Due to changes by News Ltd to puzzle pages in four metro papers, The Stickler will no longer be published. This ends a 4786-puzzle labour of love. The Stickler has been the only new, daily, 15×15, Australian cryptic to appear in any News Ltd publication in the last 15 years.
I want to thank my faithful solvers, some of which have been with me from the start. I also want to thank News Ltd for taking me on 15 years ago, giving me the opportunity to turn a hobby into a career. Unfortunately this loss, along with other weekly losses brought about through this change, means the end of my crossword business. Some work remains and will continue. I’m one of the few people in the world to have made a living writing crosswords full-time, something not possible without The Stickler.
I’m faced with a career change at 51, with crossword-compiling skills and rusty IT skills to offer. I’m methodical and a stickler (don’t you know it!). If anyone out there has a job for me, I’m up for just about anything (contact me).
Many thanks to all,
David Stickley
