had, for the most part, a splendid time doing that, and definitely don’t regret that decision. But, at the three or four-year-mark, I started to get homesick.
Fast forward, and there I was, having weathered a few Prairie winters (not fun),endured a few run-ins with big-city bedbug infestations (really not fun), and been on the receiving end of a few layoffs from struggling publications, one of which has completely gone belly-up and closed (really, really not fun).
Faced with a lot of difficult decisions and an opportunity, I worked through the former, took the latter and ended up here in Nova Scotia. Also, I might as well admit it, I was really starting to miss trees. It’s pretty crazy how you can take simple things like that for granted right up to the point where you live somewhere you can see your dog running away for three days. I didn’t miss this humidity, though.
I’ve actually been here since last summer, but in New Glasgow, with their paper – The News. After some restructuring, I wasn’t needed there - but was needed here. So, here I am.
And, of all times to return to Antigonish, what a time to come back, with the Highland Games starting right on the heels of the Canada Day long weekend, all while preparation continues on for the Special Olympics Canada 2018 Summer Games at the end of the month, too.
I’m more than certain you’ll see me around.
