News flow keeps new staff on their toes

Anyone suffering under the illusion that Wanganui is a sleepy hollow where nothing much happens is unlikely to have spent any time here recently.

Aside from the events and activities that keep us all entertained, on a news front there has been no shortage of things to cover. The news agenda has been dominated in recent days by UCOL's restructuring and the response to it, and the acceptance of Wanganui Collegiate School as an integrated school.

Both are significant issues that weigh heavily on the success of this city and the wider region. It has been evident in the feedback and the demand for information from the community that these are critical decisions.

It is important that you have all the facts and opinion you need, and as far as possible we have tried to deliver.

Some parties have been reluctant to comment in much detail, suggesting that the finer points of what is happening are still to be worked out.

Whether you believe that or not, rest assured we will keep trying to highlight what the various parties have to say and how any decisions might impact Wanganui, whether good or bad.

Those two issues are aside from all the other news, events and views we have covered, so thanks to those who have participated and helped keep the paper lively and vibrant through this time.

It has been somewhat of a baptism of fire for new deputy editor Anna Wallis, who has arrived to find such critical issues on the boil, and has had to manage our coverage and ensure other worthy issues didn't miss out.

To provide a little background, Anna is from the Ohakune area and went to secondary school in Wanganui. During her journalism career she spent several years at the Manawatu Standard and comes to the Chronicle from the Marlborough Express in Blenheim, where she was deputy editor.

She has already proven an asset in the newsroom and will play a pivotal role in helping the Chronicle deliver the news our readers want and deserve.

While I'm making introductions, this week we welcomed new sports editor, Jared Smith. Jared joins us from the Taranaki Daily News, and he previously had a short stint at Rugby News and has worked on several other titles in his career. He is keen and has a few ideas on how to shape our sports coverage, and looks forward to meeting and writing about the many wonderful athletes who hail from this area.

Bright ideasAs far as campaigns go, The Wall would have to rate as one of the most successful I have encountered in my time in Wanganui. It is such a simple idea - to brighten up an entrance wall in Trafalgar Square with local images.

Thanks to those of you who have submitted images and voted. We have received more than 200 photographs and we know that it will be hard to cull them. As a mark of how much interest there has been, we have extended the time you can vote to November 14. See page B7 for more.