Today is my birthday. Let the fanfare begin.
I’m just kidding, I’m not one for a bunch of hoopla and attention. But I figured today would be a good day – albeit long overdue – to officially introduce myself, especially for those I may not have had the pleasure of meeting just yet, but who may take the time to read some of my words every week.
Having been a West Shore resident for a little more than two years, I’m starting to get a handle on what makes other residents tick and some of the issues that really hit home.
I grew up playing hockey, so I have spent my fair share of time inside West Shore arenas.
I’m proud to say my experience of the area has certainly grown past those facilities, although The Q Centre will always hold a special place in my heart.
I have fallen in love with all the West Shore has to offer and not just in terms of a clean sheet of ice.
Before moving to the West Shore, I spent four years living in Toronto, getting my bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ryerson University and graduating with honours. While there I worked for a number of publications, including Chatelaine magazine.
Although, it’s nice to get a little snow once in a while, Toronto wasn’t for me in the long run, so I packed up my things and headed back to the Island.
I bounced around a little on my return, trying my hand at a few different things while desperately trying to get back into the journalism industry.
Eventually I landed on the West Shore because of its affordable housing market and proximity to just about everything, including the in-laws.
At the time I was commuting to North Saanich for work, so I know the pain many of you feel, while sitting in the Colwood crawl every morning.
I can’t say I miss it now that my commute is about 10 minutes into the Gazette’s Langford office.
I’ve been working here for the past eight months, but many of you may not know I got my start with Black Press at the Peninsula News Review in Sidney when I was 14, working as a student reporter one summer.
Just like back then, I’m sure a few of you are wondering how the heck to say my last name when you see my byline in the paper. It’s pronounced ING-quest – yes, it’s spelt with a ‘qv’ instead of a ‘qu’ – and it’s Swedish.
That heritage has played a large role in my life. It has also inspired a travel bug that was triggered by trips to Europe as a child and has grown into a list of 21 countries visited, with more planned for next year.
While I have been attacked by a macaw parrot in Costa Rica, hiked a portion of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, and played drums with children in South Sudan, I find that need to travel is never fully satisfied.
I believe that need is also what led me into a career as a journalist. When I travel, I love soaking up the culture, trying new experiences and most importantly, hearing people’s stories.
Last year I was on a train from Edinburgh to London, when a man across the aisle struck up a conversation after noticing a maple leaf on my shirt.
Long story short, the man had come to Canada as a young boy with his family after his father served in the Second World War.
The man, his hair turned grey with time, lived in a few places before landing in Victoria, where he remembered living at 1010 Foul Bay Rd.
Yes, he still remembers the address to this day.
It’s those kinds of stories I want to share and it’s your stories that I want to write. I look forward to getting to know you and other West Shore residents better in the years to come.
Katherine Engqvist, known to most of us as “Katie,” is a journalist with the Goldstream News Gazette.