Good morning Canberra and welcome to Christmas Eve, 2018.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's an exciting time for many Canberrans, particularly our youngest, but equally a chance to think of those in less fortunate circumstances and to offer your support where you can.
Today we can expect a maximum of 30 degrees, with light winds and zero chance of rain. A prolonged blast of hot, dry weather is drifting our way so prepare for a steady increase in temperatures right through this week, climbing to a searing maximum of 39 degrees on Friday.
From our archives, it was 44 years ago today that Cyclone Tracy roared out of the Arafura Sea and flattened Darwin, destroying more than 70 per cent of the city's buildings and causing, in today's values, billions of dollars in damage. Tragically, 71 people lost their lives.
Here's what's in the news today:
Front lawns lit up with festive cheer
Christmas lights will be blazing on the front lawns of homes all around our city tonight but none more brightly than in Reid, where Scott McAlister is keeping a family tradition going since 2005.
It takes him two or three days to assemble the display and every year he gets letters from people saying how much they enjoy it.
Jasper Lindell caught up with the McAlisters and tells the story behind their festive light show here.
Policy leg up for public service union
New starters to the ACT public service must be given details about how to join their union and what it costs under a new government policy issued to all departmental heads and managers.
It's good news for bolstering union membership, which has been under pressure because of a fast-changing work environments right around the country.
Katie Burgess provides details about this unusual edict here.
The rush begins for Christmas-fresh crustaceans
Like me, if you've left just hours to secure your Christmas Day prawns, then be prepared to queue.
Christmas Eve is the busiest sales day of the year for prawns and oysters and because most people want it as fresh as possible, there's always a dash to the markets, together with the desperate need to keep the tasty little crustaceans chilled and ready for the big nosh-up to come.
Jasper Lindell jumped the queue to find out more here.
Stay A-League hopeful Canberra, but don't count your chickens
A collective sigh of heartbreak among soccer fans resonated across Canberra when we recently lost our ambitious A-League bid.
While we're the eternal optimists to be reconsidered for inclusion when the league next considers expansion in 2020, A-League boss Greg O'Rourke has now warned us against false hope in the future.
Eamonn Tiernan spoke with O'Rourke about the feedback given after our failed bid here.
Helping the helpless just got harder Archbishop says
For St Vincent de Paul volunteers there's a huge Christmas demand to help out those who are sleeping rough and doing it tough.
The order will be busy with its practical charity during the festive season and will be relying, as always, on community support.
David Ellery looked at the helping hands being extended to the less fortunate in our society here.