His own grandfather, also a Pryor, was a cartoonist. I can't draw a straight line, but I could write, and I was always going to be a journalist, even before I knew it myself.

And I was always going to end up staying here in Canberra. I've lived in several cities during my 40 years, but Canberra is my favourite place and always will be.

Again, I didn't always appreciate this, but Canberra is also in my blood. My grandfather, Lindsay Pryor, had the job of furnishing Canberra's new, bare inner suburbs with treescapes in the decade after World War II. Today, these trees are one of Canberra's best features.

Like many born-and-bred Canberrans, I left the city as soon as I finished university, and was gone for four years. The day I came back, I knew I would never leave again.

Instead, I've had the incredible privilege of watching the city I love grow, day by day, year by year. And, best of all, I get to write about it every day on these pages.

Those who've lived here long enough know that Canberra is an endlessly fascinating place, poised at a crossroads between young and old.

Like many life-long Canberrans, my comfort zone has long been located at the intersection between the old and the new - the city I grew up in, and the endlessly fascinating the product of all that has happened since.

I like to think of my job as features editor of The Canberra Times as a kind of conversation with the reader.

At any given time, our newsroom is a comfortable mix of long-time Canberrans and relative newcomers, and the stories we tell in our arts and culture, entertainment, food and other features sections often reflects that.

As features editor, I like to picture our readers as a similar mix of curious newcomers wanting to know more about what makes the city tick, and long-time residents diligently monitoring Canberra's progress.

As is the case in the newsroom, we love others to weigh in, to drop into our never-ending conversations, give us feedback, and let us know what you think.

And whoever you are, you are always at the very heart of the many conversations that are always happening among the journalists, photographers and editors at The Canberra Times. Because if we're talking about it in the office, chances are, you will be too.

Whether you enjoy our stories on your smartphone, your iPad or on the printed page of the daily newspaper, thanks for your support for the journalism that matters to the Canberra we love.