We've all gotten to know our politicians a lot better over the past couple of months.
A lot of people would have had no clue who the premier of NSW was, let alone the premiers of Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria.
Now we're seeing them on our screens at every turn.
It's quite possible that the funniest moment of the pandemic could end up being the Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan's laughing fit way back in early April over a question about eating a kebab during the lockdown.
In response to a question about whether people could eat a kebab and go for a run during restrictions, Mr McGowan burst out laughing.
He said there was "nothing wrong with going for a run and having a kebab".
"I find it hard to believe someone was going for a run, then stopped to have a kebab," he said, with glee.
"But in any event, they do things differently in NSW."
The kebab question related to the 21-year-old Newcastle man who was fined $1000 for sitting on a public bench in Market Street, Newcastle, eating a kebab. Police did warn the man twice. They fined him after he ignored the direction to move on for a third time.
The Newcastle kebab scandal may well end up becoming the funniest moment of the pandemic in Australia [we do hope the kebab was worth it].
Or has there been a funnier moment? Share your thoughts at topics@newcastleherald.com.au.
Come Fly With Me
Western Australia premier Mark McGowan and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk have been sticking to their guns over border closures.
They're not letting us NSW folk in just yet.
"It's odd, NSW is saying don't catch public transport in Sydney, they're restricting the number of people who can go to a restaurant or cafe far more than Western Australia is, yet they're saying 'why can't NSW people fly to Western Australia'," Mr McGowan said.
"Their message is totally inconsistent."
Fair point, that.
One day [hopefully soon] border restrictions will lift and us folk in NSW will be able to fly to other parts of Australia again.
What? A Queensland holiday in winter, you say? That'd be nice, wouldn't it?
Newcastle Airport is running a competition to get us dreaming about the day when we can return to the friendly skies and venture to other locales.
The "Dream Big" competition invites people to ... well ... dream big about their next getaway.
A $1000 travel voucher is up for grabs.
To enter, upload a photograph that shows your favourite destination to fly to from Newcastle Airport and add a caption in 25 words or less.
Before COVID-19 travel restrictions, people could fly from Newcastle Airport to Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Gold Coast, Ballina/Byron Bay, Dubbo and Auckland.
"It could be a travel snap from a previous holiday adventure or a destination you recreate in your lounge room," an airport statement said.
"Or perhaps you fly from Newcastle to visit family or friends and you simply want to share a photo of them with a clever caption? The most creative entry will be selected by a panel of judges."
To enter, check out the airport's blog.
