2020: the year from hell

Let's all just take a second.

2020 was undoubtedly one of the toughest years most of us have ever faced (and probably ever will), and we don't wanna say it's up there with the challenges and hardships of the world war years or anything like that, but god these past 365 days were a total b**ch, Regina George style. 

We've all had to face more than what we bargained for when we counted down the new year and hoped that a new decade would bring joy, happiness and more money than we knew what to do with (forever hoping that happens). 

But instead, what we got was a total sh*t show and we have absolutely no shame going back into the store and requesting to see the manager for a refund. 

While describing how devastating this year was is hard to put into generalised words, you bet your ass we're gonna try. This year deserves to be remembered, understood, and learned from....before putting it out with the bins on a Tuesday afternoon. 

However, we thought it would be a good idea to reflect and look back on some of the pivotal moments of 2020, and send up quick prayers that this new year will look a hell of a lot different (fingers crossed we see the back of covid). 

So, now that we're safely on the other side of 2020, we can look back on it with our shades on and our middle finger up whilst trying to pretend that this year sounding like 2020 won doesn't haunt our dreams out night. May god help us all. 

aussie bushfires 

There's nothing like starting the year with half the country on fire, am I right? Honestly, we should've known then that this year would be more than we could handle.

In January of 2020, our beautiful country faced the continuation of one of its most devastating bushfire seasons yet. What was colloquially termed as 'Black Summer', saw nearly 80% of Australians affected, either directly or indirectly, by the fires that burnt up to 46 million acres of bushland and farmland. 

Not only did we lose an enormous amount of precious Aussie flora, it has been estimated that by the 8th of January, more than 8 billion animals were killed during the bushfire season. That's more than the amount of people currently living on this Earth. 

Our hearts ache for all of the kangaroos that didn't make it home, the insects that died before they got the chance to live, and for all of the birds whose wings couldn't carry them any further. 

Sorry to get all depressed on you there but you know our furry friends are our weak spot. In fact, we took it upon ourselves to help in any way we could, and so we adopted a Koala.

If you wanna do the same thing (highly recommend), then have a look on the Australian Koala Foundation's website to see how you can help ease the affect of these bushfires on our favourite furry natives.  

Along with the mass devastation to our wildlife, 34 Aussies also lost their lives and NASA estimated that about 306 millions tonnes of carbon dioxide had been emitted. 

We shudder to think about the fact that Mumma Nature spent the first 3 months of this year coughing and struggling to breathe. At least we have some wholesome content of firefighters saving animals to help get us through. 

black lives matter protests

Can you actually believe this happened in 2020? Don't worry if you can't, we're right there with you. 

As it turns out, quarantine time distortion is a real thing, and while it feels like 2020 lasted for 12 months and 278 years, in actual fact, it didn't. 

The Black Lives Matter movement was sparked again in May when an unarmed black man, George Floyd, was murdered by police in Minneapolis. 

This unlawful act saw protests against systemic racism held around the world, including right here in Australia.

Now you might be asking 'why Australia', but if you don't know the answer to that question then our education system is failing. Big time (but that's a whole different issue). 

Back to the point. These protests stemmed from how our beautiful, largely multicultural country came to be, a land taken from our First Nations people, without thought, treaty, respect or compensation of any kind. 

This saw generations of native Australians forced off their land, stripped of their dignity and fight for their lives. Much of this pain is still being felt today (and rightfully so), with the government still failing to understand how their actions are affecting the very heart of what it means to be Aboriginal. 

In October, a centuries-old birthing tree was cut down along Victoria's Western Highway to make room for the highway upgrade project. 

Everyone loves the movie Avatar right? There's that beautiful scene where Neytiri shows Jake 'The Tree of Souls' and everyone basically falls in love with how beautiful Pandora is? Yeah well this tree was just as sacred and just as important to Aboriginal culture. 

We shudder to think at the pain and devastation Aboriginal Australians feel at the thought that something so special was cut down for no good reason (we definitely can't see one). 

Let's hope 2021 is the year that the government wakes up and finally starts treating our native Australians with the respect they've long ago deserved.

Introducing coronavirus 

2020 really said, "hold my beer" with this one. 

Gone are the days where we associate the word 'corona' with the delicious alcoholic drink from Mexico. 

On Jan 9th, the World Health Organisation announced that a deadly virus named coronavirus or covid-19, had emerged in the town of Wuhan, China. 

Now, there's still some conjecture around how the virus actually started and how it was spread but most scientists agree that it more than likely developed in an animal that was then given to a human.

What they can also agree on is that the animal that seems to have originated this virus is indeed the bat, however it is still unclear whether or not the virus was passed from animal to human via consumption. 

Meaning, no, it's not definite that someone ate bat soup and started spreading the 'rona. 

In a matter of months, this highly contagious virus had spread across the globe, infecting more than 20 million people and resulting in at least 751,000 deaths. 

Luckily in Australia, and more specifically in Victoria, our numbers are a lot lower than in some other parts of the world (America and the UK, here's lookin' at you). 

Although, we did have to go through months of a gruelling lockdown, which saw an 8pm curfew introduced and only 1 hour of exercise a day allowed, we are now on the other side and looking forward to a much more open and free 2021. Okay, we really hope we didn't just jinx that. Fingers crossed. 

Along with the many restrictions we had to follow, we were also treated to a daily press conference from old mate Dan Andrews where we proceeded to hear what turned out to be the most overused words to ever have been said in the English language. 

Phrases like, 'flatten the curve', and 'all in this together' (but are we really??) were usually followed by words that gave us all nightmares; unprecedented, quarantine, genomic sequences and social distancing. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, you had to say goodbye to your holiday plans as each and every state played 'shut the border', only to open them......oh no wait, they're shut again. 

At least we've had a good chuckle over the now infamous line 'get on the beers', said by Dan Andrews on reopening bars and pubs. Aussie culture, are we right? 

PSA: we wanted to say a quick thank you to the hospital staff, the grocery store clerks and the restaurant workers. Thank you to the teachers, the vaccine scientists, and our farmers. Thank you to the child carers, the nursing home staff, and to all the volunteers. Thank you to the delivery/truck drivers, our generous neighbours and to the kind strangers. ⠀

We were forced to stop and think this year, and it proved a time for us to reflect and respect those who work selflessly to help others.

people we lost 

We were forced to say goodbye to a whole heap of awesome humans this year to the point that we may have actually forgotten what happiness feels like. For anyone who can't remember, happiness is a noun that refers to the state of being happy. Hopefully we'll all get back there at some point. 

kobe bryant 

On 26th of Jan, LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, were killed when the helicopter they were in crashed over California. 

Once retiring from professional basketball, Kobe became an inspirational leader who was always encouraging the next generation of ballers. His love letter to the game he played for most of his life in the form of a short film, 'Dear Basketball', earned him his first Oscar and showcased his determination, drive and perseverance for all things in life. 

chadwick boseman 

Next up, Chadwick Boseman died on August 28th, shocking literally everyone on this face of this Earth. Chadwick, unbeknownst to all of us, was battling cancer and had been for 4 years. 

Most commonly known for his role in 'Black Panther', Chadwick become an inspiration to many, giving young African American children a hero that looked exactly like them. 

Not only was he someone children could look up to but he also spent much of the last 4 years of his life visiting sick kids and doing charity work which leads us to believe that heaven gained an angel. 

ruth bader ginsberg 

As if 2020 couldn't get any worse, US Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg died on the 18th of September. 

A trial blazer for women's rights, Ruth was only the second justice on the nations high court, serving for 27 years, acting to take down sexist policies and laws one by one. Honestly, what a woman, what a feminist, what an icon. 

Last but not least, as previously mentioned, the world has lost over 700,000 people from coronavirus, and while they may not be as well known as the ones we've just mentioned, they aren't any less important. 

president donald trump was impeached 

Ah yes, who could forget? The president faced an impeachment trial in January for abuse of power and obstruction of congress over asking Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. 

A whole lot of stuff happened after that, a few choice twitter posts were published and bam on February the 5th, the republicans in the senate voted in favour of President Trump and he was acquitted. *face palm*. 

At least he lost the election so that's definitely one thing we can all be happy about. 

...and that's all folks. Thanks for joining us on this trip down memory lane. Must we never repeat it again. xoxo