DENISE CAHILL OPINION 2020’S REPORT CARD ISN’T ALL BAD
2020 will forever go down in history as the year coronavirus changed life as we knew it.
New terms were penned; “new normal”, “COVID baby”, “iso”, “lockdown”, “quarantine”.
It shaped life and events in the Northern Territory even though we’ve been lucky enough to avoid community transmission for now.
Here’s how the big topics rate on the annual report card.
CORONAVIRUS D
It’s the pandemic that’s gripped the world.
Weddings have been cancelled, travel plans were flushed down the toilet, people were literally prisoners in their own homes and families were kept apart for months on end.
The only reason it doesn’t get an F is because babies were born and hectic lifestyles changed, allowing people to smell the roses and not sweat the small stuff.
NT POLITICS B
There was plenty of sledging to keep punters entertained, and the odds switched a couple of times during the campaign.
Labor was throwing kitchen sinks at coronavirus and used the pandemic at every opportunity during the election campaign. Chief Minister Michael Gunner rolled out his new son Hudson at every opportunity, and there were rumours of a leadership spill to Natasha Fyles … that didn’t eventuate.
Meanwhile, CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro left the kids at home but rolled out a star line-up that at times looked like they’d take the bickies.
While it wasn’t to be for the CLP, they did walk away with eight seats in parliament.
Territory Alliance was a massive casualty of the first coronavirus election in the country and went from being a contender to non-existent.
The 2020 Northern Territory election was so shaky even this newspaper published an unprecedented election day column simply telling readers not to vote for Labor, without backing a party.
BYRON BAY A+
The Hemsworth brothers put this town on the map by simply pulling up stumps there, but then Zac Efron moved in to protect himself from COVID-19.
Efron even went a step further and got himself a local girlfriend, a waitress from a cafe. Matt Damon has since bought real estate there, and Nicole Kidman and her entourage rented a mansion in the Hinterlands while she did some filming.
AFL AIt
TERRITORY ALLIANCE WAS A MASSIVE CASUALTY OF THE FIRST CORONAVIRUS ELECTION IN THE COUNTRY AND WENT FROM BEING A CONTENDER TO NON-EXISTENT
was touch and go for a little while, but the creation of AFL hubs on the Gold Coast and in Perth meant the show could go on.
Games were shorter because of small squad sizes, but isolated Victorians in particular were so starved of any form of entertainment viewing numbers were at all-time highs.
What’s the minus for?
There were fewer games that went for less time – can Richmond consider it a true premiership?
TRAVEL B
There was no international travel, but many took note of the campaigns encouraging people to travel in their own back yards.
Exploring Australia will become the norm for the next couple of years, and certainly isn’t a bad way to spend holidays.
DARWIN CUP A+
Darwin Turf Club hosted one of the biggest crowds since coronavirus reared its ugly head – and gee, they did it well.
There was no Jess Mauboy entertaining the slightly smaller crowd at the Gala Ball, but there was music and dancing, a pastime some places still can’t enjoy.
Cup day was just as impressive, with punters dusting off the special threads and flocking to the popular Silks after the last race was run.
CHRISTMAS A+
Father Christmas still visited and families still gathered, even if it was over Zoom.