Series
The year that changed me
We asked writers to share the moments that changed their young lives for The Age 2026 Opinion summer series.
- The year that changed me
How I got out of maths, performed at Sidney Myer Music Bowl and changed the way I hear the world
Going from my rowdy suburban school into the state band was a joy, even if I didn’t play for Princess Diana like the rest of my bandmates.
- Carolyn Webb
- The year that changed me
I thought I was on the bold road to adulthood, until I got lost on the way to Myer
In my journey to adulthood, I was determined to follow my nose, but that only diverted me to the Darrell Lea sweets shop.
- Martin Galvin
- The year that changed me
My mates and I went on a cruise to meet girls. It went better than expected ... for some of us
It was a supposedly fun thing, but the author is pretty sure he’ll never do it again.
- Karl Quinn
- The year that changed me
I was at rock bottom in grim Dublin when my life was turned around by an elderly stranger
The Celtic Tiger was roaring and I was on track to fulfil my journalism dream. Then an email arrived with a word that I’d not heard in years and my life was thrown into turmoil.
- Jonathan Drennan
- The year that changed me
I thought I had to quit the thing I loved to become a doctor. I was wrong
I was 16 and had the colours of rolling thunder and driving rain at my fingertips. I thought I had to choose between listening to my head or following my heart.
- Louis Wang
- The year that changed me
My dream share house turned into a bucket-filled nightmare. It wasn’t a leak
The house seemed too nice for feral students like us with our vinyl op-shop jackets hanging in the hall and stolen street signs decorating the living room. Then the housemates moved in.
- Damien Nowicki
- The year that changed me
I didn’t realise at the time, but it was the last summer I would spend with my little brother
My childhood home abuts a forest reserve called Foxes Lair and I trawled its depths with Seva, my 11-year-old brother, spotting echidnas, blue-tongue lizards and galahs.
- Lily Chan
- The year that changed me
I wanted to hitchhike to Sydney. The pill-gobbling truckie had other ideas
The truckie’s plan in case the pills weren’t sufficient was that I had to stay awake to prod him in the ribs if he started nodding off. He wouldn’t share his amphetamines.
- Tony Wright
- The year that changed me
My editor rang me with urgent news. I hung up and cried in the street
This is the first piece in a summer opinion series from our writers and reporters about the year that changed them.
- Stephen Brook
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