Searchlight brought de Best of SVG

Two more days and we into ah New Year. Some people just can’t wait foh 2023 to go while others like us at Searchlight, not looking forward at all to December 31, 2023, dat’s de day when the resignation of Clare Keizer our Chief Executive Officer/Editor foh de last 18 years takes into effect.

De Records will show dat Clare who officially joined Searchlight’s Staff in June 2005, was among the original Share-holders in 1995 at de inception of de company. Her Mom was Manager/Editor, Wednesday in particular was Production Night, wid all hands on deck wuking round de clock, getting de paper off to B’dos on Thursday morning, foh printing and back on de streets by Friday morning. All dem times, Clare wid her skills was in de Engine Room, ole people would say, she bin dey!

Ah vividly recall at ah Board of Directors Meeting, members breathed ah sigh of relief when Mrs Norma Keizer, de Managing Editor, who clearly had become overwhelmed wid de multi challenges, informed us dat her daughter, Clare was willing to quit her lucrative job as Director of Technology at Discovery Works Ltd to join de Searchlight staff. True to her word, two months after, on June 1, 2005 Clare took on her Goliath challenge.

So what was dis Brave, Bold self-less young woman getting into. Ah former Graduate Teacher at SVG Grammar School, BSc in Computer Science with Physics, MSc in Computer Science and training in Strategic Management and Project Planning.

And what did she meet at dis teeny weeny company dat was managed by her Mother of Blessed Memory, who in her tenure (10 years) had secured a permanent home “Searchlight House” for de company in Kingstown Park. And was also out front wid ah small team comprising Sir Errol, Clare and ah rep from de Barbados Nation laying de ground-work for ah EC$2 million printery, SVG Publishers Inc. officially launched in 2007, printing all three local newspapers.

As CEO/Editor, Clare was highly focused on training in journalism for media persons and not just for Searchlight Staff. On several occasions she secured funding (UNESCO et al) for training programs, including ‘Online Journalism’ for Vincentian journalists. Yes there was passion for technological innovations, training in multimedia journalism with fully equipped video unit. There is now a Searchlight’s news website, an e-commerce site (which allows customers to pay for advertisements, digital subscriptions and other products and services online). There is de Searchlight e-paper, the Searchlight App, Social Media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube).

In 2010 there was the introduction of a Midweek edition of de Searchlight Paper both Online and Print editions, but Ads were insufficient to support de publication, and de Midweek is now only available Online.

Searchlight is not lacking in its Social Outreach Mission. High on de list is de Norma Keizer Scholarship Foundation established in 2015 to mark the company’s 20th  anniversary, and to honour the company’s first editor. To date, the Norma Keizer Scholarship Foundation has awarded 42 secondary and post-secondary education scholarships and bursaries.

And last but not least, my fair-foh-it is the “Best of SVG” a people’s choice awards which seeks to recognize the best products and services in SVG. It encourages professionalism in de productive sectors. Another of Clare’s babies dat she brought back after ah Media Conference she attended in de USA. It was held in 2017, 2018, 2020. A very productive Track Record.

So on de behalf of de members of de Board of Directors whose support I have as We all say: “Thank You, foh you self-less contribution,” We wish you every Success, Best of Well’t and Hell’t in yur future endeavours. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

• Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.