People are at the heart of what we do, and when I look back at 2016, it is the stories that tell a moving personal tale that first jump to mind.
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Some are happy, others are hopeful and some are heartbreaking: here are five that stayed in my mind long after they hit the pages of the paper.
1. A heartbreaking loss
Kym Edsall’s life was changed in an instant when her generous, bubbly daughter Georgia was killed in a car crash.
She shared her heart-rending story with the Bendigo Advertiser in a bid to get people to consider the life-shattering impacts a moment of inattention, impatience or sheer stupidity on the roads could have, as the number of lives lost continued to climb.
2. Opening their hearts and home
Paul, Sue and Tara Johns have suffered more than any family should.
Paul and Sue’s first child, Brett, died as a baby from polycystic kidney disease and their second child, Beccky, passed away in late 2015 at the age of just 23.
But Beccky continues to bring light into her family’s lives and in 2016 Paul, Sue and Tara experienced something that would have delighted their daughter and sister. Read the full story here (some follow-up stories can be found here and here).
3. Looking to a bright future
It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to leave behind your life as you know it and move to a foreign country, where you don’t speak the language, in search of a better life for your kids.
That is what Karen man Shwe Myint did, moving from a refugee camp on the Thailand-Myanmar border to Bendigo with his four children.
A year on, Shwe Myint spoke to the Bendigo Advertiser and was full of optimism for his family’s life in their new home. Read his story here.
4. Defeating a cruel killer
Bendigo woman Megan Clayton was not your typical bowel cancer patient.
But her story goes to show that the potentially life-threatening disease can afflict anyone.
Megan now urges her family, friends and fellow community members to have any health concerns checked out, before it is perhaps too late. Read what she has to say.
5. Kids’ courage in crisis
It’s no secret that kids can prove to be remarkably brave and composed in the face of an emergency.
When little Jayde Romero’s house was burning to the ground, her focus was not on herself, but on the well-being of someone else.
The stunning pictures of Bendigo Advertiser photographer Glenn Daniels played no small part in making this story a memorable one. Read the rest of it here.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
