As with the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games involve a relay around the host country and the 2018 games are being staged on the Gold Coast from 4th to 15th April. Well, yesterday the baton relay came to town and Dot and I went to view the event. I thought it might attract massive public attention, but when the baton appeared in Armidale's Mall the on-lookers were dramatically out-numbered by officials and police! In retrospect, I should have realised that it was a normal workday and all the kids were back in school!
Here comes the parade up the East Mall, but notice the absence of crowds!
The Queen's Baton Relay comprised quite a few vehicles carrying equipment and organisers, not to forget large numbers of police cars. I suppose these progressed steadily around Australia.
No baton in sight yet!
Ah! Here it comes held by a female walker. Yes, you read that correctly ... walker! The relay's Armidale leg (excuse the pun) comprised 18 walkers, each of whom must have been tired out after their massive 100 m stints. Until yesterday I always thought that relays were run.
And, unlike a real race, the handovers were lengthy exchanges as shown here. The baton, too, surprised us as it turned out to be a metal hoop. At least it had some media coverage.
Here they are walking up the Central Mall viewed by an almost absent public, even though it was 9.45 in the morning!
At this point, Dot and I headed down to Curtis Park on the Creek-lands to see the end of the local relay and we were stunned by the mass of on-lookers, maybe well over 1000 people in total. But strangely, about 95% of them were between 5 and 18 years of age, in other words school-kids. All were delivered by a fleet of buses and even more strangely they were served a free breakfast run by mainly service clubs (Lions and Rotary) on arrival - at 10 am. All were dressed in school uniforms and lined up in queues to acquire their grub.
These guys might appear to be running, but in practice they were also walking ... though faster than before. Dot's on the far left taking a picture. The guy carrying the 'baton' is hidden behind the walker in the middle.
Some of the assembled kids.
The relay's end.
Speech-making at the end.
Here comes the parade up the East Mall, but notice the absence of crowds!
The Queen's Baton Relay comprised quite a few vehicles carrying equipment and organisers, not to forget large numbers of police cars. I suppose these progressed steadily around Australia.
No baton in sight yet!
Ah! Here it comes held by a female walker. Yes, you read that correctly ... walker! The relay's Armidale leg (excuse the pun) comprised 18 walkers, each of whom must have been tired out after their massive 100 m stints. Until yesterday I always thought that relays were run.
And, unlike a real race, the handovers were lengthy exchanges as shown here. The baton, too, surprised us as it turned out to be a metal hoop. At least it had some media coverage.
Here they are walking up the Central Mall viewed by an almost absent public, even though it was 9.45 in the morning!
At this point, Dot and I headed down to Curtis Park on the Creek-lands to see the end of the local relay and we were stunned by the mass of on-lookers, maybe well over 1000 people in total. But strangely, about 95% of them were between 5 and 18 years of age, in other words school-kids. All were delivered by a fleet of buses and even more strangely they were served a free breakfast run by mainly service clubs (Lions and Rotary) on arrival - at 10 am. All were dressed in school uniforms and lined up in queues to acquire their grub.
These guys might appear to be running, but in practice they were also walking ... though faster than before. Dot's on the far left taking a picture. The guy carrying the 'baton' is hidden behind the walker in the middle.
Some of the assembled kids.
The relay's end.
Speech-making at the end.
AS
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