The feel-good stories of 2025: Heartwarming Brisbane stories we shared this year
Brisbane will look back on 2025 as the year that brought us Cyclone Alfred, the decision to put an Olympic stadium at Victoria Park, and David Crisafulli’s first anniversary as Queensland premier.
There was much for Brisbanites to celebrate – and not just our domination on football fields.
Here are some of the stories that made us smile and laugh, and others that made us feel proud to call Brisbane home.
The man behind Brisbane’s most beautiful station
Norman Park station master Anthony Vethecan is popular with commuters for his work beautifying the train station’s interiors and gardens. We had the pleasure of sitting down with him in May, and the story was one of our best-read of the year.
Robert Irwin takes home the Mirrorball
OK, he’s not technically from Brisbane, but we’re still choosing to claim this Sunshine Coast wildlife warrior. His stint on the US version of Dancing with the Stars was nothing short of breathtaking.
Let’s go, Broncos!
Speaking of victories, few were as sweet as the Broncos’ thrilling grand final triumph over the Melbourne Storm.
It was lights, camera, Reece Walsh. For most of this eye-popping match, it was difficult to keep in mind what the score even was. The game will be remembered for the tries: the second-fastest in 117 years of grand finals, and a Walsh special when he beat five tacklers and a goalpost.
And, Broncos fans had double the reason to celebrate, with the club’s NRLW side defeating the Roosters to claim the grand final trophy. Nearly 10,000 Broncos fans revelled in the club’s triumphs at Suncorp Stadium the following day.
Lions win back-to-back premierships
Come September, the Brisbane Lions completed one of the AFL’s most stunning transformations to floor the Geelong Cats in another stunning grand final.
As emotions spilled out in the bowels of the MCG, Lions coach Chris Fagan revealed his group had embraced a famous Nelson Mandela quote as part of their journey to claiming back-to-back premierships and becoming the competition’s benchmark.
No questions asked, just free lasagne
Kenmore residents Rebekah and Tex are volunteers for the Queensland chapter of Lasagna Love, an organisation that cooks and delivers lasagne to people who need it: no questions asked, no strings attached.
When Nick Dent spoke to them, the mother-son duo had been making one lasagne every week for four months at their own expense, and delivering them personally.
Brisbane’s first big, fat Greek wedding
On July 21, 1963, Brisbane hosted one of the biggest wedding receptions in the town’s living memory. And, 62 years later, Stella and Peter Samios are still together.
The papers did the maths: 560 spring chickens, 2500 fish fillets, 40 dozen magnums of champagne, 70 dozen bottles of beer. The cake weighed 12 kilograms, with five five-kilogram supplemental cakes. And if it seemed like every Greek person in town was in attendance, that’s because they pretty much were.
An ode to Brisbane’s kerbside collection
Few council services stir as much excitement in Brisbane than the kerbside pick-up.
When Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner scrapped the program for two years in 2020, the outcry from ratepayers was so deafening he reintroduced it at his first possible opportunity.
Cameron Atfield wrote about the bona fide treasure he found sitting on the side of the road early this year: an old leather suitcase just waiting to be discovered.
Read the full story to find out what he found inside.
Joan of Archives’ love of books goes viral
After 34 years, Queensland librarian Joan Bruce’s passion for rare books is well and truly alive. But it’s only now she has become an online sensation, known to her legion of fans as Joan of Archives.
Teen butcher wins over social media
Walking into Rode Meats in Stafford Heights, you’re met with a smiling Ethan Johns. He’s become known as the unofficial face of the butcher shop thanks to his energetic behind-the-scenes social media content.
Fantasy book lovers’ night out at City Hall
Jess Felschow never felt she had a place where she truly belonged. That was before she found Celestial Events. She was one of the thousands of attendees who attended a sold-out fantasy ball at Brisbane’s City Hall in July.
Steam train enthusiasts in for an Ekka treat
Hundreds of people flocked to Roma Street Station to experience an old-fashioned Thomas the Tank Engine-style ride to the Ekka on the public holiday in August. The atmosphere was infectious for young train fans as well as seasoned ones.
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Neesha Sinnya is a social media journalist for Brisbane Times.