Fossil find: A team led by the University of Wollongong’s Professor Allen Nutman discovers the earliest evidence of life on Earth in the form of stromatolite fossils believed to be 3.7 billion years old.

Free ride: More than one in 10 train trips on the South Coast line is made by someone looking for a free ride, according to a government survey on fare evasion.

Up and running: Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery announces he will contest the Wollongong byelection as an independent. Just days later the Greens name Cath Blakey as its candidate for the seat.

Tomahawk trio: Three friends involved in an axe attack on two unsuspecting men at Dapto are jailed for up to four and a half years.

Origin unclear: Despite the NSW government claiming the steel it uses is sourced in Australia, various government departments are unable to say where their suppliers get their steel.

Punching on: University of Wollongong international student Haopo Yang has his six-month jail term for assaulting a fellow student suspended. Yang’s flurry of at least 20 punches on a fellow student who was interested in the same female as him occurred in a well-lit common area of the campus and was captured on CCTV.

Big spender: It is discovered Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis spent $360,000 in November 2015 to bring her Nowra electorate office “up to scratch” after moving it from Berry Street to Junction Street.

Lingerie lad: A mystery man causes a scene when he takes to the catwalk of Illawarra’s Top Model – which supports mental health. He later reveals himself as Joseph Meli and he did it because he thought it might draw more attention to the cause.

Stabbing: Three people – two teens and a 27-year-old – are charged over a stabbing of a 17-year-old boy at an Albion Park Rail party.

Reality TV: Illawarra miner Ben Lyall appears on The Bachelorette but only lasts two episodes before being eliminated.

Long wait: Work on removing the Oceanlinx wave energy generator off the Port Kembla coal loader begins, seven years after it was decommissioned.

Beachfront home: Wollongong City Council reveals plans to build a seawall at McCauleys Beach to stop homes at the end of Corbett Avenue from the incoming tide.

Brave granny: A Wollongong court hears how a 78-year-old grandmother stood up to a knife-wielding robber, telling him in no uncertain terms, “you’re not having my f..king bag”.

Guilty: Michael James Quinn, 27, is found guilty of fatally stabbing Cherie Vize in 2013. After he stabbed her, Quinn turned the knife on himself, ending up a quadriplegic from his injuries.

Big blaze: George Kotoros is devastated after fire destroys his Warrawong auto repair workshop on Father’s Day. But he vows to rebuild and get back to servicing his customers.

School stabbing: A Keira High School student is stabbed in the abdomen on school grounds. Later the same day a teenager turns himself into police and is charged over the stabbing.

Real deal: Labor leader Luke Foley promises to build lifts at Unanderra station if elected in 2019.

Controversy: An Illawarra junior rugby league finals match is under a cloud because of allegations of match-fixing. The father of a player on one team allegedly paid a player on the other side $500 to pull out of the sudden-death match.

Spud gun: Graham Anthony Bertram appears in Wollongong Bail Court over the alleged possession of a gun. Police described it as a “replica pistol” while the man’s solicitor said “it’s essentially a spud gun”.

Horror smash: Jesse Brown, 18, is killed when his car smashes into the back of a parked truck on Windang Road. The next day Blackbutt teen Jay Geoghegan appears in court charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, after police allege he and Brown were street racing on Windang Road.

It’s private: Shellharbour Hospital is one of five regional hospitals to be upgraded under a public-private partnership, says NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner. The news creates controversy, with a number of critics claiming the government was privatising the hospital.

Retirement: Kiama Mayor Brian Petschler leaves the council after more than 50 years in local government. Part of that includes 15 years as Kiama Council’s general manager and four as mayor.

Lost: Shellharbour council’s legal case against the government’s planned merger with Wollongong is dismissed. But the council lodges an appeal, which will leave both councils’ futures up in the air until at least February.

Head shot: Nigel Romaniszyn, 28, is shot in the face at Woonona, which leaves him blind in one eye. Alleged bikie gang members Tyson Neil Bayley, Umit Esen and Baris Esen face charges relating to the attack. The last two men are sons of disgraced former Wollongong City Councillor Zeki Esen.

Shock decision: Two of the four men jailed over the 2007 killing of Dragun Sekuljica at Splashes Nightclub are acquitted. The remaining two – Zlatan Popovic and Sydney man Tevi Koloamatangi – are granted a retrial.

Market move: Council put the running of the Crown Street Mall Friday markets to public tender. The business partners who have been running it for 14 years lose the licence. It is handed over to Kirrily Sinclair, who runs the Foragers franchise.

Wollongong win: The Illawarra Cutters win the 2016 Intrust Super premiership, beating the heavily favoured Mounties 21-20.