The issues that shaped us in 2021: Leader journalist Caitlin Reid reflects on year's defining moments

EVERY year the Leader brings hundreds of stories to life, and as 2021 comes to a close, we are looking back on stories that most needed to be told.

During a year when the COVID-19 press conference became a part of our daily routines, we could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Then came the floods, with repair bills in the millions and devastating crop losses on the cusp of a bumper harvest after years of drought.

Of course in between the lockdowns and natural disasters there was still a community crying out for basic services, with rural areas like Tamworth and Gunnedah bearing the brunt of the health crisis and skills shortage.

Here's a look back on 2021.

Gunnedah NSW floods: Heartache for Gunnedah community as receding floodwaters leave locals mourning losses and fearing long-term impacts

AS the murky floodwaters retreated in Gunnedah, a community was mourning what's been lost.

Precious memories, belongings, and years of hard work have all been swept away in the worst flood the town has seen in almost 40 years.

While locals have had huge personal losses, it's the long-term and compounded impacts on the community they fear most. Read the story here.

'Buckle-up': Tamworth's leaders ready to tough it out as region dragged into statewide lockdown extension

IT'S Christmas, a time when we can finally come together. But only four months ago the region was being dragged once again into a state-wide lockdown extension.

Tamworth's leaders stated at the time that opening the regions up in the face of high levels of community transmission and the highly infectious Delta strain of COVID-19 simply wasn't worth the risk.

Little did we know that by Christmas NSW would be faced with the highest COVID numbers seen since the start of the pandemic. Read the story here.

Inquiry into rural health services lays bare the dire situation facing region

In June, a state parliamentary inquiry into remote, rural, and regional healthcare visited Gunnedah - the heart of the health crisis.

The inquiry was told more than 700 children in the region are on a waitlist for paediatric services.

With no paediatrician currently operating in Gunnedah, children are waiting more than two years as Tamworth specialists are overrun with clients.

Unfunded, under-utilised 'ghost theatres', which could be used to deal with the current backlog to see a specialist, instead sit dormant at Tamworth hospital, the inquiry also heard. Read the story here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: