Possible storm overnight, back to sunny conditions around midday tomorrow.
Pics were taken yesterday.... Enjoy another story from 18years ago :-)
Adam
~
Here’s a throwback to the incredible opening ceremony of Sydney 2000. Where a young Nikki Webster and many large tropical fish were suspended high above the then Stadium Australia; where 120 bush stockman rode in formation to the beat of “The man from snowy river”. Where indigenous dreamtime stories came to life through beating drums, fire, song and dance. Where a outline of the coastline was created by the multicultural patchwork of modern day Australia. Where billions around the world watched as their athletes marched behind their respective flag.
This is where today’s memory begins. Both my Mum & Dad had volunteered to be apart of these ceremonies. Mum, a placard bearer holding up Sierra Leone (North West Africa). She was under strict instructions by the organisers to keep both hands on the placard at all times and not to wave at all. You have got to be kidding!!
Bec and I were over at our cousin’s house watching the proceedings unfold on TV, having a party and hoping we would have the chance to spot Mum in her fancy Olympic cowboy costume. Out come the Greeks, followed by the A, B C’s of nations… We started to notice that the placard bearers don’t seem to get much air time, if any. That was until a blonde lady came out waving!! Hahaha, there she was. Mum was beaming from ear to ear and the cameras loved her, she snagged her 15 seconds of fame. Unfortunately I cannot seem to locate any footage of this, youtube has nothing (taken it down due to copyright infringements) and the Olympic website is poor :-( Take my word it was rather funny!!
Dad’s job wasn’t out in the public eye like Mum’s, but it was pretty vital. He was one of the guys handing out the flags to each countries flag bearer. To this day he likes to tell everyone that he handed the Aussie flag to Andrew Gaze; and he has the ‘FB’ card to prove it. Unfortunately he also has two other identical cards… After the ceremony had concluded and the stadium was emptied he and his fellow flag handerouteres (yep that is a word) were given access to the stage - You know the one, the one where Cathy lit the cauldron and the world held its breath as it paused and almost ran out of fuel. He has a priceless photo; he’s standing at the bottom of the cascading waterfall, below the the burning cauldron waving the Aussie flag.
Experiences they’ll never forget, nor will I just hearing about them. Good times !!
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Premium metallic print set behind 30mm of grade A clear acrylic.
Perfect for desks and bookshelves. These artworks are fantastic presents and can be sent easily anywhere around the world.
