It was a year Wollongong will never forget. The biggest story of 2008 was one marked by greed, self-interest, scandalous affairs and shame.
But from the ashes of the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearings into Wollongong City Council rose a spirit of community, teamwork, activism and civic pride.
It is these traits that the region has resolved to work on in 2009, according to community leaders.
The Illawarra Mercury asked prominent members of the community to nominate what the region's new year's resolutions should be, and the overwhelming response was to work together and present a united front in as many areas as possible.
The results of teamwork were evident earlier in December when Infrastructure Australia nominated two Illawarra projects for $1.165 billion in funding.
Stakeholders had said the recommendation had been achieved because various industries worked together at a summit to compile the submission rather than individuals working alone.
The community-minded attitude of Neil and Louise Riles provided inspiration in October, when the global financial panic had truly set in.
The couple run a Berry-based construction company and decided instead of making 13 builders redundant over Christmas, they would donate their labour to the Light and Hope charity at Berkeley to keep them employed.
Residents rallied together mid-2008 and raised a whopping $160,000 for injured surfer and Kiama businessman Darren Longbottom, who broke his neck surfing in Indonesia.
The same community then opened its heart to a Balinese mother-of-two who needed urgent surgery to remove a tumour on her tongue. Fundraisers held from Kiama and Gerringong managed to pull together the $2500 needed for her surgery.
Those surveyed by the Mercury almost unanimously nominated the corruption scandal that sent shockwaves through the city as the worst part of 2008 for the region.
Revelations of town planner Beth Morgan's affairs with developers, councillors allegedly soliciting bribes from developers, and conmen allegedly extorting cash and gifts from those caught up in the inquiry were soon followed by the sacking of the council, with 11 people facing the possibility of criminal charges.
Shellharbour City Council was also sacked, the State Government describing it as so dysfunctional that the appointment of an administrator could only be an improvement.
Rounding out the list of prominent departures was Kiama MP Matt Brown's resignation from his ministerial post in September following allegations he acted inappropriately at a post-budget party in Parliament House.
The year ended with constant reports of gloom thanks to the global financial crisis, which the Illawarra will struggle with into the new year.
Community leaders have said the region needs to pull together to keep the worst predictions from becoming a reality.
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