2010: good and bad

By Melissa Meehan
2010 … What a year.
Two elections, rapid growth and the changing face of Pakenham, Berwick and surrounds have made it yet another year full of news.
Young lives taken too young, a change in state politics and the push for a special school in Officer have taken precedence on the front page, as well as Berwick residents fight over the Lyall Road development.
While many young lives were lost, including those of Cameron Lowe and Osman Amahdi, signs of hope were celebrated, as the Gazette followed Bek Bishop’s journey – from recovering from a crash that almost killed her while she was two weeks pregnant to the birth of son Harrison.
As the federal and state elections went into overdrive, the Gazette was there, snapping shots of the most famous redhead in Australia as she took a bite of a pie from local patisserie, The Pie Minister.
We were first to report the Pakenham Racing Club’s move to a new multi-million-dollar facility in Tynong – the first new racetrack to be built in 30 years.
We celebrated with Magpie Tyson Goldsack’s mother Wendy when he was picked to play in the Grand Final rematch and laughed at the news of one-eyed Collingwood supporter Zachary Stephens’ refusal to let paramedics cut off his beloved guernsey after he was hit by a car.
To top off a great year, the Gazette was named the Star News Group’s Newspaper of the Year.
Here’s to another safe and successful year in 2011.