Before stepping foot into the Queensland Times’ Ipswich office for the first time, there was only one thing I knew about editor Stuart Sherwin: he, like me, was an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan.

With that solid building block in place, I sat down with the UK-native for a chat about his career to-date and, more broadly, the state of journalism in the 21st century.

At this point, I had just finished my week-long internship at the Ipswich daily paper and, unfortunately, had not experienced much contact with the editor, dealing mainly with his chief-of-staff.

However, that did not deter the approachable Sherwin from giving up a few moments of his time late on a Friday afternoon.

Sherwin began by telling me of his vast experience in various newspapers throughout the UK, as a reporter, sub-editor and editor.

“I worked all over the place in the UK,” he said.

That was over five years ago and, after deciding to move away from the dreary English weather, Sherwin found work in Australia, at the Courier Mail.

After working at the Courier Mail for a period, Sherwin decided to make another change.

“I was offered a job as the editor of the Queensland Times, and I jumped at the opportunity. Ipswich is such an exciting area for news,” he said.

News has always fascinated Sherwin, he tells me, every aspect of it.

“I’ve been a reporter, editor, designer; I am interested in everything to do with newspapers. I’d like to try my hand as a photographer at some stage,” he said.

When I asked him about where he sees his newspaper and, more broadly, journalism going, his passion for print becomes apparent.

“I think there will always be a place for journalists because there will always be a desire for news,” he said.

“I love that in Ipswich, the newspaper is still such a powerful thing, and it will continue to be.”

Speaking of the future, I couldn’t leave the Tottenham Hotspur fan without asking him about our club’s prospects for the English Premier League Season.

He shook his head and afforded a wry smile.

“Not good, mate. Should never have sacked Harry Redknapp,” he said.

I won’t subject readers to the details of the forty-five minutes of our conversation following that comment, but I will report that Stuart Sherwin’s passion for his newspaper is only rivaled by his passion for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.