To mark the 30th anniversary of “CityNews”, social historian and journalist NICHOLE OVERALL has written an eclectic history of Canberra and beyond over the past three decades. Here is 2022.

YOU’VE GONE VIRAL…

Welcome to the world according to Ken Behrens: 

• “Brothels, playgrounds, protest and debt top the great Canberra CityNews columns of 2022”.
• ACT Scientist of the Year, Dr Benjamin Schwessinger: “[playing] an important role in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic… responsible for the genomic testing of COVID-19 samples which helped track the transmission of the virus”.

• Val Dempsey, ACT Senior Australian of the Year: 60 years of service to St John Ambulance, having joined while in primary school.
• The ACT’s first Miss Galaxy Australia: UC graduate (media & communications) Emily Egan (24).
• #UniCBR: Canberra’s second university is 50, starting life as the Canberra College of Advanced Education (CCAE) in 1967 (and what a top uni it is, #nobias).
• Straight-talking, multi-award winning 2CC breakfast radio host Stephen Cenatiempo calls out the “muppets” of the ACT government on the “giddy” announcement of two cranes finally arriving at the site of the “long-overdue $624 million Canberra Hospital Expansion”. The real kicker: the “Mad Men-esque” spin of asking long-suffering residents to “Name the Cranes” … “Craney McCraneFace” not one of 10 options.
• Brindabella MLA Mark “Parto” Parton is TikTok hot, but cyber-hawks are becoming increasingly TikTok tense.

• Over the border, a NSW by-election and first female member for Monaro in its more than 160-year history (ahem).

• Federal election fervour favours Labor and the ACT gets its first independent senator: former Brumby and Wallaby, David Pocock.

• “Prison staff shock: alleged drug parties and cover ups”.
• The 2021 $951.5million in the red, ACT Budget had former CM Jon Stanhope fume: “When it comes to debt, no one beats the ACT”. Thirteen deficits in a row kinda suggests he’s on the money, although to be fair, this year it’s a mere $580.4million down…
• According to Chief-Counter Barr, a “surging population” is to thank. Still, an extra 90,000 new Canberrans have to live somewhere, send their kids to school and reasonably expect services worthy of a capital. Oh, and parking, rates and levies are all up; rego, too.
• Coombs does get a new $7.1 million playground.
• 80 years since the sinking of the original HMAS Canberra, marked by a sunset service on HMAS Canberra III and a Last Post Ceremony at the AWM. (The wreck was rediscovered by Robert Ballard – who also found the “Titanic” – almost exactly 50 years after she went down).
• Canberra’s bad boy of tennis Nick Kyrgios wins the Washington Open and reaches the finals at Wimbledon (before reverting to form – as in, manners).
• ACT & COVID-19: almost 120,000 cases, 58 deaths.
• Particularly big year for the “new-look, news-driven format” website of “CityNews”, too: the Lisa Wilkinson Academy Award-worthy Logie moment, “Students run amok at Calwell High”, and green Greens MLA Davis “offensive” to Braddon businesses, topping the stories.

In the world beyond our borders: 

• Russia invades Ukraine – and Putin bears witness to the saying “cometh the hour, cometh the man” in former comedian turned formidable president, Zelensky.
• The Queen is dead; long live the King (even if not to replace his mum on our $5 note or have the Sydney Opera House lit up for him).
• Two young police officers and a civilian are killed in an orchestrated QLD siege.
• Now there’s more than 8 billion of us, but at least one less as Warnie has his final over.
• The UK almost up there with Oz in exchanging PMs.
• Lots more brouhaha (*not a French term*) over our now US/UK nuclear subs order and a cool $386 billion to be dropped on them.
• Release of James Cameron’s follow-up to the biggest film in the history of cinema, “Avatar”.

The full collection of Nichole Overall’s “CityNews” anniversary columns can be seen here.

2021… It’s all anniversaries everywhere