While the pandemic continues to rage around us, we asked our readers and leaders what they have learnt from two years of COVID.
As a church leader and police chaplain who worked through drug crises and bushfires, Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery has seen his share of disasters.
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But he says nothing compares to the prolonged "nexus of tragedy" he's witnessed over the past few years.
Like everyday Illawarra residents interviewed by the Mercury, he describes the pandemic as "groundhog day" with constant ups and downs during each successive wave of the virus.
"It has been a continuous litany of challenges - bushfires, floods, the situation we confront now, the international scene," he said.
Despite the challenges, he believes the Illawarra has fared relatively well, and was grateful for the plentiful beaches, parks and cycleways that allowed people to get outside during times of restrictions.
"The pandemic has forced people to be more engaged with one and other locally, and it's highlighted the great advantage we have in living in Wollongong where we have opportunities to get outdoors," he said.
Deputy Lord Mayor Tania Brown says her biggest takeaway from the pandemic has been "treasure the little things".
"For example, a picnic was one of the highlights of the past few years," she said.
"Now, it's hard to remember to get back to old ways and retrain ourselves that it's okay OK to go to restaurants, theatres a Hawks game or the meat raffle. But our small businesses need us to do these things."
University of Wollongong Vice Chancellor Professor Patricia Davidson said the pandemic "turned everything up on its head".
"But it's renewed our focus on the importance of education, emphasised the importance of science and taught us that in a pandemic, infectious disease are about the whole of society," she said.
"It's taught us to be agile, innovate, and move forward."