Year in Review: The local stories that grabbed our attention for good and bad reasons in final months of 2025

A new-look council, a sporting hero getting his just deserts and a fierce bushfire that threatened hundreds of Geraldton homes — the local headlines that dominated the Geraldton Guardian between October and December 2005 certainly put an exclamation mark on the end of the year. 1. WHAT AN INNINGS Local croquet legend Wilfred “Wilf” Gregory celebrated his 100th birthday on October 5 surrounded by friends, family and memories of a rich life. The month before, another resident at the same nursing home, Juniper Hillcrest, Mollie Parsons also marked her 100th birthday with her loved ones. Her secret to a long and happy life? “Just accept what happens, and don’t get too stirred up about anything that doesn’t go your way, make most of the things you have, it’s no good complaining or getting upset about things if you didn’t have them.” 2. ANOTHER ELECTION In October, the third election of 2025 took place with locals going to the ballot box for local government polls. In Greater Geraldton, four spots were up for grabs — with ex-mayor Shane Van Styn gaining the most votes followed by deputy mayor Natasha Colliver and newcomers Tim Milnes and Serena Giudice. Existing councillors Victor Tanti, Steve Cooper and Aaron Horsman were not re-elected, while Crs Jennifer Critch and Michael Librizzi did not stand, paving the way for a new-look council — reduced in size by two spots under local government reforms. 3. BRIDGING THE FREIGHT GAP In November, the rebuilt Nangetty-Walkaway Bridge was officially opened in a ceremony attended by council and community leaders as well as multiple generations of local families who have seen different versions of the bridge come and go. The $8 million bridge — funded with the help of State and Federal governments to cater for more freight traffic — is the third of its kind in the location, replacing the one built in 1964 that replaced the original wooden bridge from 1896. 4. SKY SPECTACULAR Thousands gathered as the skies above Geraldton foreshore lit up with a breathtaking drone display in October. The Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation’s NAIDOC Celebration Drone Show was a resounding success, a fitting finale to a day celebrating culture, community and connection. 5. ELDER’S FAREWELL The Mid West lost one of its most respected Indigenous leaders in 2025 when academic, author, poet, artist and activist Charmaine Papertalk Green Smith passed away in August. She was given a fitting farewell in her hometown of Mullewa in October, attended by 700 mourners. A quote from Papertalk Green-Smith read out at her funeral spoke volumes of her love for her people and country: “I love that I belong to Yamaji people. I don’t think I’d have been happy with any other race or group. We are very proud and powerful people and we have strong stories to tell about our country and our connection to country.” 6. WELCOME HOME The 20th anniversary of Geraldton’s Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival in late October saw the homecoming of one of the town’s biggest success stories: actor and author Tasma Walton. As one of the headlining guest authors, Walton’s trip to Geraldton was a trip down memory lane, while taking in all the changes over the past couple of decades. Come back soon! 7. CUP DAY It’s not known as the race that stops the nation for nothing — every corner of the country, Geraldton included, celebrates Melbourne Cup Day as one of the most important days on the social and cultural calendar — even if Victoria is the only State to get a public holiday out of it. Like previous years, thousands of punters flocked to Geraldton Turf Club on the first Tuesday in November to watch the big race and then watch the local fancies battle it out on our track. 8. AWESOME AURORA AUSTRALIS What a shot. In mid-November, Graeme Wilton snapped this spectacular image of the Aurora Australis on his smartphone after a shift harvesting crops at Tenindewa. A natural phenomenon, auroras are best seen near high latitude regions close to the Arctic and Antarctic. They are the result of disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by solar flares and ejections — huge blasts of high energy erupting from the sun — displaying patterns of radiant light in the night sky. 9. JUST KUDOS JK West Coast legend and one of Northampton’s favourite sons, Josh Kennedy, was a fitting inclusion into the Mid West Sports Federation’s hall of fame at the Geraldton Guardian Mid West Sports Awards in November. Humble as ever, Kennedy claims he was surprised by this honour from his hometown community. His former Rams junior teammate, long-time AFL rival and 2022 inductee Harry Taylor welcomed Kennedy into the illustrious club, becoming its 13th member. 10. FISHY BUSINESS The backlash to the State Government’s decision to ban demersal fishing was swift and fierce — protests, petitions and even legal action. It’s a tough but necessary step in order to save our dwindling fish stocks, according to the Government and conservationists. On the flipside, industry stakeholders and the Opposition say it will destroy livelihoods as well as lift prices, while throwing doubt over the science relied upon. 11. FIGHTING THE FLAMES One home was destroyed and two others significantly damaged by a two-day bushfire emergency in Geraldton’s northern suburbs late November-early December, but it could have been much worse. The raging inferno came dangerously close to up to 600 properties, including Waggrakine Primary School and Nazareth House. Two 11-year-old boys were charged over the fire, but dealt with outside of court. The community rallied together for the victims and everyone had the same thought front of mind — thank God for our firies and all our frontline first responders! 12. E-SCOOTER TRAGEDY A family endured the worst possible news on Christmas Eve when a 37-year-old man who was riding a rented e-scooter along Brand Highway in Tarcoola Beach he fell off, succumbing to his critical injuries at the scene. The tragedy has renewed debate about the safety of e-scooters, with the City of Greater Geraldton due to imminently review its contract with hire service Beam.