I’m not sure about you, but in many ways this is a year I am happy to leave behind. While the past 12 months have been full of wonderful journalism, great moments with colleagues and unique experiences and opportunities, for Sydney and our state it has also been repeatedly punctured by tragedy.

I’ll come to that shortly. But first, let’s talk more about the good of 2024. As I told you after the broadcast rights were announced in 2023, I am obsessed with the Olympics, and the Paris Games were a real highlight of this year. Australia’s stunning competitive success gave us all a much-needed energy boost, and I loved the added bonus of Celine Dion’s return to live performance with her opening ceremony showstopper atop the Eiffel Tower.

Elsewhere, the long-awaited opening of Sydney’s new metro rail line electrified the city and showed us that we can still actually build nice things. There were lots of smaller uplifting stories too, such as the late Sydney artist Ellen Waugh OAM, who resisted decades of approaches by cashed-up developers to buy her South Coogee home. Instead, she signed a deal for Randwick City Council to have the first right of refusal to buy her home when she died. Why? Because the council would then be able to raze the house and complete the final missing link in a continuous coastal pathway between Bondi and Malabar. I loved this story because it showed that – even in Sydney – generosity of spirit can still trump greed and money.

In a huge year of local, national and international news, my overriding view of 2024 though is that it has been a very difficult time for many.

I was talking to a friend last night about the horrific Bondi Junction attack, and so much has happened in the news since, he was sure the stabbing spree happened last year. Of course, it didn’t; it was only eight months ago.

The April Westfield tragedy, in which Joel Cauchi stabbed six people to death and injured many others, stunned the country. It struck at the heart of our sense of safety and security, and Cauchi’s apparent targeting of women was particularly distressing. Only days later, a livestream captured the moment Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed while speaking at the altar of Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church.

That same month, young mother and childcare worker Molly Ticehurst was allegedly murdered in Forbes by her former boyfriend, who was on bail after being charged with sexually assaulting her. This horrific story triggered a major national discussion about violence against women, and I remain very proud of the Herald’s sustained and strong coverage of this issue over the course of this year.

But perhaps the story that I continue to think about in the middle of the night is the February disappearance of 26-year-old TV presenter and AFL umpire Jesse Baird and his new partner, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies. Police allege Beau Lamarre-Condon, then a senior constable, used his police-issued Glock to shoot the couple at Baird’s Paddington share house before dumping their bodies in surfboard bags south of Goulburn. Like many people, this story really affected me and I still struggle to process the brutality and cruelty of what allegedly unfolded that week.

Herald subscribers have been with us for the good and the bad of 2024, and I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support. The media is in constant transition, and the Herald has not been immune from that. Despite these challenges, our newsroom has had an exceptional 12 months and I am proud of the team’s work.

Have a terrific Christmas and catch you in the new year.

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