THIS WEEK sees the 1500th edition of the British Weekly. Although this newspaper would prefer to write about others making the news, out of gratitude to our readers and advertisers we cannot let such a milestone pass unmentioned.
The exact starting date of the paper is obscured by the mists of time, but with a little guesswork and by pulling out our abacus we estimate the first edition of the paper popped off the printing press in November 1984. The British Weekly was founded in Santa Monica by Ian Brodie, a maverick Welshman, sometime builder and ardent Thatcherite. In those days the paper was run out of a glorified broom closet on 14th and Pico, before later moving to more salubrious offices on 4th Street, which moved Ian closer to his beloved King’s Head. But after five years as a publisher Ian was tempted by the opportunities then to be found in the French real estate market and in the summer of 1989 Ian sold the paper to Mark Whittet of Glasgow, who discovered, a little belatedly, that his fiancée didn’t share his enthusiasm for a new life in California.
Which is where the current proprietor, yours truly, came in. I bought the paper in March of 1990 at which time it was something of a distressed property. The first edition with myself at the helm was edition #278, published on Sunday, March 28th, 1990. Almost 24 years later, I’m still here. Still enjoying the challenge of a weekly deadline, still relishing writing about the news, and still savoring being a part of such a dynamic and inventive expat community. Southern California and its British population has changed enormously of course – and Santa Monica in particular, and let’s not forget a little invention called the internet, which has posed a whole new set of challenges for those of us who enjoy being in the newspaper industry and simply cannot imagine doing anything else.
Which brings us neatly to the main purpose of this editorial, thanking our incredibly loyal readers, and our remarkable advertisers – most notably Ye Olde King’s Head, The Hare and the Hounds, Steven Landaal, The Olde Ship, The British Grocer, Ally Bolour, Jolly Good and the Robin Hood, not to mention countless other advertisers, many of whom graced these pages for years, who have made this newspaper possible for the past three decades. If you enjoy reading the paper, please give these businesses your custom in return.
On a personal note, I would like to thank all the contributors, past and present, whose hard work and dedication have provided plenty of lively and unique content each week, especially Andy Bairden, Alan Shadrake, Annie Shaw, Gabrielle Pantera, Sean Borg, Eileen Lee and Craig Bobby Young. And thanks lastly to our tireless distribution and legal notice manager, Mirelle Woolf.
Coming towards the end of another year we look forward to the challenges ahead with confidence and excitement. It’s been a great ride so far. Let’s hope we can all move forward together, in 2014 and beyond.
Neil Fletcher
Publisher and Managing Editor.
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