SIMONÉH DE BRUIN
This year as you know, the False Bay Echo is celebrating its 70th anniversary – a milestone associated with the precious metal platinum which symbolises strength and represents integrity.
It is an anniversary that makes us extremely proud and grateful to be a part of something that has been part of the lives of the Echo community for 70 years.
The Echo’s origins go back to the early 1950s when Pops Francis, a retired Manchester Guardian journalist, began the Fish Hoek News.
The paper had a number of name, editorial team and ownership changes over the years before it became part of the Cape Community Newspapers stable – now Cape Community Media – under the umbrella of Africa Community Media, which also publishes digital and community titles in the Eastern and Northern Cape as well as in KwaZulu-Natal.
The platinum anniversary is a testament to the fact that over the years, we have never lost the focus of what has allowed us to be around for so long — the pursuit of news and information that really matter to people, that empower them; and to build a brand and a business embedded in core values and ethics that have people at its centre.
Yes, it’s not news that our industry has been majorly disrupted with the advent of digital and online media, but here we are 70 years later – still robust, still relevant… still rooted firmly in the community.
The communities and neighbourhoods in the Echo are not one-dimensional – its peoples are not only one thing or the other and that is what the Echo has shown for the past 70 years. It’s a living history, a living library of your achievements, your losses, your struggles and your triumphs in the face of many adversities.
So, where to from here? The kind and quality of journalism we produce is what will ensure our continued survival and success.
People will always seek and stay loyal to the platform that engenders trust – that celebrate the best of them and the best in them, and we pledge to be diligent at earning and keeping that trust.
We are marking the False Bay Echo’s 70th anniversary with a special souvenir edition this week – a celebration of seven decades of telling people’s stories, of chronicling a rich heritage and building an invaluable archive.
We invite you to celebrate your community with us and the bonds and connections we have formed as we acknowledge the past and find inspiration and insight to embrace the next decade.
• Simonéh de Bruin is acting editor of Cape Community Media, publishers of the False Bay Echo and its 12 sister titles.
