Twenty-four of my top moments from this year

2024 has come and gone so quickly - it seems like just a few weeks ago it was still January and I had little idea of what the year would bring. Now, as we stand on the verge of 2025, that feeling has returned. When I look back on my 2024, the memories and significant moments are countless. That’s why I’ve chosen to share twenty-four iconic moments with you, sorted into four unique categories, that have made my 2024 memorable.

LITERATURE IN 2024

Top 5 Books:

1. The Lord of the Rings; by J.R.R. Tolkien

This year I finally took the plunge on delving into the world-renowned land of Middle-earth, crafted by the one and only J.R.R. Tolkien. I started The Hobbit in November of 2023, but paused. I returned to it in January this year, and I loved it! I immersed myself in The Lord of the Rings later this year, and while Tolkien’s iconic style of writing made the trilogy a somewhat challenging read, I somehow pulled off reading through it all within 27 days. The movies soon followed. All in all, the legendary stories featured in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings not only lived up to my expectations, but exceeded them, earning these classics a sure place on my Favourites shelf.

2. The Silmarillion; by J.R.R. Tolkien

Not many people know of Tolkien’s other works, such as The Silmarillion. Published only after the great writer’s death, it was edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien. The Silmarillion was quite a difficult read, taking me nearly over a month to get through just 366 pages. But that can be understandable, as it was written in such a way that one might write a historical report. In fact, I found that the writing style in some of The Silmarillion resembled parts of the Bible.

3. Mistborn: The Final Empire; by Brandon Sanderson

In October I finally caved and allowed myself to be launched into the chaotic (albeit adventurous) world of Brandon Sanderson with The Final Empire; the first book in his Mistborn series. It was quite dark and more gruesome than I had expected, but somehow my morbid writer’s brain made sense of it all, and I actually really enjoyed it. After the incredible ending in the first book, I eagerly got the second book, The Well of Ascension, and devoured it within a few days. I’m still waiting to get my hands on book three, The Hero of Ages, and from what I’ve read so far of Sanderson’s writing, I know it will be a thrilling read.

4. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy; by Eric Metaxas

Of course I’d heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer before, but after reading Metaxas’ stunning biography on the German pastor, I’ve walked away feeling like an expert. It took me almost three months to get through all 750 pages, and as some friends have heard me describe it, the writing style is comprehensive enough to be a university essay or PhD thesis. However, each chapter is filled to the brim with an immense wealth of inside information and facts about the life Bonhoeffer lived, supplemented with references and first-person accounts from multiple sources, including letters written by and sent to the fantastic theologian. So despite the intense facts upon facts (something we writers like to call “info-dumping”. But hey, it’s a nonfiction book, what do you expect?), I would highly recommend Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy to anyone who wishes to gain an insider’s view, not only into the life of the theologian, but also the lives of those who lived in the shadows of World War II’s Third Reich.

5. Long Road to Mercy; by David Baldacci

It’s my introduction to the works of Baldacci, and the suspense blew me away. He writes remarkably well; his research into and knowledge of weaponry, geography, and the American justice system results in a masterfully told, almost plausible, sequence of events (which, considering the many crime/thriller novels and TV shows out there, can be hard to come by). 

And I tell you what, like I told one of my writing friends (who is now also hooked on Baldacci), Long Road to Mercy ended with what I can only describe as the best book ending I’ve ever read. Seriously, if you like endings in books that wrap up the entire novel in just one punchy sentence, while alluding to an intense sequel, David Baldacci provides you with a PERFECT example in this novel.

Top 5 Writing Achievements:

1. Crazy Writing Week

January this year saw me participating in a fun writing event called Crazy Writing Week. Aspiring writers aged 12–25 were split into two teams, with the objective of writing as many words as you can in just one week. Not only was it fun, but it also reinvigorated my enthusiasm for writing, and led me to making great headway on my projects. You can learn more about the event and read my article about it here.

2. The Young Writer’s Workshop

I was ready to take my writing to the next level after Crazy Writing Week. And as that came to a close, a whole new door opened— I joined the Young Writer’s Workshop. Enrolling in this incredible online program has been one of the best decisions of my life. Not only have I been able to get answers when it comes to plot structure, but I have been able to interact with others at various levels in the writing process—something that is critical for writers to be able to do if they want to do well in their career.

3. Inktober

Inktober is an event for artists worldwide to come together and create a piece of art every day in the month of October, through a one-word prompt assigned to that day. In the writing world, we do it too! This year I participated in Inktober, writing an absolutely ridiculous, 16,000-word nonsense story, titled, The Pasta Predicament. I cannot explain the thought process that went through my mind as I wrote each chapter—I simply let my fingers go wild. The story itself is preposterous, but what Inktober taught me is that you really can be consistent with writing. 

4. Hitting the 6k Mark

For a writing achievement, reaching 6,000 words is nothing short of pathetic. The average novel length is 50,000 words; almost ten times longer than my little milestone. But with so much at the moment that’s been soaking up my time, six thousand words on a project I started in November is an achievement for me. I plan for this new project to be around 125,000 words, so I still have a LONG way to go, but it’s the little things that contribute to creating the big things. 

5. New Blogging Record

Before September, my most successful article was NaNoWriMo 2023. It reached over 70 views within a month of its publication. But on 21 September this year, that was SMASHED by my US Election debate review, which got 104 views in its first WEEK! 

Looking at total views, however, my response to the US Election results has truly taken the biscuit, generating well over 200 views in just a month after publication. You can read both of them in my Opinion category, found here.

HISTORIC MILESTONES IN 2024

On a global scale, 2024 was a big year too, for many reasons, including these ten:

Elections, elections

1. British Labor election

I admit, I don’t know much about British politics except for the fact that their king in 1776 was overthrown by a bunch of muddy civilians across the ocean. But the election in Great Britain is nevertheless important, as the leadership there will impact what happens around the world. Held on 4 July (how ironic…the exact day the Americans OVERTHREW the British government!), this year, the former Conservative party, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was ousted by the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer. I cannot give many opinion-based comments on this, however if the UK Labour party is anything like the Australian Labor party, the UK will certainly be in my prayers.

2. Trump gets shot

It was an early July morning at the beach when the world came to a standstill. The TV in my cabin flickered on to show what was all over the news: Donald Trump had just been shot. An assassination attempt at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It was only with the Lord’s mercy that the then-presidential candidate survived a shot to the head, the bullet only grazing his right ear, literally millimetres from what could have been a deadly assault. Unfortunately there was a casualty within the crowd when a bullet unintentionally struck a supporter instead of Trump.

For the next few days the world seemed to come to a screeching halt as the replays of the attack rolled continuously through the news outlets. Who could have done this? The shooter had been killed by return fire from one of the security snipers. But the jury was—and still is—out there as to how the situation unfolded; how the shooter accessed the rally so easily; the motive, and whether or not this was a fatal mistake or horrifying inside job.

As if that wasn’t enough, Trump survived two more assassination attempts a few weeks later. It became clear that somebody didn’t want Mr MAGA to win the upcoming election.

3. Aussie Liberal elections

Australia saw three general elections take place this year, in Queensland, in the Northern Territory, and in the Australian Capital Territory—all of which were red Labor strongholds. The hot, dusty Northern Territory was first to crumble. In August, left-wing Chief Minister Eva Lawler sought to win Labor’s fourth consecutive election in the NT, only to be defeated in a landslide by conservative Opposition Party leader Lia Finocchiaro from the Country Liberals. 

Later, it was Queensland’s turn. The “Sunshine State” was being held onto by the giggling Premier Steven Miles, who was deputy to Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk before she resigned in December 2023. Miles, hoping to keep a hold of Queensland again, managed to do quite well in the initial polls against his Liberal adversary David Crisafulli. However, it all fell apart in the end on the night of the election when Crisafulli managed to swipe Queensland back and take the crown as the state’s 41st Premier.

4. Aussie Labor election

It wasn’t all fun and games with the blue Liberals, though. October also saw the Australian Capital Territory go to the polls, unfortunately ending with the less desirable outcome. The ACT has been a Labor stronghold for a staggering 23 years, under the iron fists of Chief Ministers such as Jon Stanhope, Katy Gallagher, and currently, Andrew Barr, who has managed to hold onto his seat for over 10 years.

There seemed to have been a ray of hope over 2024; hope that perhaps this year would be different and that team blue might win, led by Liberal Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee. But alas, yet again Canberrans voted similarly as before, landing Labor with their backsides on the Chief Minister’s throne for another four years. 

5. Trump wins the election

Well, what do you know! Turns out the failed assassination attempts on Trump actually made him a stronger candidate. Big mistake on the opposition's part, that’s for sure. After the debate between Trump and Biden turned out to be nothing but a hysterical failure on Biden’s part, the Democrats had to scramble to find another suitable candidate. Enter: Vice President Kamala “Salad Lady” Harris. Yes, team blue, deeeeefinitely a good choice there.

In September, the ABC hosted the next debate: Radical Republican Rudolph vs Delirious Democrat Daisy! (I say, sounds like a good title for a superhero comic) And while no one could decide which candidate won—especially with the so-called “unbiased moderators” giving Trump and Harris a hard time about World War III and unicorns—, it must have had some impact on the votes, because just a month and a bit later the results were in, and shock! Surprise! Halloumi Harris had been ousted by Donald McDonald's!

Other world events:

6. The Paris Olympics

26 July 2024 saw the world’s largest sports competition begin in the French “City of Light”, Paris. And what an event it was! I, for one, spent most of my time watching the swimming—and with great pride celebrated the wins of athletes such as Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown, Cameron McEvoy and Tatjana Smith. Happening only every four years, the Olympics have become one of the world’s most celebrated events, and there’s a reason for it: even I, someone not known for my sporting trophies and enthusiasm, couldn’t resist the urge to get up at 5am to watch some of the swim races.

7. October 7 Anniversary

A less exciting, and more serious world event that took place this year was the one-year anniversary of October 7, 2023, when members of Hamas invaded, attacked and killed, thousands of people in Israel, taking 234 hostages (some still at large) in what can only be described as a ghastly act of terror. October 2024 saw crowds gathered around the world, around major cities to remember the atrocities that took place a year ago, and to take a stand against the mounting antisemitism that has become evident across the world. Commemorating the innocent civilians affected on both sides of the current war, the members of the IDF who have fallen, and to pray for the surviving hostages who were still in captivity, it was a day to remember the promise that the world had made to Israel after the Holocaust: that such a brutal slaughter of Jews and innocents would happen “Never Again”.

8. D-Day Anniversary

On the 6th of June, 1944, the Allied Forces invaded the beaches of German-occupied Normandy, France, in a shocking surprise attack. The German commanders believed that the Allies would strike around the Pas de Calais region, and were caught completely unawares when the English, Americans, Canadians, and other Allied soldiers arrived in Normandy. Now, in 2024, the 80th anniversary of this momentous day was celebrated across the world with flyovers, award ceremonies, and festivities in honour of the fallen and the victory that became a turning point in the Second World War.

9. Charlie comes to Aus

2011 was the last time that Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia. In her visit in 1954, it was the first time a reigning British monarch had ever visited the country. And in October 2024, her son King Charles III visited the wide brown land—and better yet, the capital city of Canberra. Of course, it would be absurd not to go and try to catch a glimpse of the King, and so we took a day trip to wait out in the hot, blistering sun outside Parliament House to wait for his arrival. And despite the sunburn and dehydration I suffered, I do not regret a single moment of it (except maybe wearing thick jeans…that was not a good idea). I got to stand and watch the King of England himself as he entered the Australian Parliament for the first time in history (plus, Senator Lidia Thorpe provided some newsworthy indoor ‘entertainment’, which I’ll save for another article sometime).

10.  Notre-Dame

Finally, on the 7th of December the iconic Catholic French cathedral of Notre-Dame was reopened, following the devastating fire that tore through the monument in April 2019. It was a day of celebration, not just for the French, but also many other leaders and icons around the world, including President-elect Trump, who made the trip all the way from the United States to attend the reopening ceremony. The bells rang once more, echoing their triumph in (literally) rising from the ashes.

SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE OF 2024

Finally, I want to acknowledge 4 figures who I think have done an astounding job this year:

1. Benjamin Netanyahu

He may not be the most popular man at the moment, but it cannot be denied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown incredible strength and courage this year in defending Israel from the attacks, terrorism, threats, and antisemitism that’s being flung at him and his country by the rest of the world.

2. Peter Dutton

Another strong leader is Liberal Leader and Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton, who has shown time and time again that having an uncompromising, strong outlook on looking after Australians through inflation and cost of living, as well as energy and pricing, is the way it should be done. I look forward to seeing how he fares in the federal election next year.

3. Princess Kate

To have been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, Princess Kate has displayed immense courage and bravery in delivering her messages to the public. Through it all she has still found a way to represent others/ and show an empathy towards those walking down similar, or even darker, paths. It is this sensitivity and understanding that seems to be lacking in a lot of leaders at the moment, but has proven to be vital in the long run—especially in increasing popularity, if votes are what you’re looking for. 

4. For KING + COUNTRY

Finally, I’d like to highlight Luke and Joel Smallbone behind the globally-acclaimed band ‘for King + Country’. This year has been a big year for them, going from their tour back to Australia (which I unfortunately missed); to the release of the movie Unsung Hero which tells of their family’s move to the States; to the release of their “festive phenomenon”, A Drummer Boy Christmas: LIVE. The brothers have been hard at work this year; and this work has paid off with impressive results.

CONCLUSION: 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW

Well, well, that’s a wrap of my biggest moments in 2024! It’s been a big year. And even more exciting, I can tell that 2025 is going to be even bigger. I can’t wait to see what happens.

What was your top moment in 2024? Let me know in the comments!