Innisfail, you had me at "Tim Hortons."
Okay, so there was a lot more to my decision to move to town as the Province's new editor than my favourite cup of Joe, but after four years of living five hours from the closest Timmie's, it was a definite bonus.
Born and raised in Toronto, I moved to Hay River, NWT in Feb. 2007 to begin work as a reporter/photographer with that town's community paper, The Hub. I'm actually the third generation of my family to work in the business, following my grandfather, Frank Teskey Sr., a Toronto Star reporter/photographer for four decades; and my uncle, Frank Teskey Jr., a graphic artist who has worked for The Star, the Globe and Mail, and Winnipeg Free Press to name a few places.
A natural homebody, I became involved in whatever I could while living in Hay River. I joined sports leagues, service clubs, and the local volunteer fire department in quick succession.
The department is where I made some of the closest friendships of my life, as well as where I met my fiancÈe, Michelle.
In 2008, she was my instructor as I worked to become an emergency medical responder. Just over two years later she came back north to teach the course to a new group of firefighters, and the friendship we had maintained blossomed into something bigger.
Michelle and her seven-year-old son, Dylan, are planning on joining me here in the coming months. A Calgarian, she sees the same great possibilities for raising a family here as I do. She just hopes I lose my dedication to my beloved Maple Leafs at the same time. So does Dylan.
One of the greatest discoveries I made while working for The Hub is that the best way to shine as a community newspaper is to become a part of that community.
I fully intend to do that here. I've already put in an application to join the Innisfail Fire Department, and will probably find a few other ways to get involved. I'll just have to ask Michelle first.
