With 2022 behind us and a new year just beginning, seven community leaders put pen to paper to share their thoughts about the highs and lows of the year just gone in Bendigo and their hopes for the one ahead.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Cr Andrea Metcalf, City of Greater Bendigo mayor
In 2022, the Greater Bendigo community embraced a return to more normal times and it was wonderful to see locals and tourists alike enjoying our city and region again.
An absolute highlight for me was the Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery. There was no better way to shake off our COVID blues than through this exhibition, which attracted 220,000 people and generated an incredible $67 million in our local economy.
Events like the hugely popular Sheep and Wool Show, the 150th Bendigo Easter Fair and the Lost Trades Fair all returned and attracted thousands of people, Bendigo won state and national tourism awards, and we were named as a host city for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games!
The role of the Bendigo-made Bushmaster in the Ukrainian war effort saw us welcome the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, to Bendigo to tour the Thales factory where they are made. The ambassador's visit was an opportunity for us to stand with the people of Ukraine and join a chorus of voices around the world that continue to call for peace.
This year our region again experienced the devastating impact of natural disaster, and recovery from the October floods will be long. I wish to acknowledge the way our region rallied to support each other and again thank the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society for its support of flood evacuees. The use of the showgrounds as an emergency relief centre meant the Bendigo Agricultural Show was cancelled for the third year in a row after two previous COVID-interrupted years.
Looking ahead, I am optimistic for 2023. I am very excited to welcome epic opera the Ring Cycle, which has rarely been staged in Australia and is exclusive to Bendigo. Planning will continue for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games and I hope to see more people take up a volunteering role in our community.
Wishing everyone a wonderful, happy and safe new year!
Bishop Shane Mackinlay, Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst
2022 has been a year of disruptions. COVID has been an ever-present risk, and most of us have spent the year constantly looking over our shoulder in case we get caught by infection and illness. Even those who haven't been sick themselves know many others close to them who have been ill, which has had an impact on our families, schools, health services and workplaces. We've all become very used to our plans being upset, with last-minute changes, apologies and cancellations.
Then in October floods disrupted everything for large numbers in this region, while communities watched with growing anxiety as the waters slowly spread into streets, homes, businesses and across property. Even now, many people have still not been able to return home and are facing months of repairs and difficult decisions before they can return to their normal lives.
Overseas, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has cast a shadow over all our lives, reminding us of the human capacity to inflict suffering on one another, and of how fragile peace is.
There's lots of reasons to feel a bit more run-down than we normally would be at the end of the year. But there's also much to appreciate, especially in the generosity, patience and imagination that so many people have shown in supporting those around them, at the same time as facing their own challenges.
As we begin this new year, we can be confident that 2023 will bring more challenges as well as more opportunities. To respond to them we will need to draw on the strength and resources of our shared life in families and communities.
May these summer weeks of vacation and gatherings with family and friends renew our focus on our hopes for the year ahead, and remind us of how much we rely on the support and encouragement that we can give to one another.
Bishop Matt Brain, Anglican Diocese of Bendigo
And 2022 has gone and we stand at the beginning of 2023. A whole new chapter. Yet, I am surprised by the number of times I agree with people that, "Yes, it is well time that we saw 2022 out," but more so the lurking anxiety that 2023 will have tricks of its own in store.
In some ways the bind we are in is like the computer games of my youth, especially the ones in which characters raced each other in fantastical vehicles. It seemed every time we got up to speed, there was a new obstacle lurking. Of themselves each obstacle would not prove disastrous, but their accumulation magnified their effect. I wonder whether 2022 has felt this way as the weight of living has been amplified by the constant disappointment, sickness and trial which has seemed to flow.
Rather than entering 2023 trying to marshal what I have left and hope for the best, I am thinking through what I would look like if I actually thought of myself less. The best way I know how to do this is by leaning into Jesus' two great commandments. Put simply; to love others as oneself, and to love God with every fibre of our being. It is a strange approach because it seems to leave myself behind. However, the wonderful thing that happens is that when I am looking outwards, my horizons seem to expand.
To see others succeed in the way I would like to, and to find pleasure in the God who made, knows and loves this world seem quite dependable. I can do both things no matter the circumstance. I do hope 2023 returns to a more manageable pace, but my happiness lies outside of me.
Michelle Murphy, Bendigo Foodshare CEO
While 2022 has brought great challenges, the past year has affirmed my belief in the power of community, and what can be achieved when we all work together. Bendigo Foodshare only exists because of the enormous support of our community and my heart has warmed as I've witnessed so many beautiful acts of generosity throughout the year. The recent floods have brought out the very best in people. Our phone has run hot, with individuals, businesses and community partners calling with the simple question, "What can I do to help?" As a result, we have been able to get an additional 20,000kg of food into flood-impacted communities to date, with another 20,000kg to follow early in 2023.
Bendigo Foodshare has a strong and committed team of volunteers who turn up rain, hail or shine, seven days a week, to rescue, sort and distribute food. The food is delivered to around 80 organisations across central Victoria. Typically, these community groups are also volunteer-run, quietly going about the important work at the front-line, giving of their time to help others who are going through tough times.
The food comes from diverse sources including home gardeners, schools and kinders growing fruit and veggies in backyards, bakeries with leftover bread to donate, individuals walking in to our warehouse with shopping bags of tinned goods, our food drives which brought in a record breaking 10,000kg of food this year, and then of course supermarkets across Bendigo doing their bit to reduce the volume of food that would otherwise go to waste.
None of this can happen without costs, and again our community has been incredibly generous supporting our fundraising appeals throughout the year. Even with the cost-of-living skyrocketing, many, many individuals as well as our business community have managed to get behind us, providing vital financial support to enable Foodshare's operations. The City of Greater Bendigo too continue to provide strong support as does our state government.
In 2023, Bendigo Foodshare will have been going for 10 years. I'm looking forward to building on the significant achievements of the organisation to date, and together with a wonderful team of staff and volunteers, working towards a healthier and happier central Victoria, where abundance is shared and we all look out for one another.
David Hughes, Emporium Creative Hub manager
2022 was, on the whole, a good year. Not an entirely 'normal' year (but then, who knows what is 'normal' anymore?), but after two years of pandemic, 2022 felt like a long exhalation of breath. It was exciting and liberating to be able to meet up with family and friends (I went back to the UK to see my family), to be back in a packed theatre sans mask, to be playing regular gigs again.
But there were also more tentative steps back towards the normal we once knew. People, organisations and society had adapted and some of those adaptations stuck. Although designed to get us through a pandemic we found that some also suited how we wanted our lives to be into the future. 2022 felt like a time of experimentation to see what pandemic-initiated habits could or should be carried over to a post-pandemic reality.
It feels like we're still working through some of that. As I write this, we are seeing another wave of COVID, during a season of get togethers and celebrations, but with no guidelines around how we should manage this wave. Test, don't test. Isolate, don't isolate. Do your own thing. You do you. After two years of strict lockdowns and rules, it can still be a little discombobulating.
But with all of that said, I am super excited about 2023. Emporium Creative Hub, a concept based on the premise of bringing people together, was due to open its doors as the pandemic hit. As we enter 2023 I feel the same excitement I felt at the start of 2020, when we were getting ready to open the Hub. It feels like we have arrived at the point we should have been at three years ago, and I am excited by the opportunity and potential ahead.
Carol McKinstry, Bendigo Football Netball League chair
The BFNL season resumed in 2022 with pleasing crowds and support from fans, players and officials. It is not until you have missed something that you appreciate what its value is. The season was all about participation and although some matches were impacted by COVID, forfeits were kept to a minimum. It was pleasing to see nearly all clubs represented in the finals.
After many years of hard work rebuilding their club, Gisborne won the 2023 McCann Champion Club Award, and won the senior football premiership. After some years of not having an A grade netball side, Castlemaine made the finals. Sandhurst A grade netballers were premiers, building a dynasty winning four premierships in a row - a feat never achieved before.
As a major league, I hope to see further development in all competitions. BFNL netball is one of the strongest competitions in the state, narrowly being defeated in the final of the 2022 Netball Victoria Open Association Championships. With the amazing talent coming through and depth of experience, I look forward to going one better in 2023. I predict that clubs such as Castlemaine and Strathfieldsaye will further improve in 2023.
The BFNL have produced many AFL champions and it was pleasing to see this tradition continue with Sandhurst's Harvey Gallagher being drafted and Fergus Greene being redrafted. Our clubs have proud histories and the vibe at Canterbury Park is very positive with the return of Jarrod and Kallen Geary in 2023. As a favourite son, Coby Perry takes over as coach at Maryborough and will inspire the talent coming through their junior ranks. Kyneton will make the 2023 finals and consolidate their years of rebuilding since returning from recess in 2016. I look forward to seeing South Bendigo playing at their new home at Harry Trott Oval.
Jo-Anne Jeffrey, Acting Inspector, Bendigo Local Area Commander
In 2022, just as the pandemic started to lift we were hit by the floods, which obviously impacted our local communities significantly. Police were out in each and every one of these communities providing support through response, rescues and recovery. That placed a huge demand on our resources while we continued to provide our usual services everywhere else.
But on a positive note, the floods highlighted how well the community pulls together in times of need. It's not just about emergency services; it's about every single person out there. And although it was a tragic weather event, it showed how well the community came together to look after each other, which was fantastic.
In 2023, first and foremost, as per usual, our focus is community safety, so we'll continue to target road trauma with road policing operations, ensuring that everyone's doing the right thing out there and gets home safe each day.
This year we are really hoping to build on our relationships with the local community and want to be highly visible and really actively listening to what the community needs, including through initiatives such as Coffee with a Cop and the Eyewatch Bendigo Facebook page.
Eyewatch is an easy way for members of the public to keep an eye on what's happening in the community. And it's not all bad news. A lot of the time we need public help to solve crimes but there are also good news stories too, like missing persons being found.
We are also continuing to promote youth engagement with police through our Blue Edge program, which has been really positive in Bendigo. That's aimed at students from years seven to nine and involves police working with students and engaging with other service providers on fitness programs, wellbeing and life skills.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year from Bendigo local area command.
