STAR turns 25!

Twenty-five years ago the first edition of the St Lucia STAR landed on local newsstands. It has been quite a journey for the STAR Publishing Company Limited, replete with daunting challenges, proud achievements and not a few history-making episodes.
In celebration of this milestone, officially marked on May 14 this year, this weekend’s readers will notice a difference in our front page header: The silver coin symbolizes this landmark achievement of which we are all understandably proud.
Husband and wife team Rick and Mae Wayne are justly proud to have spearheaded this initiative that has seen the establishment of the STAR as one of our region’s top printers and publishers.
For editor-in-chief Rick Wayne, twenty-five years of “Bringing the Truth to Light” has been no walk in the park, although rewarding on several fronts.
“We have from day one been a prime target for politicians, regardless of stripe,” he says, “especially those that would’ve preferred us to conceal their dirty laundry, not expose it to public scrutiny. The STAR has from the beginning insisted on bringing to light the validated truth. In the process, we have made both enemies and friends, some of whom never expected the STAR to turn the spotlight of truth on their activities. More than once we’ve been forced to defend in court the people’s right to know the verifiable truth, not what politicians would’ve preferred them to believe instead. Our work continues to be an uphill battle, especially difficult in an environment that continues to trust politicians more than is good for them. Nevertheless, we are proud of how far local journalism has traveled since our arrival in 1987.”
For her part, Mae Wayne spoke passionately about the company’s achievements in the field of printing and publishing: “We pride ourselves on innovation. Looking back over the last 25 years, it is obvious that we’ve not been afraid to embrace new technologies in the best interests of our clients. Especially in these economically difficult times, we are grateful for their continuing support as we take this opportunity to express yet again our immeasurable gratitude to all who have stood by us, even when their views have not coincided with those of the STAR.”
Beginning in July, and to mark our 25th anniversary, the STAR will roll out a calendar of events underscoring our close involvement with our esteemed advertisers, readers, contributors and loyal office personnel, without whom we might never have lasted half as long as we have. We will also release a special commemorative issue of the STAR that is destined to be a collector’s item for history buffs in particular and for regular Saint Lucians at home and abroad. Stay tuned!