Two years ago, on March 16, 2020, it was announced that the first Illawarra resident had tested positive to COVID-19.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Since then, almost 70,000 residents in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District have contracted the virus.
Upwards of 800 local residents are catching COVID-19 most days, 86 people from the region have died, and families and businesses continue to be affected.
Tuesday also marks 12 months since the first COVID-19 vaccine dose was administered in the district, with vaccination clinics delivering more than 190,000 vaccine doses to people.
Looking back, the early days of the pandemic in the Illawarra seem almost naive.
A single case caused a flurry of concern and every new restriction announced seemed shocking. Who could believe just how high case numbers would climb, or how long lockdowns would last.
Ill-fated Ruby Princess on our doorstep
Two days after the Illawarra recorded its first COVID-19 case, the Ruby Princess cruise ship arrived in Sydney.
Early next morning, health officials give the all-clear for the 2700 passengers to disembark. Eventually, more than 700 tested positive and 28 people died.
About a fortnight later, the stricken ship docked at Port Kembla with 1000 international crew stuck on board for almost three weeks.
While controversy raged, Wollongong residents banded together to help the crew, sending care packages of essential and well-loved Aussie snacks to lift their spirits.
A month into the first lockdown it was Easter, and across the Illawarra families made the best of not being able to see loved ones.
Not yet fatigued by homeschooling and endless closures, parents and kids camped out in their backyards instead of heading down the coast.
A brief return to normality
By mid-2020, life had started to return to normal across NSW and the Illawarra, as the state's case numbers trickled down to zero on some days. Compared to life across much of the rest of the world, life was good.
While Victoria would remain in lockdown for many months, most NSW restrictions began to lift. People were allowed to have visitors and shops re-opened.
By October, gyms and churches were getting back to normal and a month before Christmas, cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs were allowed to double capacity to provide a boost for the struggling hospitality sector.
However, as we prepared to say farewell to the annus horribilis of 2020, the Avalon outbreak meant Christmas in was interrupted.
To the confusion of many, the city was lumped in with Greater Sydney for the first time in the pandemic, and the line for restrictions limiting the number of guests allowed at Christmas lunch was drawn at Windang bridge.
Luckily, the outbreak was short-lived, and in early 2021, life was again tracking along with some degree normalcy.
March saw the first vaccination administered in the district.
Delta variant sparks new fears
On June 16, that all changed when the first community case of the COVID-19 Delta variant was observed in NSW.
Case numbers grew and stay-at-home orders in metropolitan Sydney - which included Wollongong and Shellharbour - were introduced from June 26.
For the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, the Delta peak came on September 23 with 103 cases reported that day.
As vaccination rates rose, stay-at-home orders lifted and, by October, picnics between vaccinated families and friends became all the rage across the region.
There was sense of relief when the mass vaccination clinic opened in Wollongong in Crown Street in August, giving many an easy place to get jabbed and more freedom.
With it came a greater feeling that we were coming out the other side once we had reached the all-important 80 per cent vaccination rate across the state.
The rapid spread of Omicron
Christmas approached and, similar to 2020, there was a palpable sense of relief that another tough year was drawing to a close. But when the at-first unpronounceable Omicron hit, it was groundhog day.
In the week leading up to the holidays, long testing queues put roads around the region in gridlock, as families clamoured to get PCR results in time to see their loved ones on Christmas Day.
By New Year, more Illawarra residents than ever were testing positive each day with numbers growing from 179 cases on Christmas to 809 on January 1. They peaked at the end of January, with 1099 daily cases and in mid February the region lived through its deadliest fortnight.
With winter coming, and case numbers predicted to double next month, there are few Illawarra residents who would see COVID-19 as anywhere near over as the second anniversary of our first cases passes.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Brad Hazzard says the same researchers who correctly predicted the Omicron summer surge had forecast the next wave of cases would peak next month. Just as he would have on March 16, 2020 - he urged people to wear masks, stay home and handwash frequently.
While local health authorities celebrate this major milestone of one year of vaccinations, it's important to keep up the momentum by getting the booster shot or first and second doses for children and young people.