ROBERT MURRAY
“I am proud of giving a voice to local sports groups in the region to share their success stories at different stages of their growth.”
Many of the people on this list, when asked why they thought we were here, spoke of the various components of their life that they feel reflected well on them. There were only a couple of people single-minded enough to identify only one overarching thing that they did. Rob Murray, sportswriter and photographer for the Fort McMurray Today, was one of them.
In many industries, Fort McMurray is seen as a training ground. The RCMP know their officers will see a varied slice of life up here, as will medical staff, social workers, social profit workers and many others who serve the community. YMM is a microcosm of society and the experiences here cover a wide and expansive range. Rob knew that, and his mission was to give a voice to the local community. In his 50 months in this community as the sports guy, it is likely that he saw more, photographed more, and wrote more than anyone else over a similar period of time. If there was a game in town, Rob saw it and wrote about it. If there was an event that involved sports and the community, he covered it, and if you looked around at a sporting event and Rob wasn’t there, you could safely bet that there was another game clashing time-wise.
Rob embodied the spirit of YMM more than most. He came here willing to learn and to take all opportunities available. He had studied, at various times, welding, accounting and history. By his own admission when he arrived here, his photographic skills were rudimentary, and he lacked experience in the kind of hurried work he was forced to do to cover everything. By the time he left, his writing was chiseled and powerful, and his photography was heading towards award-winning. Seven days a week, Robert William MacDonald Murray told the story of this town. We will miss him now that he has moved on.
We asked him what was the best thing about YMM and Rob said, “The diversity of the community and the many different pathways to success.” We think you proved your case, Rob.
