Editors note – Here’s to next year!

What a year 2016 has been.

Every year I get a little nostalgic around this time. For some reason, the end of the year is always a tough time of reflection for me.

But this year is different. This year I feel happy, I feel hopeful and I feel inspired. Yes, I feel excruciatingly tired – like ready to fall off my chair tired, but somehow, this year I am motivated.

I think the motivation comes from you, our amazing readers. In my short time as editor, we have worked on a couple of small projects – testing the waters for bigger things to come. I have been astonished by the support we have received from you all. A small plea for donations for the flood victims earlier this year yielded about 100 bin bags worth of generous donations from our community. Our Christmas tree project resulted in every child at a crèche in Kya Sand receiving a little gift to take home this festive season, as well as bags full of toys for the crèche to use at will.

We never realise how much our tiny acts of kindness can mean to other people, and I am so grateful to you for teaching me that lesson. Taking the gifts to the underprivileged children in our community, seeing the looks of genuine gratitude on their little faces when they received what could be their only gift this year, melted my heart.

We can do so much, with so little, and I plan to do so much more next year.

Thank you all for your support this year, not only with our campaigns but also toward myself and our newspapers. I have been welcomed with open arms, and am truly happy to be working for this community.

I wish you all a wonderful, restful but, most importantly, safe festive season. Enjoy the time you have with your families, relax, unwind and prepare yourself for the wonderful chaos there will be in 2017.

Goodbye 2016 – what a year it has been!