Twenty Years & Counting, On & Online

Last August I stopped at the Bradner Store to pick up a copy of The Bradner Barker. Having been born and raised in Bradner I witnessed its beginning and vividly remember the newspaper that a few members of the Bradner PAC started over 20 years ago.

I remember the great way in which it increased community communication and connection. The Barker was a staple in our home and the latest version was eagerly anticipated. As children, my siblings and I would first leaf through quickly to see how many new pictures of familiar people (or animals) we could find. It brought a sense of happiness, pride in our community and fame to our little world! As we moved through each grade at Bradner Elementary and on to Rick Hansen Secondary, the Barker was our source for news and events within our corner of Abbotsford. 

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After I completed a few years at the University of the Fraser Valley, I moved to Naramata BC. Located in the South Okanagan - directly across Okanagan Lake from Summerland. I found many similarities between Naramata and Bradner. Both communities have a large agricultural industry, one church, one elementary school, one store and both communities celebrate the traditional May Day. It was easy to settle into Naramata community life. If I needed any information about programs, events or even the garbage/recycling/yardwaste schedule or latest community news I visited mynaramata.com with my iPad, smart phone or computer. It was like having a treasure trove of information at my fingertips - convenient, recent and accessible. I could write and submit my own articles, classifieds and comment on others. The whole community supported and contributed to the publication. It wasn't long before it became the home page of every residents web browser.

That August day, I needed the classifieds section and when Leo handed me a copy of the Barker he told me that this was the last copy. First, I thought that I was lucky to get the last available copy that month, but the frontage article read Twenty Years & Counting, Down & Out. I skimmed the article and the second last paragraph described the hopes that someone would carry the Bradner Barker forward. I picked up my phone immediately! Being a technical writer, I have strong writing skills combined with technical capabilities, like building and designing websites from scratch and knowledge in software and program compatibilities. Although my strong point is formal writing - like grant applications, policy, manuals and reports. Offering to re-build the Bradner Barker online was a perfect fit for me. This platform is more readily available to readers across the world and articles are contained within one database to be enjoyed for years after their publication date. Sponsors benefit also, as their advertisement images will directly link to their website. 

I hope the whole community of Bradner will take pride in, support this publication and submit articles and community news with the contact form fields available. Community members can even upload pictures files with their article submissions. If anyone wishes to print an article posted on bradnerbarker.com they can simply print it out using their personal computer. The Bradner Barker may also be viewed using a smart phone or tablet - great gift idea for those folks who seem to have everything already! Together we can contribute to the Barker's success and as the new editor of this publication, I thank each and every one of you in advance for all support and contributions.