The Standard's top news stories for 2021

From COVID outbreaks and first vaccinations, to the hot property market and songs of hope, 2021 has certainly been a big year for the south-west.

We wanted to share with you the stories that seemed to resonate most with the readers of The Standard's daily newspaper, website and app.

Keep reading to find out which pieces struck a chord this year.

Tomorrow we will delve into the best sporting highlights of 2021, and finally, the best photos of the year before we welcome in 2022.

Thank you for all your support in 2021.

Warrnambool streets were flooded as rain with a 'one-in-50-year intensity' lashed the city on January 2, 2021.

The Warrnambool SES unit received 91 calls for assistance, while Hamilton had 21 and Portland 16 as of 5.45pm Saturday.

The call outs were mostly for flooding and water entering buildings through ceilings.

Full story here.

Two parents expressed their disgust after male students at Brauer College were allegedly forced to stand up and apologise to females on March 25, 2021.

The mums, who didn't want to be named, said they were horrified when they found out all students had been forced to watch a video in which another male spoke about sexual assault.

At the conclusion of the video all males, including male teachers, were allegedly told to stand up and apologise to the females in the room.

Full story here.

The Middle Island Penguin Project bid farewell to its matriarch protector 'Tula' who passed away at the age of 13 on November 3 2021, marking the end of an era.

Tula protected Middle Island's penguin colony for over eight years, along with her sister Eudy who passed just five months ago at the age of 12.

The pair were the first dogs specially trained to protect Warrnambool's Little Penguin Colony. Tula retired in 2019 and had since played an integral part in training younger dogs.

Full story here.

He was a craftsman, a sportsman, a mentor, a deep thinker, a perfectionist.

He was legendary - in his home town of Camperdown, throughout the south-west, in the cycling world, and in the hearts of all those who met him.

That's why Kevin Bradshaw's sudden death rocked his family and friends and left the community in a state of disbelief when he passed away earlier this year. You only had to say the word "Braddy" and everyone knew you were talking about the "son of Camperdown".

Full story here.

A Port Fairy house with 180-degree panoramic views of the East Beach sold for just shy of $5 million, setting a new record for property in the coastal town in September this year.

The three-bedroom property which sits on a 1597-square-metre block, has been in the one family for 50 years. It is surrounded by trees and has absolute beach frontage plus views of the Moyne River.

The house at 72 Griffiths Street was listed for sale under expressions of interest with an estimated price range of between $4.4 million to $4.6 million but real estate industry sources said the property sold for more than $4.6 million.

Full story here.

A powerful performance from a primary school-aged student marked for many, a wider shift in Aboriginal education in classrooms.

Wise beyond her years, 11-year-old Henrietta Barker moved crowds to tears when she performed her original song dedicated to the Stolen Generations in June this year.

With her small guitar in hand, she stood strong and unwavering next to music veteran Shane Howard at the Lighthouse Theatre as she played her song 'Sorry Couldn't Come To Soon' on Sunday night.

The Warrnambool Primary School student was inspired to write the song during Reconciliation Week last year.

Full story here.

Incredible footage captured in Warrnambool shows surfers and whales sharing the water at Logans Beach in July this year.

The stunning clip shows a surfer riding a perfect barrel wave as a Southern Right Whale leaps from the water.

Warrnambool's Tom Hanson caught the action and said he wished he was out there surfing and joked the whale looked pretty happy about being out of lockdown.

Full story here.

Warrnambool's first frontline worker was vaccinated against COVID-19 in March this year.

Emergency Department associate nurse unit manager Carole Holman received the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday morning at the Warrnambool Base Hospital.

"It's exciting, I feel honoured to be the first one," she said.

Full story here.

Warrnambool was one of just four places in Victoria to make the top 30 list of top performing suburbs in the nation as the city's median house price punched through the $500,000 mark for the first time.

Mornington, Geelong and Gippsland were the only other places in Victoria to make the Australia-wide list with Warrnambool coming in at 26th spot of strong performers over the past year, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic.

It follows a nationwide trend of coastal areas being a magnet for homebuyers with a sharp price rise pushing the median price of a house in Warrnambool up almost $120,000 in just two years.

Full story here.

South West Healthcare's chief executive officer Craig Fraser said he was 'concerned' after confirming 12 new COVID cases had been recorded in Warrnambool, taking the total number of active cases in the city to 17 in September this year.

Mr Fraser had said the sudden spike in infections and the speed of transmission was concerning.

"I'm concerned because until we get to a point where the positives stop coming through, we're really not sure how far it has spread and how quickly," he said.

"The concern is it has spread very quickly and we've seen that across the state."

Full story here.

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