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The year that changed me
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Series
We asked writers to share the moments that changed their young lives for The Age 2026 Opinion summer series.
4 stories
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.
- January 9, 2026
- by Damien Nowicki
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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.
- January 7, 2026
- by 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.
- January 6, 2026
- by 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.
- January 5, 2026
- by Stephen Brook
