By Chris Evans
If anyone had told 16-year-old me I’d end up writing match reports on our local football team in Didim, I’d have laughed at them. Secretly, though, it had been a dream since childhood.
I grew up wanting to be a journalist. I turned to the dark side when I left university as PR was far better paid and allowed me to travel the world. It’s a career I’ve loved. I’ve met amazing people and have too many stories for just one book. It’s been a wonderful first chapter of my life.
The unfulfilled dream of writing for a newspaper has always been an itch. It’s not as though I’ve never written for newspapers and magazines. I’ve had a career in PR. It’s been my life. I gave up counting how many times I’ve written articles or news stories for clients long ago. Yet, the itch still needed scratching.
Two and a half years ago I had my PR hat on and contacted Voices to ask if they’d be interested in the story announcing the publication of my first book, It’s A Stray Dog’s Life. Obviously, there was interest. So much so I still have the framed front cover of that edition hanging on my living room wall. Who knew that interaction would lead to my childhood dreams coming true?
A year later, I was asked if I’d write a piece on Sagtur. I wasn’t convinced I was the right person to do so. More fool me. It was the correct thing to do, and it relit the spark in me I thought I’d lost.
Little did I know at the time, but the caretta caretta laying their eggs on Sagtur beach would keep me writing articles for Voices. I was amazed by how many of our readers followed the story of the eggs hatching. The numbers who came to the beach that I ended up meeting and chatting to made it a very special summer. I loved every moment. The childhood dream was coming true.
This year started with a BIM opening in Sagtur. It needed reporting for the paper and having an early start with a camera around my neck and a notepad in hand. I’d crossed into the realms of being a proper journalist as I’d now covered a supermarket opening. A cat stuck up a tree would have been a suitable follow-up.
Since then I’ve been given a regular home on page four of Voices. I’ve written about everything from UK banks to pensions, from residence permits to a trip on a party boat.
I even got to share our new football team’s news with my Watford supporting friends. The help from two sports editors in Watford and the Middle East has been wonderful and meant the world.
I wish I’d been able to get advice from the sorely missed Glenn Maffia. Many of you have told me stories about him. I hope he knew how loved and respected he was. I certainly miss his insight into the history of Apollon Temple and our lovely town.
The column has led to me meeting so many wonderful people and made this summer even better than last. Switching sides, as it were, has been everything I’d dreamed of as a child.
I can never say thank you enough to Hasan, Andy, Deniz, Jan, and everyone in the Voices and Reality World offices. It felt incredibly easy to write the column as I was given so much support. It felt like being part of an amazing family. It’s why Voices has lasted for so many years. It’s an integral part of our community.
Our new football club has also been amazing. It even hosted me for a game so I could get photos and understand more about what they see as the bigger picture since it moved here. An experience I never thought I’d have. I wish they’d stop changing the strip, though. I spend the first few minutes of every game trying to work out which team is which!
The most important thank you goes to our readers. The amount of you I’ve met and have said such kind things about the newspaper has had me close to tears more than once. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.
A huge amount of work goes into producing a weekly printed newspaper, especially as we are volunteers with a passion for writing. Even the winter months, where we’re only on the website and social media, are time-consuming. Every second is worthwhile when we see our readers enjoying what we offer.
As the winter months set in and I focus on writing my fifth book, it’s time for a gratuitous plug. I write books under the pseudonym Maximilian Sam. The name comes from my two wonderful nephews, Sam and Max. It’s a part of my life that’s become far bigger than I ever expected. So, if you’re looking for something to read over the winter months, pop over to Amazon and you’ll find all my books.
I’m still going to be reporting on our football team throughout the winter, but for now, it’s time to sign off from the printed editions and wish you all the very best until we return next year for what is a very special anniversary for Voices.