Bring on 2023: South Aussies share their hopes, dreams – and there is one common theme
At different stages of life, New Year’s Eve can represent very different things. We speak to uni grads, new parents, empty nesters and an adventurous gran about what they want for 2023.
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The dawning of a new year hails the chance to take a moment to reflect, refocus and restart.
For some it means the setting of resolutions and goals to tick off – or not – over the next 12 months.
Others will use the time to take stock of their life and consider what is most important to them moving forward.
Today, the Sunday Mail catches up with everyday South Australians to find out what the start of 2023 means to them, at their particular stage in life.
From a 20-year-old university graduate readying to start her dream career in an Adelaide hospital to an octogenarian imagining the adventures she still wants to go on, there are common themes: renewed hopes after three years of living with Covid, family and making the most of the “moments”.
Here’s wishing South Australians everywhere a wonderful start to the new year – and hoping it is a good one.
Bring on 2023: why graduate Lilly is jumping for joy
Newly-qualified midwife Lilly Flannagan can’t wait to bring on 2023 and the new opportunities it offers to celebrate life, love and family.
Pictured here with good friend Catherine White, a Bachelor of Psychological Science graduate, she is “over the moon” to be starting work next month as a midwife at Flinders Medical Centre.
“I remember (witnessing my first birth) as just being a beautiful experience and knowing this is what I wanted to do … and will probably do for the rest of my life,” the 20-year-old said.
The 2019 school leaver says it was at a careers night while at Pulteney Grammar School she was inspired to study midwifery.
“An old scholar who was a midwife came and explained all the different aspects of her work … I just thought helping bring people into the world would be a really fulfilling job,” she said.
“I wanted a job I could do anywhere in the world that in 20 years time would still be needed.”
“(Being a midwife) is a beautiful thing as you are watching people become a family.”
Lilly says while studying for a degree in the healthcare sector entirely during Covid was challenging, it also built resilience – and gratitude for “blessings” such as visiting grandparents at short notice or lunching with family.
Beyond starting a new job, Lilly is planning to travel overseas twice in 2023.
Her first destination is Cambodia where she will volunteer at The 2H Project, a charity set up by Adelaide midwife and lecturer Kate Taylor to educate local birth attendants and midwives.
Then, in November she’ll head to the US to compete in the New York City Marathon.
“I think young people in 2023 are really lucky to have the opportunities we do to travel,” she said.
And what can others learn from Generation Z?
“I think as a generation we are very accepting of people in all forms … of the different career choices we make and life choices we have,” she said.
She does, however, hold concerns about the negative power of social media, the high cost of housing and short-staffing in hospitals.
New year offers new opportunities for SA octogenarian
To octogenarian Elizabeth Andrews, a fresh year again hails a chance to try new things.
“I’m always up for an adventure and exploring new places,” she said, adding a solo trip to Antarctica a few years back remains a highlight.
“I had travelled to lots of places before then, including England, Europe, America and India and thought it would be incredible to go down to Antarctica in the snow where not many people get to travel.
“Now I want to keep exploring new places and going on as many outings as I can.”
She does have a dream destination: “I wish I could travel to the moon; I love flying and imagine it would be unbelievable to look around from the moon and see everything from space.”
The 81-year-old, who is a mum of two and grandmother of two, was widowed “many years ago” when her “wonderful” former police officer husband Trevor died “unexpectedly and too young”.
“I (now) live independently in a unit at Blackwood and my son (Mark) lives in our family home which is not far away and also in Blackwood … I’ve lived in the area for more than 30 years,” she said.
Mrs Andrews, who attends community respite at Southern Cross Care’s Myrtle Cottage three times a week, says getting older allows her more time to do things she likes most.
“I have so much time to do the things I love – walking, exercising, cooking, staying in
touch with friends and reading,” she said.
“I’ve always been very active and have done lots of ballet in my life … I take part in exercise classes when I attend Myrtle Cottage; I can still move my body very well, I have good strength and mobility.
“I’m going pretty well and haven’t had one second where I haven’t felt good.”
And the downsides of getting older?
“I’m lucky that I’m quite fit, healthy and happy,” she said.
“I don’t worry about growing old – I certainly don’t feel old … if someone mentions my birthday I tell them that I’m not interested in it.”
Proud new parents: … and baby makes three in 2023
For Amelia and Micah Prior, the dawning of a new year brings with it the hope and excitement that comes from being first-time parents.
The schoolteacher couple – she teaches secondary geography and English and he works in the primary setting – welcomed little Benjamin, “Benny”, into the world in October.
“Benny is very alert and starting to get quite chatty and giving us lots of cute smiles … we are just so excited to see what’s ahead for us this year,” Mrs Prior, 28, said.
“(Being new parents) has been a rollercoaster … all the things that aren’t as fun – the lack of sleep and dirty nappies – are outweighed by all the cute snuggles, excitement and crazy joy you experience, it has been beautiful.
“For us (this year) will be all about prioritising family time and not getting too caught up in the busyness of running around and doing lots of things.
“We really just want to be in the present to soak up this time in Benny’s life and each of the stages – babies grow and change so quickly.”
Now on maternity leave, Ms Prior reflects on the challenges for teachers and staff of school life through a pandemic.
“For the year 12s who finished in 2022, their senior years experience has been purely based on Covid times … it’s been really tough for them,” she said, adding the most interactive of online resources can’t match face-to-face learning, classroom collaboration and analysis.
“For teachers it has meant a lot more administration … some kids have missed weeks and then needed to be caught up, other shave raced ahead … deadlines and due dates have been all over the place.
“Everyone is done with (Covid).”
And as teachers, how worried are the new parents about the impact social media will have on their young son’s life?
“As he grows, we aim to take a gradual approach to using various platforms and prioritise educating Benjamin about being safe and responsible online … unfortunately we have seen a number of the negative impacts social media can have on young people,” Mrs Prior said.
Empty nesters: Hopes, dreams and nostalgia as new year dawns
For Surangee Bandara and husband Ravi Jayasinghe ringing in this new year stirs a sense of nostalgia as they close the door on their kids’ school years.
Their eldest of two children, daughter Sayuni, 20, has spent the past 12 months living interstate, fulfilling a dream to study architecture at the University of Melbourne, after finishing high school at St Aloysius College.
School-leaver son Vinuka, 17, is waiting to find out if he has been accepted into the Australian Army, after graduating from all-boys’ Christian Brothers College in 2022.
If successful, he too will be packing his bags and leaving the family home in suburban Darlington, catapulting his early childhood educator mum, 46, and disability support worker dad, 51, into a new life as empty nesters.
“You never expect the 13 years your child is at school to go so quickly,” Ms Bandara said.
“Letting go is hard … when my daughter got accepted into the uni she had always dreamt of going to, I couldn’t say a word,” she said.
“I had to hold in my emotions and feelings and keep smiling … I was so proud (but) at the same time preparing myself for her to go.”
“(With Vinuka preparing to leave) I am trying to stay calm but it is hard.”
The family of four, who moved to Australia from Sri Lanka in 2009 and became Australian citizens in 2015, will travel back to the South Asian country this month.
“It will be the first time in eight years we have returned as a family and I am really looking forward to seeing my parents and grandparents … it has been hard with Covid,” Ms Bandara said.
Ms Bandara, who retrained when her hospitality job ended during the height of Covid, is optimistic the world will start moving on from the pandemic in 2023.
“Personally, I feel this new year is a fresh start and we’ve left the worst of (Covid) behind us … (collectively) I think we have become stronger in our mindset – we didn’t know our own strength,” she said. “I hope for the best, for everybody.”
Forget the party, this year it is all about family
Partying until midnight was the last thing Rebecca and George Lekkas felt like doing on the eve of 2023, opting for rest over festivities as they await the arrival of their third child.
“Our (celebration) will be pretty low key … we’ll likely just head down to the beach and watch the fireworks and will probably be in bed by 10 o’clock,” Mrs Lekkas, 33, laughed.
As well as readying to welcome a new baby early next month, the family is packing up to move into a newly-built home at Henley Beach.
Meanwhile, Mr Lekkas, 36, has a major new work project starting – he is assistant site manager for builder Multiplex which is redeveloping the Adelaide Central Market.
On the home front, eldest child Sofia, 5, starts her first full year of reception and little Archie, 2, is just eager to meet his new sibling – hoping for a brother.
“We don’t yet know what we are having as we want it to be a surprise … these days there aren’t many surprises, we all tend to want to know everything,” Mrs Lekkas said.
Finding “a bit more of a work – life balance” in 2023 is a priority for the former hairdresser and husband who relocated from Melbourne to raise their young family in Adelaide.
“Obviously for us, we will be welcoming our new child into the world and settling into life as a family of five,” she said.
“But a theme for us this year will be just spending more time together as a family … you get so busy, you miss out on quality family time … we’re looking to enjoy more holidays and more experiences together – a lot of our friends are saying the same things.
“I think with interest rates changing and (the cost of living) going up, we are all just looking at our finances … at the end of the day, you want to get rid of your mortgage so you are not tied down.
“We are probably one of the lucky families as we have budgeted for so many years that we can now start to enjoy it.”
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