January

Holida y wonderland: Shona, 7, visited the Heritage Springs shopping centre animal nursery during the school holidays.

Ben, 7, was tied up at the Junior Bunyip school holiday program at Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick.

February

R ehydration station: Following the devastating bushfires of Black Saturday, the Journal looked at the research efforts of Swinburne University PhD student Jenni Raines, who is developing techniques to keep firefighters hydrated.

March

Clo se shave: Berwick's Hayden Harding shaved his head for the third time to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave.

Huge help: Pakenham's Big House Communities director Andre Van Eymeren (pictured with team leader Alex, Deb, Marj, Carmel and Brigitte) celebrated the expansion of services to help people see through the financial crisis.

April

Rocki n' on: Berwick musician Tara Leigh Dowler held a concert to raise money to fund an EP, which she hoped would launch her recording career.

May

Seasone d artist: Berwick Art Society's Betty Pritchard was one of many painters to display work at the annual Autumn Art Exhibition.

Able to help: Riding for the Disabled in Officer made a desperate bid for more volunteers to keep the service operating.

June

Pup py love: Former Berwick toddler Tara O'Connell received Victoria's first autism seizure-response dog, Addy, after capturing the community's heart. Fund-raising efforts spanned more than 12 months with the community donating more than $29,000 towards her cause.

Pommelling opponents: Lysterfield's Luke Wadsworth represented Australia at the Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships.