What a year it has been. When I look back on my first year working as a professional journalist there are so many memories that will stay with me for life.
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I’ve written stories on topics I would never have imagined covering and have met some of the most extraordinary people.
Whether it was talking to bodybuilders, inspecting hemp crops, visiting book clubs or covering basketball, 2018 will be a year I will never forget.
Here is a countdown of my top ten stories from 2018.
10. Fields of hemp
There is one thing I will never forget during the process of covering this story. The intense smell of a field of hemp is something I can still smell to this day.
The Bendigo Advertiser was given a sneak peak of Hemp Foods Australia’s first Victorian crop just weeks before harvest.
9. Natural woman – For the love of her body
To find success as an athlete, it takes a significant amount of time and determination. And for Narelle Tobin it was a painstaking journey to gain her professional status as a natural bodybuilder.
8.Tough Guy Book Club
When you think about book clubs, some people would normally associate them with Jane Austen novels and cups of tea. Not at the Tough Guy Book Club. Books, blokes and beer are the club’s fortes. The club originated in Melbourne but now has several chapters throughout central Victoria.
7. Listening to a poet’s story
One of my favourite things to do is listening to an individual’s life story. It’s an opportunity to hear another human’s experience living on the same planet we all share, Earth.
Each story is always vastly different and I always learn something new about the world.
When poet Lemn Sissay toured central Victoria I sat down and spoke with him about meeting his mother for the first time when he was 21-years-old, the London matchgirls’ strike of 1888 and the power of literature.
6. A passion for science
Bendigo Senior Secondary College’s Mary Nash knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a science teacher. And after nearly a half-century in front of the class, her passion for teaching is only getting stronger.
I spoke with Mary after she was recognised by the Department of Education and Training for 45 years of service.
5. Meeting Australia’s next world champion golfer
As a fan of golf, there’s nothing better than meeting a player who has competed at events I can only dream about. Lucas Herbert is only at the start of his career and it’s going to be amazing to watch his journey in the future.
Despite his world-class status, Lucas loves coming back to Bendigo and supporting the local golf community.
4. Billy cart racing
There is one thing you will find in common with all racers – whether they ride horses, cars, boats or billy carts – they are filled with the spirit to compete and will do whatever it takes to go as fast as possible.
In the lead-up to the Castlemaine Billy Cart challenge I spoke with some of the contestants of the town’s annual race down Monument Hill.
3.Table tennis juniors
The Bendigo Stadium hosted the 2019 Oceania World Junior Table Tennis Championships and what a show the athletes and host put on. Watching the world’s best junior players in the flesh was an experience I will never forget.
2. Bendigo Spirit
During the year I made a switch from reporting news to sport and one of my main rounds has been covering the Bendigo Spirit.
For Bendigo to have a national sporting team in the WNBL is truly remarkable and I look forward to watching the Spirit progress in the future. There have been a few Spirit articles over the past few months, but one of my favourites was the team’s narrow victory over the Sydney Uni Flames.
1. Passion for sport
If there is one thing I have always admired about athletes, it’s their dedication and undying passion to play sport.
I met up with former AFLW and Lady Brave player Elise Hogan to talk about football, basketball, the journey to becoming a professional and the injury that almost ended it all.
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