Five years ago, locked in our homes and isolated from our loved ones, we invented new rituals to keep ourselves sane. We baked bread. We played trivia with friends on Zoom. We replaced going to the theatre with binge-watching 237 episodes of medical drama Grey’s Anatomy – twice. (Or was that just me?)
And for many of us in New South Wales, the daily 11am coronavirus press conferences led by then-premier Gladys Berejiklian became sacred appointment television. Maybe it was the sense of intimacy lockdown fostered that sent so many into emotional upheaval when, in 2021, Berejiklian was found to have engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”, breaching public trust by failing to disclose a personal relationship with politician Daryl Maguire while overseeing funding to his electorate. The memes were vicious, funny and funereal.
