NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – For the past 22 years Sid Stewart has been the maintenance man and jack of all trades at The News.
When he started with the paper it was still called The Evening News. It had its own darkroom and composing department and each day’s paper was printed on the premises at 352 East River Rd.
“I’ve seen a lot of change. I’ve certainly put up and taken down quite a few walls through the years,” said Stewart, 75, who is currently helping to move The News into rental space in one corner of the recently sold building.
Coming to work for The News was not Stewart’s first contact with the newspaper business. Growing up in Westville, in a family of four children, he had paper routes from the age of eight.
“I delivered the Chronicle Herald to about 30 customers every morning and after school I delivered the same number of copies of The Evening News to mostly the same customers. I did that until I was 15.”
He used the first money he saved to buy a gas lawnmower and lined up customers.
“I was always happy to be working and getting something done. I’ve only had one job interview in my life but I’ve always had work.”
Stewart’s father worked in the Drummond and McBean mines and while he liked the camaraderie of the mine, he made his two sons promise they would never go down in the pit.
“Before the mines ran out we had it drilled into us that we had to find another line of work. After a few odd jobs, including delivering milk and pumping gas and whatever I could find, I went with my uncle doing construction. In those days there was no trade school so you went with somebody and learned on the job.”
Stewart said his uncle was a good teacher and he quickly taught him the basics of construction and the importance of being economical on the job.
“It was a different business back then, not so many different trades involved and no building inspector. You learned to be jack of all trades or you didn’t last. You also learned pretty quick not to waste anything. You didn’t ever cut a few feet of trim before considering what would be left over and how you could use it.”
His uncle had no children and took a special interest in Stewart.
“When I was young he’d take me to my Cub banquets and later on he took me on hunting and fishing trips so I was always learning from him.”
He remembered a particular piece of advice handed down.
“He told me when you are doing a job for a husband and wife, the husband may tell you one thing and the wife may tell you another. He said you always do what the wife wants because if you don’t, you’re going to have to do it twice. As far as I know, that’s still true.”
The downfall to construction was that it was mostly seasonal in those times so he went on to work at Alma Cabinetry and briefly at Michelin, leaving the latter because he hated shift work.
Stewart spent 20 years working as a janitor in various schools including Church Street, Walter Duggan, Scotsburn and Northumberland Regional High School. For some of those years he went to a second job after finishing up at the schools.
“My wife Anne and I started Stewart’s Janitorial Services and had a few clients that we’d go to late at night or on the weekends. I didn’t go to work at the schools until the afternoon so working late at night didn’t bother me.”
These days one of their bigger jobs is an annual visit to the deCoste Centre to shampoo the carpets and and strip and wax the lobby floors.
“The deCoste is a beautiful building and it brings so many good shows to the area. I like to see it looking its best, with a real shine on the floors,” said Stewart.
For 20 years, Stewart was an active member of the Westville fire department and he has nothing but praise for the organization.
“Anything that goes on in Westville, the fire department is involved and doing a good job.”
When he started at The News it was to do weekend maintenance and he later added janitorial services.
“I started in New Glasgow but after a few years I was doing work in Truro, Amherst, Springhill and Sackville, N.B., so I’ve been in a lot of newspaper offices. Sometimes it was a problem like a leaky roof or having to replace a window. Other times times it was trucking equipment or creating new space in an office or setting up a new office at another location.”
When the Halifax Daily News closed he took a crew from New Glasgow to dismantle the office space and move furnishings to other papers and into storage. One of his most memorable jobs was working with contractors to dismantle the presses in New Glasgow and Truro.
“I’ve enjoyed working at The News. I like being around people and they are all friendly people. They’ve used me well over the years.”
Former publisher and current SaltWire vice-president Richard Russell said Stewart has always been a phone call away.
“Sid’s always been very reliable, very willing to take on anything he was asked. If a problem came along that he couldn’t fix, and there were not too many of them, he’d find somebody who could. He’s always been very well regarded at The News.”
Rosalie MacEachern is a Stellarton resident and freelance writer. She seeks out people who work behind the scenes on hobbies or jobs that they love the most. If you know someone you think she should profile in an upcoming article, she can be reached at [email protected]
