HOCKLEY VALLEY—The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA), of which The Expositor is a charter member, holds an annual fall gathering each year in early November.
This year’s event was held at the Hockley Valley Resort, near Orangeville, and a veteran Expositor scribe (and now associate editor) Mike Erskine was on hand to be recognized with a Silver Quill award for toiling for at least 25 years in the newspaper industry.
Mike, spouse Linda and their large family moved to Manitoulin from Sudbury over 30 years ago when Linda had the opportunity to grow her profession of social worker.
That was fairly early in the computer era, so Mike was busily engaged as a consultant and mentor to individuals and businesses who needed advice and training on what equipment to acquire and how to use it.
Just over 25 years ago, Mike took a reporter’s position at the Manitoulin West Recorder and two years later joined the staff of The Expositor, initially as a freelance reporter and then as a staff reporter. Publisher Alicia McCutcheon named Mike as associate editor of the paper in 2021, when Tom Sasvari became editor in chief.
This year, Mike’s writing has again had national recognition when the national newspaper association, News Media Canada, awarded his work first prize in two categories: Best National Editorial and Best Feature Story.
The Silver Quill (and Gold Quill) awards are certified and given by this same national body, News Media Canada, on the recommendation of the newspaper’s publisher.
In Mike’s case, the presentation was made last Friday evening, before a gathering of 60 of his peers, by Dave Adsett, president of News Media Canada and publisher of the Fergus- Wellington Advertiser based in Fergus, Ontario.
Mike is also a busy member of his community where he sits in his fourth term as a councillor on the Northeast Town council. He is also the chair of the Little Current Place board, the volunteer master of ceremonies for the Café in the Woods music series, a director/writer and actor with Espanola Little Theatre and coordinator of liturgical music for St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. He also volunteers as a driver for the Manitoulin Country Fest and Rockin’ the Rock music festivals. He is a past volunteer with Manitoulin-North Shore Victims’ Services.
Mike’s current writing awards for national competition through News Media Canada are only the latest such recognitions as he is a multi-award winner with both that organization and also in the OCNA’s annual Better Newspapers Competition.
He has also received accolades from the Royal Canadian Legion and the War Pensioners of Canada.
“It has been both an honour and a privilege to contribute to the work of The Manitoulin Expositor and, before that, the Manitoulin West Recorder, helping to bring the stories of importance to Manitoulin communities to light. On occasion, I have been delighted to be able to make a difference in some people’s lives in a positive way. There are few occupations where people will stop you in the street to tell you how good a job they think you are doing,” Mike observed after receiving the peer recognition.
