Opinion with outgoing Geraldton Guardian reporter Fraser Williams: Geraldton proved sport rules above all

It’s hard to believe that 19 months has come and gone in Geraldton, but as I prepare to move back home I reminisce on my time living here. Coming from a family that was born and bred in Bunbury, I was raised in Perth (aside from three years in Goomalling that I was too young to remember) so living in the heart of the metro area is all that I have known. I have spent plenty of time in and around the regional areas of WA, but had never called anywhere but Perth home, until I made the bold choice to move to Geraldton — a place I had only ever driven through — all by myself. Becoming a sports reporter is the reason I chose this line of work, and when given the opportunity to do it at the Guardian I grabbed it with both hands and never looked back. I was always told how passionate people were about sports in the regions, but you have to see it firsthand to really understand how much it means to people. Suddenly it felt like more eyes were on my work going into sport, with plenty of people reading the paper back to front. My stories carried more weight, but I saw with sport more than any other section, that the more effort I put in the more that people appreciated my work. Although there was the odd few that weren’t massive fans of the work I did. However, fast forward to the final GNFL match I would report on, and as I watched the entire Chapman Valley community sing the team song together in one big huddle after the league side won their first flag in 32 years, it brought me a moment of clarity. I let go of any lasting anguish or resentment over someone leaving a comment attacking my work, having a go at me over a story or telling me how I am doing my job wrong, because a lot of the time it came from a place of passion. People in the regions carry such a passion and foster a sense of community that I will miss back in Perth. There are fans who never miss a game of footy, netball or basketball from their favourite club and the local athletes are treated like rockstars. Buccaneers home games were a shining example of the passion, with Perth teams dreading the crowd at Activewest Stadium. The way that people will give their time every week to volunteer for their teams is something that a Perth club would kill for. But there are countless stories here of people committing hours every week for their clubs. I would like to thank every coach or player who was happy to have a chat and gave me full access with honest answers, a luxury that will be hard to come by back in Perth. While I am excited to move back home to be with my family and all my friends that I missed seeing on a regular basis, I will miss living right next to the beach and the freedom the Geraldton lifestyle provided. And my ego will miss the rare occasion when a stranger would recognise me (usually by name) in public.