AS this is my final column for 2008, we look at some the highlights and lowlights of the year that was, Scribbles style.
Starting with January and the death of the much loved Monsignor John Duffus, who passed away after a long illness on January 11. As the administrator of the Sacred Heart cathedral, Mgr Duffus was efficient, gentle and respected, but it was as the chaplain of Catholic College Bendigo where his pastoral care, leadership and faith had the most impact for me. Few people could ever hope to inspire and influence so many young people in such a positive and lasting way as Mgr Duffus did.
The guard of honour formed by students past and present, in full uniform, in the middle of January as they stood solemnly outside the cathedral after his funeral service, and the looks upon so many faces, will not be forgotten.
Bendigo said sorry to members of the Stolen Generation in February, the local commemoration best captured not by words, but by photographer Alex Ellinghausen’s deeply moving and award winning front page photo. This was an occasion many Australians under-estimated for the power of emotion unleashed, and the tide of genuine sincerity associated with such a simple but long awaited gesture. In March, home town hero Glenn O’Shea swept all before him, winning the Australian Madison title and then the Bendigo Madison on a warm night at the Tom Flood Sports Centre over the long weekend. O’Shea has gone from strength to strength during 2008, earning the prestigious Advertiser Southern Cross Ten Sports Start of the Year award along the way. Our junior sporting stars of tomorrow announced their arrival on the national stage with young Imogen Jelbart making it back to back national track titles at the Dunc Gray velodrome. Other major sporting successes included Eaglehawk’s gripping grand final win in the BFL on a day where all three grand finals were decided by a mere couple of kicks.
Olympians Glenn Ashby and Kristi Harrower won silver at the Beijing Games, which despite all the worry about pollution and terrorism fears, went off seemingly without any major hitches.
Business wise, the Bendigo Bank became the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, celebrated its 150th anniversary, then invited Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to town just last week to officially open The Bendigo Centre.
It was not a great year for the banking sector as world headlines of doom and gloom accompanied the credit crunch, but households have welcomed relief via tumbling interest rates and the Federal Government’s handouts that were designed to stimulate the local economy.
Just this week, and only a fortnight or so after accepting about 50 voluntary redundancies from workers, Thales announced it had plans for a self-styled baby Bushmaster vehicle, which could provide up to $2 billion for the local economy if the designs get off the drawing board. The Bendigo Business Council was launched a couple of months ago, with former Bendigo Mining supremo Doug Buerger the inaugural chair. For the first time, our city now has a single voice for industry and commerce to advocate for and on behalf of local businesses, factories and traders. Perhaps the New Year will provide further opportunities for closer links between the BBC and groups such as Bendigo Tourism, the Bendigo Manufacturing Group and Bendigo Traders Association.
The Malmsbury to Elphinstone section of the Calder Highway opened in April, shaving further time off the trip to Melbourne, while the discovery of a Bendigo digger’s World War I diaries created national attention for the Bendigo and District RSL ahead of ANZAC Day.
Health wise, the state government provided $10 million for an urgent refurbishment of the Bendigo Hospital emergency department, as well as $13.6 million for a new nursing home to replace facilities at the Stella Anderson Nursing Home. The campaign for a new hospital to serve a city of 100,000 and a region far greater goes on, with the final business case and recommendation on the site of any future new hospital yet to be unveiled. Other Budget sweeteners included $11 million to boost trades education in the region, and more money for more train carriages, something for which The Advertiser had long campaigned.
Our city topped the 100,000 landmark in 2008, a historic event marked by a visit from Premier John Brumby for one of the truly significant occasions of the year.
The arts never had it so good in Bendigo as it did in 2008, with the Bendigo Art Gallery playing host to the Archibald Prize and more recently the Golden Age of Couture exhibition, a world class coup that saw former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins come to town for the opening night a fortnight ago.
The DIGO vacated historic Fortuna Villa for more suitable and modern premises at Junourton, the move raising further questions about what next for one of the most significant properties in our region.
The fact that thousands of people lined up to have a look behind the scenes at the property when given the chance, speaks volumes for the community interest in what happens to the villa.
Weather wise, it was drier than the so called average (again) and the Superpipe very firmly established its worth to Bendigo as the regime of tight water restrictions continued. Just this week, Coliban Water announced a relaxing of the Stage 4 restrictions we have endured.
And finally, on the last weekend in November, voters delivered a resounding vote for change when five City of Greater Bendigo councillors were swept from office in a dramatic overhaul of local government in the region.
Councillor Kevin Gibbins was appointed Mayor for the next 12 months, with Lisa Ruffell, Rod Campbell, Barry Lyons, James Reade, Peter Cox and Alec Sandner the new faces around the council table. I hope this Christmas season is a safe and enjoyable one for everyone, and that the New Year brings much joy and promise for us all.
Thanks for your support during 2008; merry Christmas.
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