JAMES Murphy joined The Border Watch sports department team at the beginning of 2017, fresh out of school and with no past experience of full-time employment.
Having finished his secondary education at Grant High School, James had few ideas on what profession he would like to pursue now that he was no longer bound by the everyday school routine.
That was until he stumbled upon a job advertisement – printed in the paper he now helps fill with content – and with encouragement from family, friends and his English teacher, an application was made.
Now a third-year sports cadet, James can be found throughout the year at the various sporting grounds of the region with camera in hand most weekends.
During the week James churns through results from the weekend’s games, while also writing match reports for the variety of sports covered by The Border Watch, along with any other stories sports editor Trevor Jackson throws his way.
Before starting on the job, James had never held a “professional” camera, let alone used one to take action photographs, where there is often a fraction of a second between a good shot and one that is out of focus or too late to capture the moment.
However, with plenty of pointers and on-the-job practice, James soon began supplying sport images of a high standard.
James’ first experience taking football photographs was at the Port Adelaide versus Richmond JLT Series clash hosted at Malseed Park in 2017, which saw him start at the top level of the game.
This “nerve racking” experience was one he will never forget.
“I really had no idea what I wanted to do once I finished school, but always enjoyed both writing and sport,” James said.
“This job has worked out well for me and I have become more confident in the job as I continue to learn and enjoy the role.”
Born and raised in the South East, James lived in Casterton until he was four, where he then settled with his family in Worrolong, on the outskirts of Mount Gambier.
The opportunity provided by The Border Watch to be employed locally is one he is grateful for and writing about people and teams from his own community adds a personal element to each story.
In addition to his cadetship, which will see him become a qualified journalist at the beginning of next year, The Border Watch has also enrolled James in a post-cadet journalism course through Deakin University, which will provide him with a further qualification and knowledge of the trade.
That has seen James excel in the early stages, receiving a high distinction for the first year of the course.
Keep an eye out for James at sports fields around the region and his pictures in the pages of The Border Watch Newsgroup newspapers.
He can be contacted at james@tbw.com.au for any sports related news tips.
