Station Life: Raelene Hall bids farewell to her popular column and thanks readers for their support

Ciao, sayonara, au revoir, arrivederci, adios, auf wiedersehen, tot ziens. A lesson in foreign languages? No, just a few different words that all say the same thing — goodbye. And that’s what I’m saying in today’s column.

Sometimes we get to decide when to end something and at other times, it is chosen for us. I am very fortunate that I have been able to make the decision to finish up my column with The Midwest Times in my own time.

While I have loved being able to share my thoughts with readers of the paper (and online), it has gradually become harder and harder to come up with a topic each week and the columns aren’t as fresh and bright as they once were.

I’m incredibly grateful to the editors of the Midwest Times, over many years, for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with people right across the State, not just in the Mid West. It all started with Lara, around 2000, when the MWT was independently owned. In 2007 I took a break and published a book of my columns. Hard to believe 14 years later copies of it are still selling.

I don’t recall exactly when I took up my column again, but it was at least as far back as 2012. In that time, I’ve worked with Lara, Peter, Anita (and Gavin) and Kate. I may have missed an editor in there somewhere and my apologies if so.

Apart from the editors and all those who work on the papers, my most grateful thanks go to you, the readers of my column.

I have had so many lovely interactions via email, phone, snail mail and online from people who enjoyed a column or had a story they wished to share with me. One reader told me he and his wife enjoyed one column so much they instructed all their friends to make sure they got hold of that particular issue of the MWT.

When the Midwest Times expanded to become the Midwest Times and Northern Guardian it allowed me to reach even more people and when Anita Kirkbright and Gavin Box agreed to the column being placed on the paper’s Facebook page I was then able to share it online with those unable to access the paper.

Thank you, Anita and Gavin. Thanks also to Cally Dupe who took some of my columns over to the Countryman.

Sometimes we get to decide when to end something and at other times, it is chosen for us. I am very fortunate that I have been able to make the decision to finish up my column with The Midwest Times (MWT) in my own time.

I’m not sure where to from here, in terms of my writing, but I won’t be giving it up altogether. I already have a project to write a story for a CWA Centenary Book as well as two magazines to edit for voluntary groups and the publishing of one of those magazines.

For anyone wanting to contact me I’m fairly easy to find.

For those who prefer snail mail our address is just our station name, Via Meekatharra WA 6642.

If you use Facebook, you can message me on there or drop me a line at the Save Rural WA group if you are a member.

In this crazy world, take care of yourselves and those around you.

Be kind to everyone. You don’t know what they have been/are going through and don’t forget to slow down and smell the roses once in a while.