A is for asbestos.

Debatably, the legacy of Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos was the defining issue of the year for the territory and, after months of anxiety, it came to a head for households in October when the ACT government announced that, at a cost of $1 billion, it would buy back and demolish more than 1000 houses pumped with the insulation.

B is for Andrew Barr.

He began the year as right-hand man and ends it in the big chair as the new Chief Minister.

Although he has only been in the hot seat a few weeks, he has made it clear the economy will be his No.1 priority, light rail will continue to be on the agenda and, as the first openly gay leader of any state or territory, he will maintain the push for same-sex marriage.

C is for Canberra.

2014 was the year Canberra shone on the world stage.

From an article in the New York Times championing our "hipster underbelly", a starring role in ABC TV series The Code, and a blink-and-you-missed-it scenic shot in Mad Men, Canberra seemed to be everywhere you looked and, to cap it off, we were again named the world's most liveable city.

D is for Liliane Derden.

The tragic downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 over eastern Ukraine in July was brought home to Canberrans when it was revealed one of our own, Liliane Derden, was among the 298 victims.

E is for David Eastman.

After 19 years behind bars for the murder of police chief Colin Winchester, David Eastman walked from prison on August 22 after his conviction was quashed.

The former public servant's application for a stay against his retrial is expected to be heard in the first half of 2015.

F is for Food.

It seemed there was a new restaurant or hip bar opening daily in 2014.

On the south side the Kingston Foreshore filled up fast and, for northsiders, Lonsdale Street continued its transformation into hipsterdom.

G is for Katy Gallagher.

After three years at the helm, Katy Gallagher waved goodbye to the ACT government to contest the vacancy left by Labor senator Kate Lundy in December.

Speaking of her achievements, Ms Gallagher was most proud of her work in the health portfolio as Australia's longest-serving health minister.

H is for health.

Canberra Hospital was rocked by allegations of bullying, Calvary Hospital struggled with its finances and on top of it all the industry was under more pressure than ever when the hospital's occupancy rate reached "well above" 90 per cent.

But with a new health minister, and the government committing $23 million to expand the emergency department, the ailing sector could turn over a new leaf in 2015.

I is for IKEA.

Dreams came true for many in May when the Swedish flat-pack furniture giant confirmed a blue and yellow box was headed our way.

But hold on to your Allen keys, you've got plenty of time to hone your skills at reading complicated diagrams; it won't be open until the end of 2015.

J is for jobs.

2014 was a bad year for the territory's public servants.

The federal government's austerity drive continued to claim the jobs of almost one in 11 of its Canberra staff in 2013-14, the steepest downturn recorded in any state or territory for seven years.

K is for Nick Kyrgios.

The 19-year-old Canberran shot to sporting fame when he knocked world No.1 Rafael Nadal out in the fourth round in Wimbledon in four sets.

Although he lost to Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals, he is still benefiting from the perks of international fame through endorsement deals with Bonds and, most recently, Malaysia Airlines.

L is for Lake Burley Griffin.

It's been a floodplain, a golf course, a racetrack – and a massive excavation site until 1963, when it begin filling with water.

Canberra's watery centrepiece celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary in October.

M is for Patty Mills.

The former Marist College student helped guide the San Antonio Spurs to an NBA championship in June.

Mills, the first indigenous Australian to win an NBA championship, received the keys to the city when he returned to Canberra with the NBA trophy.

N is for NDIS.

The ACT became the first Australian jurisdiction to accept all eligible people onto the long-awaited National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) when the trial site began in July.

The NDIS promises to transform the lives of more than 5000 Canberrans, but the transition hasn't been entirely smooth, with concerns about the services covered and the speed of the transition.

O is for opposition.

The ACT government opposition's quest to stop the light rail track failed to gain traction, as did a move for all frontline police to be issued with Tasers.

Following the budget, the Liberals criticised the government's infrastructure spend, renewable energy projects and health record, and leader Jeremy Hanson vowed to improve health, education, the planning system and fix roads if elected in 2016.

P is for parking.

The perennial bugbear of Canberrans reached a peak when paid parking came to the parliamentary triangle in October.

2014 also brought the rollout of a new smartphone app for parking tickets.

Q is for Queanbeyan.

It wasn't a great year for our nearest neighbours. They, too, were hit with the Mr Fluffy crisis, with the NSW government following the territory's lead to buy back and demolish affected homes.

About 800 ratepayers were stung in June when the council tried to recoup $3.7 million in outstanding rates before withdrawing the backdated bills in October.

R is for royal visit.

Royal fever came to Canberra when the Duke and Duchess dropped by as part of their Australian tour and Prince George continued his role as potentially the most photographed baby in the world.

S is for Kurt Steel.

The popular ACT government media advisor was one of 10 tourists killed in a bus crash in Bolivia in August.

A second Canberran, Gemma Barnes, was among another 24 foreign passengers injured.

T is for transport.

The controversial Gungahlin-city light rail line continued to dominate the legislative assembly.

CANGO is just one of the possible names for the $800 million addition to the territory's public transport network.

U is for Uriarra solar farm.

The territory's quest for 90 per cent renewable energy by 2020 continued with the push for the 27-hectare Uriarra solar farm.

But the project hit a hurdle when it was swamped with 122 objections, including 80 from residents of the nearby village.

V is for visitors.

Besides the royal visit (see R), we had President of China Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and even the queen mother of Bhutan.

Foodies gave Jamie Oliver a rock-star welcome in March but his mentor, Italian cooking legend Antonio Carluccio, gave "poor little Jamie" a dressing down during his visit to Canberra.

W is for wages.

Battles over public-service wage rates and conditions raged for much of 2014 and look likely to continue as departmental bosses struggle to draw up tough deals to comply with the Abbott government's bargaining framework.

X is for X-large.

The territory's increasingly supersized sick people meant heavy-duty toilets, motorised hoists and wider doorways for giant beds at Canberra Hospital.

COAG data showed territorians were continuing to grow, with 25 per cent considered obese and 38 per cent overweight.

Y is for Yarralumla brickworks.

Controversy over the redevelopment continued with the ACT government eventually slashing the eight-storey planned height following widespread concern over the project's scale.

Z is for Zed Seselja.

The Liberal senator spent much of the year pushing for the "struggling" Tuggeranong town centre to be revitalised with an extension to the west side of the Murrumbidgee River.

He ends the year facing speculation his Senate spot could be endangered as he goes up against popular of long-term political rival Katy Gallagher.