But in wanting to consign the events of 2020 to history, we would also risk forgetting some of the truly good things that have happened, even in what has undoubtedly been the darkest of years for most Victorians.

The human spirit shines brightest in times of despair and great need.

It would be easy to want to forget how hard we have worked, not just at our jobs, but at adhering to the rules and regulations surrounding the pandemic.

It would be easy to want to forget the social isolation, the necessary lifestyle changes and even mental exhaustion many have felt.

But in shunning those experiences, we risk forgetting how magnificent Victorians have performed and the challenges we have addressed and yes, even conquered.

No new COVID-19 cases recorded on 14th consecutive day | 13 November 2020

We shouldn't want to forget how hard people have worked, or the way businesses have adapted, time after time, even in the midst of a pandemic and with regulatory changes and government decisions adding an added layer of burden (and cost).

We shouldn't want to forget how at the start of this, way back in March, we all went out of our way to make sure neighbours were okay and that people weren't left on their own.

We shouldn't want to forget how good it made us feel to do something that helped someone else.

We shouldn't want to forget the way people pitched in to make masks for those at the coalface of the pandemic, or to simply write letters to people in nursing homes and aged care facilities who might otherwise feel alone.

We shouldn't want to stop being grateful for the extraordinary efforts of the health services community who have had to manage a crisis like nothing any of us have ever experienced.

We shouldn't want to forget the incredible resilience, determination and belief Victorians have shown in one another at a time when it was most needed.

Without any of the above we would be in a diabolical mess, and while there's still a long way to go in this pandemic, there's good reason to believe we've proven we are up to whatever the coronavirus can throw at us, and then some.

Yes, 2020 has been a horrible year, with the tragic loss of so many lives, and others likely changed forever. It's been a year that will shape the look and feel of many more to come and the business community will take many years to recover, and a lagging high unemployment rate will continue to unleash its own toll upon the community, but if we abandon the things we've learned in 2020 as we move into the future, the job will only be so much harder.

Failing to take all the things we have discovered about ourselves forward to whatever comes next will mean we have learned nothing from 2020, and that would be a tragedy in itself.

As the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and so this year of 2020 should be remembered as one that offered up so many life lessons midst undeniable tragedy and incredible sadness. If it truly is easy to understand something after it has already happened, then 2020 has served up its fair share of everything.

It's not news to say sometimes you don't know how much you love or enjoy something or someone until it or they are take away from you, but surely we all have a newfound sense of appreciation for the value and comfort of our family, our friends and the things we all love to do.

Being able to meet up with mates for a ride, a coffee and chat or a beer has never been more appreciated than it is today.

Being able to go outside for a walk, to go to the gym or to go shopping for a bit of retail therapy. To get a haircut, go on a holiday or to even just be able to go for a drive.

Some time soon, we'll all return to the workplace, albeit in different ways to before, and be reunited with colleagues we may not have seen for the past eight months. And the simple joy of being able to hug your kids after being forced apart for so long is no longer a simple one that should ever take for granted.

Finally, it was interesting to see former Bendigo Advertiser reporter and now 7 News personality Mike Amor present from Bendigo's Fortuna Villa this week, now that the ring of steel between Melbourne and regional Victoria is no more.

Mike's dad Neil stood alongside his son during the segment. I'm not sure who looked the proudest.

It was a nice touch - and something I've never seen before in the news industry.

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