Miriam King, the queen of community news reporting, is retiring at the end of the month.
Last week, local dignitaries and members of the Bradford and Innisfil community stopped by the Bradford Library for a celebration to honour and recognize the long-time area news reporter.
"The proper definition of integrity means the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, and Miriam has this quality tenfold," said York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney. "She brings fairness to everything that she does. Fairness to the people that she writes about, to the issues she writes about and fairness in her reporting."
Al Gilchrist from the Rotary Club of Innisfil spoke on King's commitment and enthusiasm sharing stories on the local organization's many initiatives over the years.
"Miriam was there at the very beginning and she covered everything we did," he said. "The Rotary Club was in the news and everyone could see what we did, and as a result, today, we are a very strong club and well respected and well-liked in the community and Miriam, you have been a huge part of it."
From council meetings to hockey tournaments and from farmers' markets to theatre productions, there is nothing King hasn't covered.
Both Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin and Bradford Mayor Rob Keffer thanked King for her dedication to community reporting over the past 35-plus years and presented her with town swag, a certificate and even a game of Bradford-Opoly.
"I just want to say how much we do appreciate you," said Dollin. "You are a professional with a capital P, (and) supported our community so much, not just the big events, even the tiny little events that wouldn't get any press."
It's a well-known fact that King can be found at multiple events in one day, spanning across the area.
"I don't know how you did it, I'm glad you did, I thank you, and I wish you all the very best," said Dollin.
Keffer recalled King's various stories on local businesses, churches, and not-for-profits, keeping residents informed on the happenings of the town.
"I would like to recognize that her involvement in the community over the years has not gone unnoticed," said Keffer. "Miriam you are the definition of a community reporter: present, involved and committed. I hope you can proudly look back at your career knowing that your journalism has made a difference in The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury."
Coun. Peter Dykie had a special custom-made pendant made for King of a camera as a token of appreciation and a thank-you for her hard work over the years, and York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson presented her with a special pin and certificate.
King started her career as a journalist in Cookstown in the early 1980s at the Cookstown Advocate newspaper. At the time, Cookstown was its own incorporated village before amalgamating with the Town of Innisfil in 1991.
While she didn't have a formal education in journalism, she was quick to learn newspaper-style writing from a few colleagues.
"Fortunately, some people took me under their wing," she said.
She was then picked up by the Bradford Gazette in 1987, which closed a few years later.
"So there we were without a paper, and I felt that was a really bad thing," she said.
Without any money to start her own publication, she approached the owner of Bradford's Bak's Market, Casey Bak, a supporter of local journalism, to help back the launching of a new town paper, The Bradford Times.
Bak agreed and funded the costs to bring King's vision of a new community paper to life, and was up and running in time for the first municipal election of the amalgamated Bradford West Gwillimbury in October 1991.
The Times was the town's main source of news for years, being bought out by various media companies until it officially closed in 2017.
But it wasn't long before King was writing again, after Village Media launched BradfordToday in April 2018 and she joined as a staff reporter where she has been writing ever since, including for InnisfilToday when they officially launched in May 2020.
King will be moving to Napanee at the end of May, where she hopes to continue to write, but not for a newspaper. Instead, she will go back to her roots, writing short stories for children. When she started at the Cookstown Advocate, she began with her own small children's column, sharing short stories and puzzles for the young readers.
It's the people and local organizations and groups she says that she will miss the most about newspaper reporting.
"There have been so many amazing people, amazing achievements, it's really a privilege," she said of her experience. "The community is the grassroots...It's been wonderful and I am going to miss it," she said.
Goodbye Miriam; good luck and thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to community storytelling over the years. We will miss you! All the best in your next chapter.
Natasha Philpott is the editor at BradfordToday and InnisfilToday.
