In January Leeton shire welcomed the new year with plenty of positivity for the 12 months ahead.

However, as we now know, life was about to change completely.

We were to learn new terms such as "iso", "social distancing", "COVID-19" and many more.

But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the year started with plenty of hope as our look back at the first three months worth of Irrigator front pages will show.

Residents jumped on board with fundraising efforts to assist those throughout the state and country who had been hit badly by one of Australia's worst bushfire seasons.

Holiday activities were in full swing, Leeton Shire Council revealed how much it was spending to acquire the old Movie Cafe and Crate Cafe buildings and a loved resident celebrated his 100^th birthday.

Retailers reported a good festive spend and the Gliding Grand Prix returned to the skies over Leeton shire.

As the calendar flipped over into late February and early March, the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic started to be felt.

However, it wasn't until late March when the impacts really started to hit home when stay-at-home orders were in place for the whole state, impacting on businesses in Leeton shire.

Keep an eye out over the coming days as we bring to you the rest of our series looking back at the front pages of 2020.

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