2020 was a challenging year for many of us with a worldwide pandemic throwing a spanner in the works! We saw the introduction of social distancing, lockdowns, working from home became the norm, we stayed in touch with Zoom meetings and parents took on the role of teacher with many children learning from home.  The year made many of us look at life a little differently and prioritise what is important to us. Overseas holidays turned into domestic holiday road trips where families discovered what their local areas and state has to offer.

Now as we begin 2021, we thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on the year that was 2020, what it may have taught us and what we may hope to improve this year. We asked a few staff members to share with us their own 2020 reflections as well as what they may do differently for 2021. We hope this gives you some inspiration for the year to come.

What our staff said:

Marie

It taught me that I really loved working from home and if I could, I would!  You can never be too careful and sanitize, sanitize and sanitize. In 2021 I’m going to do the things that I love doing more like fishing, going on adventures, spending time with my fur babies and friends.

 

Glenn

I learnt that travel for work really takes it out of you and isn’t as necessary as I used to think. Also, that we are not very good at jigsaw puzzles! During the COVID-19 lockdown, the experience taught me that flexibility in how we work has been the key and there is more than one way to 'skin a cat', so in 2021 I will continue to look at different solutions.

 

Laura

It made me realise that I wanted a career change and stability in my life. 2020 taught me to stop being so busy and to take time for myself without feeling guilty. In 2021, I plan to keep taking time for myself and not leading such a busy life.

 

Chloe

I learnt that we are a pretty creative bunch when it comes to entertaining ourselves at home and staying connected using technology. 2020 taught me that life is short and made me realise how rewarding experiencing new things is. All my goals for 2021 are experience focussed – locally just in case.

 

Pennie

How lucky we are to be Australian and live in Australia. We witnessed our governments make sound, timely decisions and implement strong economic support packages. We experienced relative low rates of COVID-19 and compared to other countries the impact was low. It also made me appreciate and enjoy the simplicity and pleasure of a slower life.

With these in mind, a new year brings new opportunities and changes, but we can take advantage of these bigger and better than before with a more informed lens as our team members have explained.

We wish you all the best in 2021!