Send out, Salient, the swift satiric point,
To smart the sluggard mind awake,
While Freedom anywhere in bonds is pent
No compromise with falseness make.
Those freed today tomorrow forth must leap
Some further outpost there to take and keep.
Salient, Vol 1, No. 1 March 1938
Salient is 72. Actually, we turned 72 a week ago, but we’re only just getting around to giving ourselves a big pat on the back this week. We even have mini chocolate birthday cakes and a cat balloon. Happy birthday to us!
This week I’ve had the pleasure of talking to a former editor from the early 70s about his time at the helm of the good ship Salient. It’s pretty clear that some things at this magazine never change. The letters pages are still the most-read pages in the mag. There are still huge numbers of people who want to write and get involved. We still have a small office with lots of people in it. In fact, as I write this on Thursday production night, there are 15 people working/writing/eating/lurking around the office. We don’t have a lot of space in our current abode so it’s quite cosy. There are also the remnants of the weekly Hell Pizza order on the floor. I might get someone to clean that up. Then again, the Salient office has never been renowned for its cleanliness.
This week’s issue is a sort of ode to all those Salienteers who have gone before us—all the editors, writers, designers, sub-editors, mentors, friends and hangers-on who have made Salient the magazine it is today. Each year a new team builds on the legacy left by those who have gone before. It’s almost a frightening prospect, knowing that you are part of such a colourful and influential history. But each and every person who has ever contributed anything to Salient is part of that history, no matter how small, and should be proud to be part of that legacy.
If you’ve been thinking about contributing to Salient, hurry up and come and visit us in the office! We’re on level two of the Student Union Building. We don’t bite and sometimes we even have treats. You will meet awesome people, you will have fun, and you will get some valuable life experience. Not to mention you’ll be part of something that’s been lurking around Vic for 72 years, kind of like a bad smell, but with way more style and substance.