A relative lack of major crime in Bendigo, and no elections, meant 2017 was a year when the spotlight could be firmly placed on the every day struggles, hopes and aspirations of people in central Victoria.
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Addy journalist Adam Holmes lists his top-five stories for the year.
1. Forced shock therapy: Woman takes fight to the Supreme Court
Shock therapy has divided public opinion for decades. Is it effective? Is memory loss worth the risk? Should people always be able to say ‘no’?
A Bendigo woman was one of two people to take her case of forced electroconvulsive treatment to the Supreme Court – the first time Victoria’s new Mental Health Act would be tested by the courts.
It started a debate in Bendigo, and others who had been through the procedure came forward to tell their stories.
Read about the court hearings of NJE here, as she continues to wait for a verdict.
2. Barriers to abortion a concern for Bendigo women
Abortion isn’t something many people think about in Bendigo. It’s one of the city’s biggest taboo topics.
But many women choose to go through with the process locally – it’s a reality. The barriers women face along the way were proving to be a deterrent however, from under-resourced clinics to a lack of empathy.
A lack of access to abortion disproportionately affects people on low incomes.
Readers started talking about abortion openly, and it drew a commitment from health services to do better in the future. More people felt comfortable to tell their stories.
Read the story of Amy here.
3. Remembering Jack Kelly and the beloved Scribe Periodical
The Scribe Periodical is one Australia’s most unique publications, giving Bendigo children the opportunity to have their writing published without editing, judgement, criticism or correction.
They are raw stories – straight from the minds of children, as they were intended to be told.
Scribe was the brainchild of Jack Kelly, a popular teacher who could connect with his students like few others.
His passing in late 2017 drew an outpouring of tributes and allowed his former students to reflect on the impact he had on their lives.
Read his story here.
4. ‘It was shattering’: Families speak of lack of autism support
Finding the right support for their children with autism proved to be almost impossible for Bendigo parents Susannah and Martin Flanagan.
It was clear there were gaps in the education system in Bendigo, and something needed to be done.
More and more stories started to emerge of people with autism who had faced the same struggles – from encountering teachers without training, to poor diagnosis services, and no other options.
Read about the true struggles faced by people as they try to find a better solution to the city’s sub-par autism services.
5. Junction Hotel fire: Detectives trap father and son
The Junction Hotel at Ravenswood greets drivers on the Calder Highway as they make their way into Bendigo, so when it burned down in 2014, it became the source of much rumour and suspicion.
Most of that suspicion fell on the owners: the Jansens.
But the arson for gain case proved to be as fascinating as it was unbelievable. Tapped phone calls, missing pictures on walls, a mysterious trip to Moama and no known source of the fire made it one of the most interesting court cases in Bendigo in years.
Read about the full timeline of events as the case unfolded, and the eventual verdict that sent Jozef Jansen and his son Remco to jail.