Floods, fatalities and weird fauna – 2016 has been an intriguing and emotional year for the Bega District.
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Below we look back on the BDN website’s 10 biggest stories for the year, as indicated by the most unique users recorded by Google Analytics.
There were articles that received much higher page views than these, but rather than have a top 10 list filled with multiple flood photo galleries and Melbourne Cup Day socials, these are the stories that saw more individual readers engaged.
August, 17,616 users
The terribly tragic story of young Noa Jessop, who was crossing the road after getting off the school bus at his home in Collagolite when he was hit by a car and died.
The 10-year-old was remembered as a gentle soul and popular kid who loved the outdoors and playing footy. There were outpourings of grief from across the region and his school, St Patrick’s Bega, with his funeral service attended by hundreds.
November, 10,189 users
Perhaps due to the interest around roadworks and travel delays on a major highway, or perhaps due to a less-than-ideally-worded original headline, the temporary closure of Brown Mountain certainly created a stir with readers.
The ongoing work to repair landslips on the Snowy Mountains Hwy has long been a thorn in the side of motorists, freight operators and the small community of Bemboka, which enjoys the benefits of through traffic.
January, 9663 users
Who can forget Dickhead Day and the furore created by a cheeky/offensive sign at a Bermagui cafe?! A photo of the sign alerting visitors that yes, the coffee shop would be open on National Dickhead Day, quickly went viral on social media and became a national sensation.
While many stood up for the cafe owner’s rights to free speech and pointing out what some already believe of our national celebrations on January 26, it also led to vandalism to the shopfront and death threats levelled at the owner.
November, 7057 users
With a handful of jaw-drop-inducing photos, local bloke Steve Young captivated readers with photos of a 1.6metre-long red-bellied black snake devouring a similarly sized brown snake on his Kanoona property.
He wasn’t too fussed to get up close for some photos – “it won’t bite me, it’s got its mouth full!”
Cheers Steve!
July, 6161 users
Breaking news is the bread and butter of digital news journalism, with an audience more and more wanting to know what’s happening, as it is happening. This two sentence police brief was just such a piece, demonstrating it doesn’t need to be a fully realised lead article with photo gallery to draw reader interest. As long as it’s accurate, factual and more often than not, followed up with more in-depth reporting.
April, 6093 users
An altercation between two women in the Sapphire Marketplace in Bega led to one of them being stabbed in the neck and the other arrested and charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The victim was left fighting for her life, her carotid artery and airway punctured. However, she recovered from those injuries.
In August, Samantha Joyce Perry, 28, of Bega, was jailed for five years and three months for the stabbing. She will be eligible for parole in early 2019.
June, 6073 users
The East Coast Low that tore across the NSW South Coast in early June caused countless damage to public infrastructure and erosion to beaches.
Chief among the issues for the Bega Valley Shire Council was significant damage to the heritage listed Tathra Wharf. Due to the violent weather, the wharf’s main deck and ramp was lifted off its pylons, separating from the roadway and slipping sideways.
Photos and videos of the surf swell and subsequent damage captured readers’ attention and sparked an ongoing conversation about the storm repair bill and insurance policies of council.
April, 5744 users
Demonstrating the regional nature of our Fairfax newsroom and the ability of big stories to transcend locality, a 24-hour police chase that ended in an arrest in Braidwood makes it on to the BDN Top 10 articles list.
Stephen Boyd was arrested after a manhunt following the death of Tina Kontozis, allegedly bashed to death with a cricket bat over the Anzac Day long weekend at her home in Bundeena.
June, 5348 users
Bega River flooding is nothing new for local residents and farmers, but when a warning comes through predicting levels higher than 1991’s flood event, readers tuned in and took notice.
More than 260mm of rain fell on the catchment in one weekend in early June and the Bega River peaked at 7.3 metres – not quite to the heights of 1971 and 2011, but still deep enough to cause widespread damage.
Schools across the region were closed on the Monday, while up to 60 homes were isolated on Angledale Rd, Buckajo Rd and in Springvale alone.
One fascinating flow-on effect (pardon the pun) of the East Coast Low and heavy rain was an incredible influx of sea foam on to the region’s beaches.
January, 5040 users
Floods again, this time during the more usual first quarter. The Bega River peaked at 5.63metres on January 5, causing widespread flooding and road closures.
Credit for popularity in 2016 also goes to one of the most random stories we’ve done in quite some time when a fur seal was spotted lazing about in a Jellat cow paddock in November.
Quick thinking saw a BDN journalist on the scene capturing photos and videos as a NPWS team arrived to capture the seal and then release it safely into Mogareeka inlet – about 12km downstream!
The article saw 4930 unique users and 74,634 page views.