As I watched the final fireworks fade over Sydney Harbour from my vantage point at the Opera House and 2023 began, I decided to reflect on the year that was.

The start of 2022 brought a new beginning and I formally embarked on a career as a journalist.

As the sole reporter for the Jimboomba Times I was thrown into the deep end, but thanks to a strong team and guidance from my editor I never felt out of my depth.

It was a big year in local news, and I covered floods, a federal election and a footy grand final among other things.

I also spread my wings to cover stories from further afield and interviewed an Australian volunteer in Ukraine, as well as stints writing for the Katherine Times and the North West Star.

Being the only reporter assigned to my paper has meant I’ve kept my photography skills sharp but has meant I’ve had less time devoted to pursuing it as an art.

Although I did find the time to shoot some rolls of film on my summer holiday in Sydney and chased waterfalls in the Blue Mountains, I found little time for astrophotography in 2022.

This is something I plan to address in 2023, and I also plan on delving further into the depths of film photography and development.

I will also seek to branch out in my writing, both as a journalist and just doing it just for the sake of it.

With a successful 2022 behind me 2023 will still be a “new year, new me”, but the new me will be very much like the old me.