‘Pa’ is Polish for ‘bye,’ a farewell typically reserved for family members or good friends.
That is just one of the many facts about Polish culture this reporter learned during four years (2008-12) of working with former Napanee Beaver reporter Dominik Wisniewski. In June, at just 44-years-old, Wisniewski lost his battle with cancer.
More than just a co-worker, Dommie- as he was referred to by us in the editorial department (CP Style be damned, it just wouldn’t feel right to call him anything else)-was a friend and in many ways like a big brother. I was just 21 when I arrived in Napanee in 2008, living on my own for the first time, an hour and a half away from the nearest friend or family member. Dommie was one of the first people I met in town, showing me the ropes of not only the journalism business, but also the town itself. Many times we’d escape the stress of the job by simply going for a cruise in his pride and joy, his bright red lifted Jeep. Each week we’d celebrate putting another edition of the Beaver to bed by going for a ‘victory lunch’, often times to one of his favourite hangouts, The Smiling Wilderness. Dommie had a habit of leaving a week’s worth of writing to deadline day, writing into the wee hours of the morning and often delaying the start of said lunch by feverishly finishing up the latest council report. Though that habit often drove the rest of the news department crazy, there was never any doubt the content was going to be in-depth, well-written and engaging. Dommie had a gift for story telling and an eye for capturing an attention-grabbing front-page photo. He was a valuable resource for a young reporter such as myself and he taught me more than I’ll probably ever realize.
Dommie was ever-dedicated son. I can recall he had standing appointment to call his mom every day, sometime after 10 a.m. The conversation was always in Polish and always ended with the familiar pa, pa! Any weekend he didn’t work meant it was pretty much a given he’d make the five-hour trip from Napanee to London to see his mom, returning to Napanee before dawn Monday morning to arrive for work at 8:30 a.m.
Even after he departed for the Brighton Independent in 2012, he always maintained contact. Often times he’d email me a scoop on a hot Napanee news tip. His dedication to the Lennox and Addington community remained long after he had any professional obligation-he simply wanted to see the paper be the best that it could be.
Several times over the last week I’ve felt the urge to email him after seeing something around town I know he’d get a kick out of, only to have the sudden jarring reminder he’s gone. Way too soon at that.
What I wouldn’t give for just one more victory lunch. Or even just a ridiculous Gmail chat message.
Pa, and RIP old friend.
-Adam Prudhomme