No Minister: The Baird government decides to do away with the poisoned chalice that is the Minister for the Illawarra - no fewer than four members of both sides of politics resigned or were sacked while holding the position. In its place is Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra and South Coast, which is given to Kiama MP Gareth Ward.
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Going green: Stockland Shellharbour installs nearly 4000 solar panels on the roof, which can provides nearly one-third of the centre’s power needs.
Bug beaters: Golden staph cases at Wollongong Hospital are the lowest of any hospital of its type in the nation, according to the National Health Performance Authority Report.
Longwall blocked: Wollongong Coal’s contentious longwall extension at Russell Vale is sent back for more work by the Planning Assessment Commission. It would still be under consideration at the end of the year.
Graffiti attack: Vandals deface the Corrimal cenotaph, writing ‘‘Scab Eater’’ and ‘‘No tears for dead soldiers’’ on it. Scab Eater was the name of a punk band that played at the nearby Corrimal Hotel the night before the vandalism was discovered.
Ice danger: Lake Illawarra police superintendent Wayne Starling says it is only a matter of time before an officer is seriously injured or killed by someone under the influence of ice.
Tragic death: Oak Flats businessman Steve Benko and partner Michelle Stewart die in an ultralight crash in the Northern Tablelands.
Hit and run: Horrific footage emerges of a 15-year-old girl being hit by a car on Lake Entrance Road in Warilla. The car then drove off.
Horrifying discovery: A decomposing body is discovered in a shared laundry in a Mangerton apartment block. The body would be identified as that of Mark Dower. In November three men would be charged over his murder.
In hot water: Aspiring celebrity cook Marc Anthony Batters fails to have a criminal conviction lifted for drunkenly groping a colleague while working as head chef of Wollongong’s Collegians Club.
Wet weather: The Illawarra is lashed by rain and strong winds over several days, which force the closure of numerous roads. More than 100mm of rain falls on some areas of the Illawarra in just a day.
Bring the navy: The region’s leaders unite to put Port Kembla forward as a viable option for the navy instead of Garden Island.
No housework: Jayden Primorac, 19, of Barrack Heights is sentenced to four months jail after he chased his mother with an axe when she complained about him smoking in the house.
The year in review continues in Thursday’s Mercury with the events of May 2015.
