STORIES THAT SHAPED THE WORLD

THE FIRST YEAR OF THE NEW DECADE CHANGED LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. HERE, WHO TAKES A LOOK BACK AT A YEAR FILLED WITH TEARS, TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH

Australia on fire

Australians are all too familiar with the devastation brought on by the annual bushfire season and after a period of record-breaking temperatures and severe drought, the signs were already looking ominous in mid-2019.

Things turned catastrophic as the calendar flipped over into 2020 and the entire world watched in horror as flames engulfed the country’s south-east coast. The intense blazes saw residents flee under blood-red skies. Over 18 million hectares burned, destroying 5900 buildings and killing at least one billion animals – more than 100 species required emergency intervention to survive.

“It’s been extraordinary, it’s been unprecedented,” Ben Shepherd from the NSW Rural Fire Service said of the Black Summer bushfires. “And hopefully it’s one that none of us here will ever have to experience again.”

Out of the ashes, a spirit of generosity saw $500 million raised by corporations, celebrities and generous individuals. In mid-February, a 10-hour fundraising concert called Fire Fight Australia featuring performances by 23 acts, including Queen and Adam Lambert, John Farnham, Hilltop Hoods and Olivia NewtonJohn raised $10 million.

The biggest applause, however, was saved for those on the frontline. “Our volunteers across this entire country, they are the ones who saved us,” an emotional Celeste Barber told the crowd of 75,000 punters packed into Sydney’s ANZ Stadium. “It’s been such a hectic time. As Aussies, we bear together and look after each other.”

A world in lockdown