Norm Park, now semi-retired, has been involved in the news and sports gathering business for more than 50 years.
Born and raised in small-town Saskatchewan, he moved to southern Ontario after high school, having completed some post-secondary courses. There, he worked as a junior reporter and photographer for The Trentonian, a tri-weekly newspaper in Trenton, Ont., home to the RCAF’s CFB Transport and Repair Command.
Park was promoted to sports editor, a position he held for three years before transferring to Port of Spain, Trinidad. However, corporate employment conditions had changed, and he found himself without a newspaper position. Instead, he took on several temporary jobs for nearly a year before returning to Saskatchewan, where he joined The Estevan Mercury under publisher George Derksen.
Seven years later, he accepted a position as city editor at the Prince Albert Daily Herald for a brief time before becoming a co-owner and publisher of the Wynyard Advance in his hometown, along with two other weekly newspapers. That venture lasted about seven years before Park and his wife, Janet, returned to Estevan, where he resumed his career at The Mercury.
Park has had a full career in reportage, photography, editing and overall news coverage. He was named the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association’s Columnist of the Year four times and has won several other awards for feature writing, photography, and his coverage of civic, educational, social and health-related issues.
His career has been filled with excitement, with opportunities to interview celebrities, politicians and sports heroes, along with the daily challenge of covering breaking news.
Park is currently engaged part time as a contracted reporter for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division and is also associated with SaskToday.
