Enid knows what makes a newspaper

STANTHORPE'S Enid Hamilton did not really want the job she was to spend more than 20 years working at.

Enid Hamilton spent 22 years writing for the Stanthorpe Border Post. Picture: Daniel Elliott

STANTHORPE'S Enid Hamilton did not really want the job she was to spend more than 20 years working at.

That was in 1981 and Mrs Hamilton was 60 when she started what she called her "first real job", working as a columnist for the Stanthorpe Border Post.

"They had introduced a ladies' page in the paper but the lady who was writing it left," she said.

"Some of my friends told me to take it on, but I couldn't type and had no training or even a phone at home."

Despite her reluctance, Mrs Hamilton approached former Stanthorpe Border Post manager Ken Whitton, who she said was eager to have her on board.

"I went to see Ken and he asked me when I wanted to start," she said.

"I did not really want to at all, but I asked him what I would write about and he told me write about whatever you want to - just don't get me sued."

Initially, Mrs Hamilton said she had only intended to "do it for a week or two" but the two weeks stretched to more than two decades, during which time she covered just about every topic relevant to the district.

"I would stay up half the night on Monday, then every Tuesday I put my copy in and it was all written by hand, always on time and always grammatically correct," she said.

"I wrote one page every week but don't ask me how or why. I just wrote.

"It was an interest. I'd worked hard all my life so it gave me something to do."

The Stanthorpe Border Post will commemorate its 140th anniversary on August 4 with a huge celebration at Stanthorpe Civic Centre.

All past and present contributors, as well as readers, are invited to join in and mark the occasion.

Originally published as Enid knows what makes a newspaper