Andrew Potts: Why the Gold Coast’s stories deserve to be told
The Gold Coast frequently gets overlooked but its stories deserve to be told, writes Andrew Potts, who this week marked 15 years with the Bulletin.
Opinion
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SOMEHOW, this week I’ve notched up 15 years working full-time as a journalist.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 was a warm and sunny day when I arrived for my first shift at the Gold Coast Bulletin as a copy boy at age 20.
It feels like a lifetime ago now.
The media industry was a dramatically different beast back then comparative to the hi-tech digital-focused world of today but in many ways, it’s still the same.
I’m not sure I was quite what anyone was expecting and it took a while for people to get to know me and get used to my love of puns, non-sequiturs and obscure film, television and music trivia.
At the end of that first week, I’m sure few expected me to last. I certainly had my doubts.
As someone who has been different their entire life, things have never come easy and in many ways, success was never a guarantee.
But thanks to the incredible support of colleagues, friends, mentors, family and loved ones, I was able follow my dream of working as a journalist.
And you know what? I still love it.
It’s not been an easy road and things have changed dramatically in that time but it’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into the lives of those people who call the Gold Coast home and to tell the story of their triumphs and tragedies.
The Gold Coast tends to get overlooked in the story of Australia or dismissed as a city without culture or history. But I love getting to tell its story, to record its history and ensure that it is remembered.
The story of the Gold Coast, those who shaped it and those who live here, is worth telling and is an equally worthy piece of the rich tapestry of Australia as Sydney or Melbourne.
It’s a privilege to get to tell it.
Work has taken me across the country and around the world, allowed me to unexpectedly achieve my dream of seeing New York City, ask questions of premiers and prime ministers, interview some of my artistic heroes and to entertain people through my long-running Things People Do column in the Gold Coast Sun.
From the joys and delights of the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Olympics announcement to reporting on the world-changing events of the pandemic, it’s been a hell of a ride.
It wouldn’t have been possible without the people who saw something in me and played key roles in showing me the ropes and teaching me what it means to be a reporter, from that tough first stint to the Bulletin to the many years at the Sun and back again.
I’ve made some lifelong friends and people who I’ve shared happiness and heartbreaking moments with.
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
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