If my life were a TV show, my last day in the Perdeby office would have been a montage of sad goodbyes and goofy moments, and my final minutes would have played out against a fittingly upbeat indie song, that let everyone know that while this was a sad moment, it was also a triumphant moment. That’s what soundtracks do: they tell you how to feel. Something like Image Dragon’s “On Top of the World” would be ideal.
(Aside: if I could choose a song to play me out it would be “Long Road to Ruin”, courtesy of the Foo Fighters, but that’s only because I like being dramatic.)
But life isn’t a series of neat moments tinged with Hollywood sentimentality. What actually happened was disappointingly normal: we finished the paper like we always did, had a couple of drinks, and then I went and partied my face off at Arcade Empire. This turned out to be exactly the right send off. You cannot manufacture the perfect goodbye.
Excited and heartbroken; relieved but sad; bitter and sweet. This is what leaving Perdeby after four years feels like. Four years, 86 editions, countless hangovers, a few mistakes, new friends, lost friends, great friends: the best of times, the worst of times.
It is difficult to describe the influence this paper has had on my life, the ways in which it changed me, made me better. So I’ll just say this: this job has made me happy – it’s made me angry-crazy-frustrated too – but mostly it’s made me happy. It’s been a privilege editing this newspaper, and a privilege serving the student community.
Thinking back, I think I’ve done a good job. Hell knows I’ve tried. I think Perdeby is better than it was before I got hold of it. It’s been very important to me to make my mark, to leave a legacy: if that means one person remembers one sentence I’ve ever written, I’ll be happy. But hopefully it’s something more permanent than that.
I would like to thank everyone who has played some part, no matter how small, in putting the paper together while I’ve been editor. Publishing a weekly relies on teamwork and trust, and to everyone who has been part of that, thank you.
I would like to thank the top editorial, especially. You guys are awesome: supportive, funny, enthusiastic and honest. The job would have been impossible without you. I think we’ve gotten to know each other better than is healthy or wise, but you have my eternal gratitude and my friendship.
I have all the faith in the world that the new team will do a great job and make Perdeby’s 75th year the best it has ever had. My advice: have fun, work hard, get drunk – and don’t screw up.
As for me: I don’t know what happens next. I don’t know whether I flourish or flounder. That’s part of the fun, though, isn’t it? The next great adventure? Eish, scary stuff.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Beyers
