An Outback New Year: The Sun Sets on 2021

Slowly, the sun has set on another year. The past year brought its own challenges and obstacles, as well as a smattering of blessings. For some, it was full of difficulty; for others, a time of new beginnings. No matter which, for all intents and purposes, the old year is finished and the morning dawn has ushered in a new one. 

The Red Centre has cycled through its typical seasons bringing both heat and chill at different times throughout the last twelve months. The shades of seasonal change that will pass across the landscape in 2022 bring a sense of security as they have for millennia, but there is still room for spontaneity and change, the chance to create. The presence of the virus in communities throughout the Northern Territory pulled a shade of darkness into the last months of 2021, but these communities are resilient and have risen above.

The sun sets on 2021: The end of a year

There is something special about the new year. Twelve months lie before us, not yet written in, full of an emptiness that we will fill. We have two choices: hope or despair. The new year is a chance for new beginnings. It takes courage to set our faces to the future, let go of what has been and take a chance on the what lies ahead.

As the first morning of 2022 unfolds, let's remember that we have a new day. It is not time to quit or give up. It is time to steel ourselves and press on, into the unknown, with all its light and shadows. The outback people across Australia are still forging ahead, still part of tight-knit communities, still supporting one another. 

We don't know what tomorrow begins, but there have been hard times before, just as this is not the last time we will feel the pressure. However, we know from the past that we are strong enough to navigate change, and for that reason, we will prevail. Look towards 2022 with a smile. In twelve months' time from now when it too closes, the events we have overcome will be a source of pride in the ever-growing tapestry that is life.