Patryce Salmon, a young lady going places
The Helensville Community News was approached by Patryce because she wants to become an investigative journalist. With such ambition, and at the young age of 11, she realised she needed to gain experience with an existing publication before moving into this type of writing.
Patryce sent an email to the paper via the Community News website which opened with “My name is Patryce Salmon, and I am an11-year-old journalist.” With such an intriguing opening there was no choice but to follow up and arrange to meet Patryce.
It is clear that Patryce is a bold and confident young lady, “I wasn’t really expecting a reply, but when I got one, I thought I had better tell my Mum,” she said. On meeting Patryce and her mother it became obvious that a young person with such focused ambition, such a clear plan for their future and such a strong work ethic deserves any assistance the paper can provide.
Raised in Parakai and attending Helensville Primary School, Patryce is a familiar face to many people in the area. A natural performer, Patryce is involved in the Pasifika group at her school. She also enjoys drawing, science and crafts, but writing is her great ambition.
It was at Helensville Primary School that she first discovered her passion for writing. “My
teachers don’t always like my subject matter, but they always tell me my stories, articles and essays are well written.” After persuading her teacher she was able to write, she was allowed to write and publish her very own class newspaper, which she called ‘The Lavender Street Chronicle’. She has since been asked to contribute to the Helensville School Newsletter next year. Now, because of that email, she has been given the opportunity to write for the Helensville Community News.
In 2018, Patryce came across the story of Hilde Lysiak, an American journalist as young
and ambitious as herself. Hilde, born November 2006, is an American journalist who has published the Orange Street News, a local newspaper in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania since 2014 and in Patagonia, Arizona since 2019. She is the youngest member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Patryce has big dreams of writing for and illustrating her own news website one day.
We’re delighted to be able to give Patryce her first reporting assignment for our February issue, and look forward to working with her.
