The year has been full of ups and lows, and we at the Central Western Daily have been there to capture every minute of it.
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So, as is the spirit at this time of year, we’ve been looking back at the highs and lows of 2018.
So, in no particular order, here are the most watched videos on the Central Western Daily and Central Western Daily Sport Facebook pages in the past year.
DRAMATIC PURSUIT ON BYNG STREET
A driver, speeding the wrong way along Byng Street, rammed a police car before he was tasered and arrested.
The video shows the car whizzing along Byng Street on the wrong side of the road, before heading around the roundabout and coming back on the right hand side of the road.
What we don’t see in the video is the car colliding with a police vehicle on the roundabout at the intersection of Byng and Anson Streets – but if you click the hyperlink above, the full story has photos.
DOCTOR STEVE’S RETURN TO ORANGE
Dr Steve Peterson’s life changed forever on March 16. Riding his bike to work at Orange hospital, he was struck by a car and nearly died.
But thanks to incredible work from first responders – many of whom knew Steve personally – they were able to save his life, however he was left a quadriplegic by the collision.
He spent seven months in Sydney for treatment and rehabilitation after the accident, which broke every bone in his back and several others in his arms and legs.
However, in December he returned to work at Orange hospital, making his journey one of our most-loved stories of the year.
FINAL DRINKS AT KELLY’S HOTEL
This year saw the closure of one of Orange’s most beloved sporting, drinking and – some would say – cultural institutions.
Kelly’s Rugby Hotel shut its doors for the final time in October, with the final drinks poured on October 28 by Bill Kelly.
Our deputy editor Dave Neil was there, and through his livestream another 7000 people watched the final formalities at Kelly’s.
MONDAYS WITH MATTY AND NICK
Every year on the sports desk is a big year, and 2018 was no exception. Fortunately, Matt Findlay and Nick McGrath were on hand every Monday to provide the best analysis in the business across the Central West.
Attracting a loyal following, especially for #canteenchat, the videos were full of pearls of wisdom about Group 10, Central West Rugby Union, the CWAFL, hockey and other competitions.
If you haven’t seen any of them, do yourself a favour and get stuck in.
REQUEST TO HELP OUR FIRIES
A call-out for donations from Sian Jacobs from Nashdale during the Mount Canobolas Fires in February was one of the most-watched videos of the year.
Ms Jacobs and the Nashdale community threw their support behind the firefighters, running barbecues and sandwich spots for firefighters battling the blaze to regain their energy.
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW ...
While it wasn’t an incredible frigid winter, we shivered through one night of -7.2 degrees, and the collection of photos we threw together the next morning proved incredibly popular as photos flooding in from the winter wonderland that Orange had become in July.
AFTERMATH OF CANOBOLAS FIRE
The Mount Canobolas Fire which tore through the peak in February was one of the worst fires in the Central West in the past three decades.
The Central Western Daily was granted access to a ride in an RFS car on a drive up the mountain as the Rural Fire Service offered media a tour of the fire zone.
The live video was heavily watched as you can see smoke from fires extinguished mere 20 minutes before senior journalist Danielle Cetinski drove past.
PANTHERS TAKE GROUP 10 CROWN
Bathurst Panthers claimed the Group 10 Rugby League decider in 2018, and the celebrations were something to behold.
EMUS TAKE THE SPOILS AGAIN
Orange Emus romped over the line in the Central West Rugby Union grand final at the end of August, handing the side – featuring our very own Matt Findlay – the premiership.
Nick McGrath proffered up a live stream of the closing stages of the game, complete with expert commentary.
Check it out in all its glory:
FOOTBALL IN THE SNOW
‘The snow never bothered Willie Heta anyway’.
Need we say more?
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