Advertiser columnist Kelly Waterhouse has been named the 2013 Humour Columnist of the Year by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association.
The award was presented on April 4 at the OCNA Better Newspaper Competition awards gala in Vaughan.
Waterhouse, whose Write Out of Her Mind column has appeared in the Advertiser since 2009, beat out 19 entries from across the province, including fellow finalists Bernie O’Neill of the Markham Economist and Sun and Jeff Morris of the Manotick Messenger.
Judge Jackie Jardine of Nova Scotia was taken by Waterhouse’s light tone and humorous approach to the everyday.
“I literally laughed out loud at [Write Out of Her Mind]… it was like having a conversation with an old friend over a cup of tea,” Jardine said. “I could imagine readers turning to her column for a bit of levity after a long day.”
For Waterhouse, who says her column is simply an excuse to find the positive in her daily life, the win came as a pleasant surprise, but she is thrilled to know her “ramble” has had such an impact.
“I am sincerely amazed that people connect with it, and I think that is the reason I keep going,” Waterhouse reflected. “If it makes someone laugh or cry, or feel anything at all, then we realize we are all connected and isn’t that the point?”
Over its five-year span, Waterhouse’s column has become a popular feature of the Newspaper and has gained many fans throughout the county, says Advertiser editor Chris Daponte.
“Writing a column that transcends gender and age demographics is no easy task, but Kelly seems to pull it off with relative ease,” said Daponte.
“Her honesty and witty, self-deprecating style has been widely embraced by readers … and her column has become an integral part of the Newspaper.”
The feeling is mutual, says Waterhouse.
“I am [grateful] to this Newspaper, for giving me a forum to write in and trusting me to represent them every week,” she said. “They never know what I’m going to say, and they give me free reign to say it. What an honour.”
Waterhouse also wished to thank her family for their constant support.
“I am grateful to the Carpenter, who is my biggest fan and the best sport. Not many spouses would endure the public spectacle I’ve made of our intimate life and he never regrets a thing I’ve said. He is remarkable,” she says.
“And [I’m grateful to] our two children, who have years of columns to take to their therapists one day and say, ‘Here, look at what she did to us!’”
The Advertiser also finished in third place in the Best Editorial (circulation over 10,000) category at the OCNA Better Newspaper Competition.
