THE end of an era was marked at the Impartial Reporter recently when one of its much-loved and highly regarded members of staff, Lily Dane, stepped down from her role as a senior journalist.
With a career spanning almost 30 years, between her and her late father, former Impartial Reporter editor, Mervyn Dane, they achieved over 70 years of unbroken service to the weekly newspaper on East Bridge Street - an achievement which Lily feels immensely proud of.
Reflecting on her time with the Impartial Reporter Lily says her career move into the PR world not only marks the end of an era for the Dane family and its connections with the newspaper, but “the beginning of a new journey” for her personally.
“My father Mervyn, joined the staff in the 1940s and remained until his retirement in 1994 - having been a journalist for over 50 years,” she said, “I joined The Impartial staff in 1990 and went on to notch up over 27 years service. There still remains a family link as my niece Jessica Campbell, Mervyn’s granddaughter, writes a column for the newspaper.”
The youngest daughter of Betty Dane and the late Mervyn, Lily said she was privileged to have the opportunity to work alongside her late father for four years between 1990 to 1994, but added that her connection to the Impartial dates back to her childhood.
“Over the years I was a regular visitor to the East Bridge Street offices and it was always my ambition to be a reporter.
“A former pupil of the Collegiate Grammar School, I took summer jobs in The Impartial in my latter years at the Collegiate. I did proofreading, helped out where I was needed, and I also wrote articles as a junior reporter - reporting on such events as the annual Lady of the Lake Festival in Irvinestown.”
In 1984, Lily studied at Queen’s University in Belfast, where she attained a Bachelor of Social Science Honours degree in Psychology.
She subsequently spent three years working as a journalist in the News Letter in Belfast and gained invaluable experience from her then News Editors. 
“In April 1990 I returned to my native Fermanagh to take up a position at The Impartial.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at The Impartial, where over the years I covered everything from Royal and US Presidential visits to the annual agricultural shows.
“I enjoyed writing all manner of stories and features and memorable outings include boat trips on Lough Erne to visit the last islanders to inhabit some of its islands.
“I reported on both happy and sad occasions and I developed strong relationships and enjoyed building contacts within this community, the people of which I hold in high regard.”
Following the retirement of her father, a talented reporter and feature writer, Lily took on the responsibilities of compiling the Mainly About People and Looking Back columns and obituary writing, fulfilling these alongside her other weekly reporting duties.
“I greatly value the people I have worked with, including colleagues past and present, and I wish to acknowledge the great leadership given by the current Editor Sarah Saunderson and her predecessor Denzil McDaniel and of course before that my father Mervyn, all of whom I enjoyed working with,” said Lily.
“There is a great team at The Impartial Reporter, across all disciplines, and I wish to pay tribute to them all. I regard the staff as one big family and this has always been the case - stemming from the days of the Trimble family. “I am also very appreciative of my own supportive family - my husband Keith, daughters Carla and Holly, son James and the wider Dane and Nixon families.
“Very much a people person and very keen on writing, I plan to continue my passion for writing with the launch - as we speak - of my own enterprise, Lily Dane PR and Writing Services on www.lilydanepr.com.”