It would be an absolute shame if the need for safety first meant services were overly compromised, but if last year is anything to go by, central Victorians will choose to acknowledge our service men and women, past and present, in their own way, if all else fails.

Related content: Reflection and recognition for Anzac Day

Just before dawn on Saturday, April 25 last year, I went and stood at the end of my driveway in suburban Bendigo with the ABC broadcast on my mobile phone to keep me company.

It was a spine tingling realisation when I looked up and down the street and saw so many other people doing the same thing, some wearing their relatives' medals, others with lit candles, or a photo of someone significant to their life.

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It will be easier to acknowledge Anzac Day this year, but we all need to realise it will not be like it was before the pandemic.

In Bendigo, any family and community members (non-invited guests) wishing to attend the Anzac Day services should note that the area reserved for the service is for invitees only.

The rest of us wanting to pay our respects must outside the restricted zones that will be in place.

YOUR GUIDE: Anzac Day across the region

All community members who attend any of the services being held are required to use the QR code or sign in via attendance registers, that will be located around the area.

It might seem like an inconvenience or a hassle, but some perspective should put paid to that pretty quickly.

If we all abide by and respect the rules that are required for this important solemn occasion to take place once more, Anzac Day will go a lot more smoothly.

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The City of Greater Bendigo this week handed down its draft 2021/2022 budget, one of the most significant documents the organisation produces each year.

This year's papers show the City looking to spend upwards of two million on efforts to help the community recover from the pandemic.

There's no doubt the actual cost to Bendigo arising from COVID-19 are far greater, but the need for well-considered recovery programs that support a broad spectrum of businesses, direct funding to programs that will boost employment and help retrieve our economy from the depths it sunk to during the pandemic, will never be greater.

COVID-19 has taught us we can adapt to working from home if we need to, we can tolerate lockdowns that are in the community's best interest, we can look out and after one another in times of trouble and we can endure any other sacrifices necessary if the cause is greater.

The looming state and federal budgets will need to reflect a strong sense of confidence in targeted investment in the future to get the nation back on track and to ensure everyone shares in the recovery.

Nobody wants a two-paced economy that leaves too many Australians behind, particularly after all we have endured throughout the global pandemic.

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The property boom no one saw coming at the start of this pandemic has of course had its inevitable casualties - those for whom housing affordability is both a threat and a very real issue.

At the start of 2020, many housing industry commentators predicted a dire fallout in property prices that did not do much for confidence in the market, but the current issues around supply of housing stock to satisfy the almost insatiable demand from potential buyers.

Driving around Bendigo on the weekend, it was easy to see demand has not eased up, with large crowds spilling out the front of the couple of homes open for inspection I came across on Saturday afternoon.

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The pandemic has also taught us that we can work almost anywhere if we have the necessary tools of the trade to do so. For a lot of us, that's a computer, mobile phone, internet access, a desk and a chair.

Being able to work remotely opens up a whole new regime of enticing possibilities for regional centres, and decentralisation is a topic local, state and federal governments should spend more time not just talking about, but actually creating opportunities in regional centres like Bendigo.

For all the hardships and hassles we endured during the pandemic, there's enormous potential for growth as part of the recovery now underway.

It requires all levels of government to work together to make it happen as seamlessly as possible - something that's often far easier said than done.

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