Sea Cliff Bridge and other parts of the northern Illawarra were settings in the filming of Return to Paradise. Photo: Chilby Photography.
With a wink from Santa and the dash of a reindeer, Christmas is over for another year.
Every year I tell myself I’ll be better prepared for the big day yet every year I’m racing around like a chook with its head cut off, right up till the last minute.
It’s not like Easter, when the date changes every year – we all know Christmas Day is 25 December, so why does it creep up on us so suddenly?
Maybe there is some truth in that old saying that time speeds up as you get older.
A quick Google of the subject agrees. One site reported on a study of 918 adults (yeah, not a really huge sample, nor did it say if they were in the seniors age bracket) in which 77 per cent of respondents agreed that Christmas seems to arrive more rapidly each year.
Psychology Today explains that as we get older, we have progressively fewer new experiences. Equally importantly, our perception of the world becomes more automatic. We grow progressively desensitized to our surroundings. As a result, we absorb gradually less information, which means that time passes more quickly.
So time passes more quickly and as we age we remember less stuff. Not reassuring news really.
But it gives me a great excuse to look back at some of the stories we’ve published over the past 12 months – the funny, the occasionally sad, the inspirational stories about incredible people doing incredible things.
Our most popular story of the year took us by surprise – Return to Paradise, the Aussie spin-off of the BBC hit Death in Paradise.
Shots for some outdoor scenes set in the “beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove” were taken in the northern Illawarra and I guess we must love seeing familiar places on the telly.
Another popular story was about the long-awaited transformation of North Beach Surf Club into the The Boathouse restaurant. Months of planning, menu curation and construction went into making the vision of head of culinary and Austinmer resident Mark LaBrooy a reality.
In fact, stories about new restaurants are always popular, especially when hungry residents can see them being built, like Unanderra’s all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant, Okami.
Located on the site of the long-time favourite Murphy’s Bar and Grill, locals waited for more than two years for Okami to open its doors, and it didn’t disappoint.
Another popular foodie story was about a favourite Albion Park milk bar that closed, much to the dismay of residents, but then reopened – much to the delight of residents.
Joe Lee serves up one of his favourite burgers. Photo: Supplied.
Joe Lee closed the doors to Joe’s Milkbar in March due to financial pressures, but spurred on by strong community support and falling back in love with why he started, he restarted the grill a few weeks later, saying he “couldn’t ask for a better town to have a burger shop in”.
Our journalists are in the privileged position of meeting people from all walks of life, who graciously give their time to share their stories.
Sometimes those stories are about people who’ve been dealt a really tough hand. But instead of asking “why me”, they find a determination and strength to fight and often become a champion for their cause.
People like Nikiya Love, a young Wollongong mum-to-be who, during her first pregnancy, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Instead of planning for the birth of their child, Nikiya and husband Dave were told doctors needed to immediately start treatment.
Sadly, a day shy of 18 weeks’ gestation, Nikiya lost her baby girl, who they named Lexi.
The next few months were the darkest of their lives, but Nikiya and Dave funnelled their grief into raising funds for the World’s Greatest Shave, smashing their original $10,000 goal to raise $28,642 for the Leukaemia Foundation.
More recently, well-known Illawarra identity Graham Lancaster showed his depth of character when he revealed he’s facing the toughest challenge of his life: a diagnosis of the fatal motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
His response to the diagnosis was “better me than someone else”. He figures he stands a better chance of finding avenues to prolong his life, and in the process, help other people with the disease, advocate for more research funding and educate the community.
As a whole, the resilience of the Illawarra was on show in April when devastating floods and storms hit the region.
In true form, residents rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help each other.
There were people like Michelle Wasson, who cooked and delivered food to flood victims, all while dealing with her own home being devastated by the floods.
Social media really came to the fore at the time, with Facebook messages offering an abundance of examples of people willing to help others, like Joshua in the Figtree community group who said he was a “young strong kid happy to help out with anything”, while Blackbird Thirroul offered coffee.
We’ve had no shortage of stories that made us laugh and smile and generally remind us that there is joy in the world, even in the darkest times.
To end the year, here are some of my favourites, in no particular order. May they bring a smile to your dial, and ease you into a year that I hope will be peaceful, happy, healthy and rewarding.
Dislike the alphabet being scattered throughout your life? IDK, do all these initials really make life easier? Lol
Does your doggy sniff out when you’re going on holidays? When your escape becomes a guilt trip, get ready for the doghouse (cos it’s gonna get ruff)
Looking for an unusual but loving pet? How one wily critter weaseled his way into our hearts – and home
There’s gotta be a better way to go green: There must be a better option for thick shakes because paper straws suck!
True love doesn’t need a Valentine’s Day gift – trust me: The year our Valentine’s Day went down the toilet
A growing flock sends the boss quackers: How I became Queen of the Damned Ducks
Happy New Year to one and all.
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