/Hello and goodbye

Hello and goodbye

By Darren Lum

Rock legend Jimi Hendrix said, “The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye … until we meet again.”

Sue Tiffin is irreplaceable to this paper. There’s no doubt in my mind.
Her heart is in the Minden Times and her home is in Minden. You could say Minden is as much a part of Sue as she is part of it. The value she brought to the Times (and its sister paper, the Echo) could never be measured in the thousands of stories she wrote or the images she captured, but in the engagement she cultivated with her commitment in shining a light on Minden Hills and all the communities in the Highlands.

For all my years living in Haliburton County, which is about 18 years (nine of which was in Minden), I do not have the same connection to Minden like Sue, who not only lives in Minden with her two children and husband, but is from here. She is a Red Hawks alumnus. She has deep roots. It always showed in her work. It was always present in her representation of the papers, whether it was speaking with a source for a story or interacting with a child at a parade. Her love for the Highlands was apparent.
I wish her well on her new chapter and will miss her contributions, if not her support as a fellow journalist. Her contributions won’t only be missed for the space they helped filled in the Times and the Haliburton Echo, but for the substance they brought; the questions they raised and for the engagement it created with long-time and new readers in the area and outside of it. She cared. Her compassion shone through in her sentences and dripped from the words in her prose in her articles (short and long), which included the broad range of small town journalism, whether it was the elementary school graduations, a town council meeting or a death in the community.
As the editor the of the sister papers, the Echo and County Life, I will be assuming the position of editor in the interim (until we can find another person with the relevant skills, and, hopefully, the same commitment and drive of Sue).

We welcome contributors to help us as we move forward. Help us ensure the paper continues to be a reflection of the life here, which is made up of hard workers and the unsung heroes that make this community worth living in. We need you more than ever. Please, email me with your contributions at darren@haliburtonpress.com.