EVERY second Wednesday, you will find Mac Cott casting a critical eye over Wingecarribee’s elected councillors as they work through the council agenda.
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Mac sits at the media desk, a spot he has occupied for decades, guiding younger journalists through the job.
Mac has seen the rise and fall of dozens of mayors and MPs.
He has written with delight of their mistakes and celebrated whenever they got it right.
And at each council meeting, Mac is still writing and observing whatever is said and done among those gathered in the “Star Chamber”.
And, sure enough, his column appears every Friday in the Southern Highland News – right opposite the letters page.
The column – Out of Context – is full of dry wit and in-jokes, but rarely misses the mark.
Mac was appointed in 1958 as founding editor of the News.
Now, he trades in opinion, just like those whose words fill the page next to his, but Mac’s experience sets him apart from other commentators.
“My column,” Mac said, “is the product of 50-odd years of column writing.”
He bursts with pride at the mention of establishing the News 52 years ago.
“I’m particularly proud of the fact we started one of the first subscription newspapers in NSW,” Mac said.
Two years to the day after opening in Mittagong, Mac and News proprietor Colin Lord shifted the operation to the Bowral office, where it remains today.
“I feel my greatest achievement is the young people I have been able to open the door for,” Mac said.
Some of those young people have included author Ian McPhedran, the son of Mac’s great friend, Colin, who died in Perth earlier this year.
Another was former Wingecarribee Councillor Jo Gash.
Ms Gash – now Federal MP for Gilmore – said Mac had an enormous influence on her life.
“He shaped my life and my career,” she said. “He is a man among men.”
Ms Gash said her favourite memory of Mac was his application of fairness in business and life.
“He gives women a go,” she said. “Just about all his staff were women.”
Mac and Colin McPhedran were mentioned in Ms Gash’s maiden Parliamentary address.
“I felt very honoured, as Colin did,” he said.
Mac became an employee of Rural Press, now a division of Fairfax, in 1998 and officially retired two years later.
“And we had a great knees-up,” he chuckled.
In 1997, Country Press recognised Mac with the Sommerlad Award for column writing.
He was Wingecarribee Shire Citizen of the Year in 1985.
“Some people said I only got the award for doing my job,” he said. “But I did it 24-hours a day.”
The Southern Highland News was a community paper, so Mac made sure it stayed part of the community.
“My whole mantra was, ‘I’m here for the community,” he said. “If I were to be remembered by the community in any way, its for caring about the community.”
Mac is still saddened when he recalls the death of Colin McPhedran.
“The community is poorer for his passing,” he said. “Old men disappear without a trace, as I will, but Col was still contributing to the community.”
For Mac, the Southern Highlands still comes first.
“There is nothing to beat a brisk Highlands morning,” he said.
In his time at the News, Mac’s favourite sparring partner was “Peerless” Peter Reynolds, who served on Wingecarribee Council between 1983-2004.
“He didn’t like that name very much,” Mac said.
When Colin Lord approached Mac to found the News, young Mac could not have fathomed the 40-odd years to come.
“It was mid-June,” he said. “A stinking cold, blustery day and I was lying on my back fixing a truck when Colin pulled up and offered me an opportunity.”
In 2010, Mac’s column still keeps the letters coming.
