FOR almost 45 years I ve been a hack. In other words, a reporter who would turn their hand to any subject. It has been a career which started in the seemingly dark ages of newspapers, when the news room was covered in an ever-thickening cloud of cigarette

FOR almost 45 years I've been a hack.

In other words, a reporter who would turn their hand to any subject.

It has been a career which started in the seemingly dark ages of newspapers, when the news room was covered in an ever-thickening cloud of cigarette smoke, and the dominant sound was the clatter of worn out Remington typewriters.

All has changed with the coming of the computer age.

And new technology has revolutionised the production of newspapers.

But the job has remained vitually the same: getting the story and making sure that it was in the public domain.

That, really, is the essence of being a reporter.

And during a career which began in the 1960s, it has meant that as a reporter there were interviews with Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Harold Wilson, and other Government ministers.

It meant eight years as a sports reporter, spending Saturday afternoons in the press box at Upton Park, Stamford Bridge, White Hart Lane, and that piece of heaven on earth we will always know as the Arsenal Stadium.

It meant digging out the stories surrounding the Broadwater Farm estate riot, and the aftermath of the blaze at King's Cross station.

It meant those seemingly endless nights running into the early hours as elections were decided.

But there has been nothing to compare with being editor of The Crow.

It may be a cliche, but it has been a privilege to hold such a position, and, I may say, too, producing the paper week after week has been something of a labour of love.

I moved to Royston more than 30 years ago, although - as I have often been reminded - I cannot quite claim to be local. But, at least, I believe, I've kept the tradition of The Crow by keeping it as the local newspaper.

The strength of a local newspaper is in the community it serves.

The paper has to have a heart and a soul: it has to be passionate and compassionate about the area and the people it serves.

I believe we achieved this over recent years - although that may be an opinion which is still to be discussed.

But the job of editor is not just a question of putting a newspaper together each week.

It's about people. It's about those who want to be reported and those who do not. It's about telling the truth and displaying integrity - and most of all it's about reputation.

The Crow, I like to believe, does have a reputation for its commitment to our community and the reporting of the events and issues which are important on a local level.

We have strived to ensure that this would always be the case.

But it has not been done without help.

Over the years there has not just been a rapport built up with the key figures of our community, but a relationship with our readers.

This has been done on trusting each other - and it's all been worthwhile.

The aim during the last eight years as editor has not been to make The Crow our newspaper, but YOUR newspaper.