End of an era as Portadown journalist retires

After penning millions of words, Victor wrote in this week’s Times: I announced my retirement on Facebook on Tuesday and am overwhelmed that there were well over 300 reactions by bedtime (and counting) and I thank everyone who went to the bother of commenting, with compliments I don’t really warrant!

And thanks so much to my vast network of contacts who kept me informed both on and off the record. We had an inside track to so many happenings, not least the rise and fall of David Trimble. Our biggest scoop there was the fact that he’d be elevated to leader of UUP, and we predicted that David Simpson would ‘take him’ with the collapse of the Ulster Unionists. Momentous times.

But fear not, the plethora of ‘moles’ who kept the information flowing! I take the secrets into retirement and they will remain secrets.

Finally, I thank the officers and staff of Portadown 2000, who have accommodated me over the past three or four years – since the company closed the 
Portadown office and moved out to Carn.

As a freelance, I disagreed with the move and have stayed in town, in their Millennium County HQ in William Street, courtesy of staunch Portadown man Brian Walker, chairman of Portadown 2000.

Thank you to the staff – especially administrator Loretta Creaney - who have looked after me so well and whom I have added to my wide circles of friends.

Farewell, dear readers, for now. But I have one or two irons in the fire – and will return to the written word!

Read full report in this week’s edition of the Portadown Times