WHAT A DIFFERENCE TWO YEARS MAKES

TWO years ago, there was the kind of buzz in the Addy newsroom that only happens when you know you are on to a big story. The source of the buzz? Confirmation that Geelong had recorded its first local case of the coronavirus that was causing so much chaos and concern across the globe.

After plenty of rumours and several false alarms, health reporter Tamara McDonald had confirmed an employee at Waurn Ponds shopping centre had contracted the virus while on holiday in the US.

Within days that one case had multiplied, and by week’s end, sport had been cancelled, our country was closing its borders and the Geelong Advertiser did the unthinkable and abandoned its newsroom to be fully produced from our homes.

It is hard to think back on those initial days of the virus now without shaking your head at our collective naivety of the death and disruption that was to follow.

There was no sense of the repeated lockdowns and separation from loved ones that would dictate our lives for two years. No appreciation of how widespread the sickness would be and the flow-on effects that would crush businesses and bring the local tourism industry to its knees.

And yet here we are two years on, slightly worse for wear but stronger for the turmoil – or as CSIRO scientist Professor S.S. Vasan describes in Saturday’s story, “battle worn”.

This anniversary of that first Geelong case provides a good chance to reflect on our journey and what we have learned over the past two years.

First and foremost is the increased appreciation for our healthcare workers. From day one, this army of tireless workers was at the frontline of the battle, never moreso than this past summer when the Omicron variant ran rampant through the community, stretching resources to extreme levels.

There is also an elevated appreciation for the levels of innovation and leadership within our community.

It was our scientists – Prof Vasan and his team at the CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness – who conducted some of the world’s first vaccine trials on ferrets in their Geelong laboratory. It was our doctors, infectious disease experts and epidemiologists who developed public health unit models that have been adopted across the state.

And it was our community that pulled together and supported one another when things became really tough. We led the country in our vaccination take-up rate, ordered takeaway meals from struggling restaurants and dropped in care packages for those who were sick or forced to isolate from loved ones.

Yes, it has been a tough two years, but this battle-worn community has come out stronger and more appreciative of each other after the journey.